On the way to the villa, the drive took us through the idilic town of Noto, getting straight into the Sicilian life, we stopped for a delicious bite to eat alfresco style, sat between beautiful side streets admiring the architecture
A short drive on, winding our way through the peaceful roads up to the top of the hill, we arrived.
The sun soaked the sky in oranges and pinks setting behind the hills beyond. The view, breathtaking and no-one else to be seen. The keys were exactly as instructed and it was easy to access the villa.
Opening the front door is like opening on to a real Italian home. Centred in the kitchen is the large kitchen table with a welcome book and all the instructions, even Sicilian recipe books which later in the holiday we used with delicious ingredients bought from Siracusa - this town is a must go to -
The white washed interiors gave a feeling of cool calmness, the mix of traditional and modern furniture creates the perfect balance, like your home but better.
My husband and I promised my 78 mother-in-law visiting from
New Zealand a relaxing holiday together but that is a big ask given my two boys 11 and 6. However the lay out of the villa is total genius with bedrooms and bathrooms split either side of the living area with doors creating your own private space. All the bedrooms are cool, the fantastic pale blue steel shutters created safety and coolness (and insect free) Sparkling white cotton sheets are throughout (if you love Egyptian cotton like I do, you won’t be disappointed) the double beds have to be king size!! My 6’4 husband could fully stretch and still plenty of room for me and a great night’s sleep.
Our boys still not grown totally comfortable with sleeping too far away from us but this was no problem. The bathroom separated the bedrooms but are still really close. The gorgeous lantern lights in the hallway were left on so they could easily find their way if needed.
The morning was greeted daily by a giant sun climbing, sea in the distance danced and sparkled in reflection.
Sitting with a traditional coffee - the kitchen provided every which way you want to make a coffee , tea and coffee was provided on arrival (we replaced when we left) so there was no scramble to the supermarket before you settled
Sitting back surrounded by scents from the lavender and lemon trees is a memory that will stay with me forever.
Once breakfast was over we hit the swimming pool. We arrived in May bank holiday so despite the slightly fresh temperatures this did not put the boys off. The pool was perfect for all age groups. Thoughtfully built, one side of the pool shallow and the other deep so you could get a good swim while the little one played safely. We never tired of spending time here, the morning swimming shouting and screaming as loudly as you liked - no neighbours to worry about. The afternoon spent on walks through the surrounding olive groves nearby and foraging for dry twigs in preparation for an evening spent by the fire.Amazingly you can choose, inside or outside fire (some nights we did both!) The huge tv and Netflix meant it was movie night every night for the boys while we nestled by the fire pit and put the wrongs to right.
Whilst the villa is set away, the pretty 10min drive to the ancient town of Noto was a treat not a chore. You can buy everything you need for the Italian dream dinner. Cooking in the villa was a joy, absolutely everything you need (even a juicer!) there was condiments to use, the knifes where amazingly sharp, I was happily chopping and drinking local wine, while there was a table tennis tournament going on outside! The joy of picking your own lemons from the tree for dressing will never get old.
It was comfort that Giovanni (the neighbour and caretaker) was close by if there was a problem, although there was none, he popped by to check all was fine, made sure the natural swimming pool was sparkling clean and gave us a chance to practice our poor Italian
This is our new hidden gem. A real escape and sense of freedom, sandwiched between two incredibly beautiful Sicilian towns this really was the relaxing holiday I promised my mother-law, loved by the whole family.