House / Villa - Avola

Unfortunately our trip didn't go as planned as our son was ill but Isabella and Corrado were so kind and did everything possible to help. They are lovely people and wonderful hosts. The villa itself is lovely, especially the outside area, and the surroundings are stunning. You definitely need a car but the isolation means peace and quiet and great views. Unfortunately we didn't get to explore the area so hopefully we can return one day.

The house is located in a secluded area outside of town. Unfortunately the hosts do not speak any English so it was hard to communicate. Luckily our son can understand some Italian and was very helpful. They have surrounding land with lemons, olives and almond trees. Chickens which provided us with some fresh eggs. A huge beautiful immaculate pool and a stone grill which we cooked meals several times. Bedrooms are all on second floor and if you have problems climbing stairs this is not for you. A stray dog and kittens came by and were cute. We went to Avola and bought fresh produce and fish and enjoyed grilling our own food. They have olive oil, wine and aperitif for sale.

We had a great stay in this comfortable villa. Corrado and Isabella are the most wonderful of hosts - with nothing too much trouble, on hand to deal with any problems and happy to provide advice on restaurants and places to go. The outside space is wonderful - fantastic pool (on the cool side at end of April but still great to swim in), outside barbecue and pizza kitchen, with a variety of areas to sit out. Great covered veranda also for eating. Fresh eggs for guests from the chickens and plentiful supply of oranges, lemons and almonds. We enjoyed freshly squeezed orange juice and made supplies of lemonade - wonderful. The kitchen is very well equipped and comfortable lounge area with good TV and streaming channels. The sleeping areas are a bit more basic - one comfortable king in main bedroom, other beds not quite as comfortable. Be aware the single beds are small singles (2’ 6” or 75cm) fine for children but not adults. We would certainly be happy to stay again and it is a good base for exploring south east Sicily both the history and beaches.

We really enjoyed our stay here. Corrado, Isabella and the Spitale family are great hosts and its clearly important to them that you are happy in their beautiful villa. Corrado especially went out of his way to be as helpful as possible, nothing was too much trouble and although his English is limited, we managed to converse well, with Gaia and Giulio on hand to translate whenever needed. The villa is a typical rustic Sicilian villa, in a lovely location with a backdrop of mini mountains. There is lots of space surrounding the villa, with almond, lemon, olive and pomegranate trees, from which you are free to pick your fill. The pool area is fab, with a larger than average sized pool, which Corrado keeps spotlessly clean. The sea views from the full-length bedroom windows is a joy to wake up to every morning and a delight to see the twinkling town lights in the evening. There are no immediate neighbours so you have complete privacy and it was great to be able to eat outside every night, even in mid-October. The villa is not in walking distance from the town so, as we all like a glass of wine or two and love to cook, we chose to eat in every night. The villa has everything needed to do this and there are two good supermarkets nearby and a fishmonger in Avola. We were able to get lots of lovely Sicilian produce at Conrad, which has a fab meat and deli counter. We used the wood fired pizza oven (with some advice from Corrado) a couple of times, which was fun for everyone to join in with and the built-in barbecue area is really good too. Having the chickens was also a real bonus, especially being able to collect fresh eggs every day. We didn’t spend much time in Avola itself (which is about 10 mins from the villa by car), so cant really comment on it. Noto and Siracusa are around 30 mins away, both beautiful and well worth a visit. There is a large amphitheatre in Siracusa and the Ortygia area is lovely, with quaint streets, lots of little restaurants and boutique shops and a food market. Ragusa is around 1 ½ hours away and Modica is en route, both stunning Baroque towns. We also had a nice day at Calamosche beach in the Vendicari National Park.I would definitely recommend this villa and would like to come back in the future. Thank you Spitale family – you did a good job!