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rooms in a nice sicilian villa near the Taormina

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Property Description

Casa del Ficus is a sicilian villa near the sea,Etna and Taormina.Suggested activities: trips to the fishing villages along the coast, excursions up Mt Etna , visits to the nearest towns of artistic interest (Acireale, Acitrezza, Catania, Taormina)

Property Details

"La casa del ficus" is a private villa set in lemon-groves a short distance from the sea (2 km) and from Mount Etna, situated in Guardia Mangano, on the outskirts of Acireale (CT). A few hundred metres away is the centre of Guardia where all the main services (supermarket, chemist, newsagent, post-office etc.) can be found.
The railway station, with its frequent connections north to Taormina and Messina and south to Acireale and Catania, is just 300 metres from the house. The Giarre exit of the motorway is 4 kilometres away.
The part of the house used by guests has recently been modernised in rustic style using typical sicilian materials; the rooms enjoy a private bathroom and, on request, also a kitchen. The guests can use their own separate entrance, a parking space in the large courtyard, not to mention the 350 sq mts of garden with its own furniture for those moments of total relaxation.
AMENIETES:

ACIREALE

According to legend, the life of Santa Venera, the patron saint of Acireale, was closely related to the thermal baths of the city. In fact, before being martyred, the saint would have worked as a nurse at the baths. The city preserves a number of beautiful Baroque buildings erected following the 1693’s earthquake ravaging many cities in the Eastern Sicily. The heart of the town is occupied by Piazza del Duomo, that is crossed by the city thoroughfare corso Umberto I. The latter, becoming corso Vittorio Emanuele to the South, is bordered by elegant buildings, shops, boutiques and ice-cream parlours that do honor to the fame of the local ice-cream. Acireale is a renowned spa thanks to the sulphurous water gushed by springs south of the town, where are the Terme of S. Venera, documented since Antiquity. The city is also famous for its Carnival, with processions of allegorical floats, some of which bedecked with flowers, and masked revellers streaming through the main streets. Another attraction of Acireale is the Teatro dei Pupi (the Puppet Theatre) that puts on animated interpretations of the most poignant and bellicose scenes taken from the French chansons de geste, especially from the Chanson de Roland. The shows are still performed in the Museo dei Pupi dell’Opra, just off Acireale.

Piazza del Duomo – The central square, once called Piazza del Cinque d’Oro (the square of the golden five) with reference to playing cards reflecting the arrangement of a platform surrounded by four small flower-beds that occupied it. Here musical and theatrical events were performed at one time. This beautiful piazza is surrounded by elegant baroque buildings, namely the Duomo, the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul – featuring a fine asymmetric façade with a single belfry – and the Town Hall, dated 1659, with wrought-iron balconies supported on richly decorated brackets bearing masks and gargoyles.

The Duomo – Dedicated to SS. Annunziata and Venera, it has a two-tone neo-gothic façade, by Giovan Battista Filippo Basile (1825-1891), who designed the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and was father of praised Ernesto Basile, a master of the Liberty style. Standing between two belfries with majolica spires, the front is enriched with a fine portal that goes back to the 1600’s. Inside, between the transept and the chancel are interesting frescoes by Vasta. The floor in the transept is occupied by a 1800’s sundial by Sertorius and Peters.

The Basilica di S. Sebastiano – It is located on corso Vittorio Emanuele, near Piazza Duomo, on the right hand side. A statue-topped balustrade crowns the Baroque façade of the church, combining columns, pilasters, niches and volutes. The transept and the chancel, inside, contain frescoes by Vasta depicting scenes from the life of St. Sebastian, the patron saint of the city.

Terme di S. Venera – South of the city, entrance off SS. 114. The thermal baths date back to 1873. They were built at the behest of the Baron Agostino Pennisi di Floristella, in a neo-classical style (his castle is still visible behind the baths, near the old railway station). They are fed by sulphurous water which is channelled from a spring about 3km inland, south of Acireale, in the district of Reitana. Here were discovered the remains of the Roman spa of Santa Venera al Pozzo consisting of two barrel-vaulted rooms, presumedly served as Tepidarium and Calidarium.

