During our three-week stay, we fell in love with this beautiful place! Our family and friends enjoyed the relaxed elegance of the décor, the cool and dark bedrooms, which are so conducive for sleeping, and the heavenly pool. One of the most enjoyable spots was the spacious terrace. It was great for cocktails, al fresco dining and – THEN – watching Mt. Etna in the distance spew red hot lava! The villa’s location is peaceful, surrounded by orange groves, yet Taormina, Giardini Naxos, and Trapitello are only a short drive away. We had a long enough stay to explore the area, with a private tour on the summit of Mt. Etna, a private wine-tasting tour of the Scilio and Gambino wineries, drives to the towns Mazzaro, Motta Comastra, Castiglione di Sicilia, Santa Maria La Scala, Acireale, Aci Trezza, Aci Castello, the Alcantara Gorge, Savoca, and Randazzo for wonderful restaurant meals, gelato, shopping, hiking, baroque churches, Norman castles, Greek ruins, beautiful vineyards. We particularly enjoyed people-watching at Wunderbar in Taormina, dinner in Taormina at Casa Grugno, Michelin-rated Ristorante Veneziano in Randazzo, and pizzas from Al Feudo in Trapitello. We recommend climbing the hill behind the pool for wonderful views too. And each day the pool was the place to be after our interesting drives!
Valerie and her family are lovely, delightful, and always helpful. We would suggest that the list of recommendations at the villa have more information, such as the name and driving directions for the “Qui Conviene” supermercato and the discount supermercato in Trapitello, the closest pharmacy, panificio (bread shop), pasticceria (pastry/coffee shop), and macellaio (butcher). Also some information about places for walks or hikes could be included. We hired sweet Marica to cook and serve dinner five times while we were there, and each meal was spectacularly plentiful and delicious!!
Renters should be aware that four of the bedrooms and two of the baths are on the lower level, and that one must walk through a bedroom to reach the stairs. There are two full baths on the main level; the spacious master bedroom has it's own full bath. The other bathroom on the main level has the only stall shower, the others have a tub with a hand-held nozzle. Three of the 5 bedrooms have independent air-conditioning which works very well, the other two have large standing fans. Renters should respect that everything is clean and beautifully maintained.