ETNA:

Mount Etna is Sicily’s tallest peak. Although capped with snow for much of the winter, it is one of Europe’s most famous active volcanoes. Its actual height has been repeatedly modified by eruptions throughout time; it currently (1998) stands at 3350 m above sea level.

Etna evolved as a result of submarine eruption during the Quaternary Period (circa 500,000 years ago), at the same time that the plain of Catania was formed, originally as a broad bay. Etna is known to have erupted regularly during Antiquity, as documented at least 135 times. In the Middle Ages, eruptions were recorded in 1329 and 1381 disseminating terror amongst the people of the region. It was in 1669, however, that the most catastrophic quake occurred; a great river of lava flowed down to the sea, devastating part of Catania on the way. In the 20th century, the most violent eruption were recorded in 1910 – leading to 23 additional craters being formed –, in 1917 – when a fountain of lava spurted 800m into the air from its base – and in 1923 – when outpouring of molten lava stayed hot for more than 18 months after the eruption. In 1928, a lava flow destroyed the village of Mascali and other eruptions followed in 1954, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1991 that continued to grumble for a further three years. A plume of smoke always hangs above Etna and it could burst into activity at any moment. The black lava around the craters dates from recent eruptions as compared with the older grey lava on which lichens are beginning to grow. The presence of both and, sometimes, their distressing effects (blocked roads and ruined buildings) are evidence for the volcano’s constant activity. On the slopes of the central crater, at about 3000 m height, in the vicinity of the Torre del Filosofo – where a refuge was destroyed by lava in 1971 – are three more craters: the north-eastern crater – that began suppurating in 1978 – the north-eastern crater – at the highest point and dormant since 1971 – and the Bocca Nuova (literally the “New Mouth”) which, in recent times has been the most active.A climb up the volcano can be approached from the south or the north, both routes offering different views and contrasting qualities. The route from Nicolosi to Rifugio Sapienza is through a barren, black and desert-like environment when compared to the lushly green section up via Piano Provenzana. From the coast to the southern slopes – 45km drive from Acireale; allow half a day.There are various ways of approaching the southern slopes of the volcano, which is the bleaker side, where concentrations of black lava form a lunar-like landscape. All along the edge runs a ring of little towns, where dark lava stone has been largely used to pave streets, to ornament the doorways and windows of the houses, to fashion awesome black masks with exaggerated menace and to articulate the lines of the churches.

CATANIA:

A renowned port and Sicily’s second largest city, after Palermo, with its 350,000 inhabitants, Catania is among Italian hottest cities with a summer temperature that can exceed 40° degrees. It was home to such great artists as the composer Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) and the writer Giovanni Verga (1840-1922). A great, very longed-for celebration takes place every year from 3 to 5 February in honor of Saint Agatha, when a huge crowd of believers process through the city’s historical centre celebrating their beloved Patron Saint. The event draws thousands of visitors from all Sicily and beyond

Catania is overshadowed by the Etna Mount, the volcano that often has betrayed the trust of the local people, sending forth great flows of lava, on one occasion down into the town itself. Reminders of its presence is the dark color of most monuments and buildings in town. Some of them is of plaster painted to look as lava. Black and white are the two dominating colors of the city that combine to produce a magnificent effect. The 17th century was particularly catastrophic for Catania. First (1669), following Etna’s eruption, a devastating lava river flowed into the city; few decades later (1693), an earthquake razed it to the ground. It followed a sumptuous reconstruction, the main protagonist being the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (1702-1768) who designed the most prestigious buildings. The baroque covered nearly every ruined specimen of the past ages, that is hidden, with the exception of few remnants – below the new buildings and the city heart.

Rental Policies

Arrival Times

10.00-12.00 p.m.

Amenities

• Fishing Near By
• Stove
• Skiing Near By
• King bed
• Queen Bed

Rental Rates

EUR 560.00 to EUR 950.00 per week

Additional Rate and Deposit Information

deposit 30% on total amount.
Minimum stay one week in high season, three nights in middle season, one night in low season.Discounts for stays of two or more weeks.Last minute offers

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