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Welcome to Sicily. I’m currently writing this whilst sat out on our terrace with the stars twinkling, a breeze blowing, candles burning and I’m drinking an ice-cold Peroni attempting to edit and sort through the gazillion photos I’ve taken so far.
Easily distracted I thought I’d start off by showing you around our amazing Sicilian home.
Welcome to Tenuta Ferrantelli.
Meandering our way along the coastline and arriving at night time slightly tired and hot we checked out, in this order; the pool, the kitchen then the bedrooms and bathrooms. The rest is just semantics as far as I’m concerned. A comfy soft bed and a cool large pool are what make it for me. I was a very happy girl. I was even happier when I woke to this view from our balcony the next day.
We felt instantly very, very much at home.
Located in the countryside of Castellammare del Golfo the house is structured on two levels and surrounded by olive and fruit trees with mountains to each side, a valley to one and the sea to the right. The house was built in harmony with the landscape and the rustic tradition and the use of wood, marble floors and terracotta make the rooms cosy and warm. Traditional features and furnishings make this home feel utterly unique and the owners have done an amazing job of making it welcoming and fresh.
Crisp cotton white sheets in every bedroom, a well stocked supply of Sicilian herbs, oils and spices in the kitchen…
An endless supply of towels to take advantage of…which comes in very handy when a shower outdoors becomes a regular occurrence.
Bursting with olive trees, plums, lemons, flowers, herbs, wisteria, roses, you’ve never smelled anywhere quite like it!
But back to that pool…
Cleverly designed with pockets of seating hidden around every corner, two shady terraces, lots of super comfortable loungers, and a BBQ.
Our children are total water babies and will be out swimming, diving and screaming as soon as they’re awake. Breakfast eaten as quickly as they possibly can and they’re in! And what a pool it is.
Mornings in Sicily are lazy and wonderful.
At lunch time we’ve eaten lots that is grown right here, ripe and ready to pick.
Honeydew melons
Crisp juicy apples
Plump red tomatoes
I found a huge pot of basil growing around the back of the kitchen so giddy with excitement I quickly knocked up some gnocchi with tomatoes and garlic sauce, sprinkled on some mozzarella and threw over some of fragrant basil leaves.
This is my favourite sort of recipe. Simple, speedy & delicious.
Lunch is served!
We’ve explored more of the grounds in an effort to work off the croissants and pasta.
There’s a large terrace, too. The perfect place for alfresco dining and cocktails.
If you’ve read my blog before you’ll know i’m a lover of Italy already, if not then watch this space – I can’t wait to share more of our Sicilian adventures.
Should you feel the urge to go book a holiday to Sicily, (especially upon hearing how miserable the weather is back home right now), I thoroughly recommend staying in a villa. Our days at Tenuta Ferrantelli are spent walking in the olive groves, playing in the pool, listening to music, reading and snoozing.
No rules, no pool closing times and utter bliss for all.
***UPDATE*** You can also have a little watch of this video of the villa if you fancy, its super quick but totally cool and reflects how lovely the villa and surrounding areas were.
It looks like you’re having a great time and The Power is such an amazing book 🙂
Isn’t it just! I couldn’t put it down!
It really does look like a charming villa to relax and stay in Sicily! I love how the villa itself is rustic and appears to have a homey personal vibe to it. It’s def a winner in my eyes!
I love the location of the villa, it couldn’t be more perfect! The olive trees and the vineyard looks amazing, definitely a place to relax surrounded by nature.
OMG! the first line of the post and I was sold! I have been pestering my husband to take a mini vacation to Sicily and he keeps delaying it! Looks like a girls trip is in order! The Villa looks AMAZING!! Could stay there for the rest of my life though with that view from the bedroom haha!
Oh my goodness! What a beautiful place! I love the scenery, the pool, the fresh food, everything. I need to vacation here pronto!
You have a wonderful way with words. And yes, I think I would definitely enjoy the luxuries of Sicily. Looks so inviting.
This villa looks really nice and relaxing. I love where it’s located, the food looks great, the pool looks inviting and the view is nice. You look you had a great time too.
Looks gorgeous!
My goodness that is gorgeous! I love the swimsuit too!
What a beautiful little villa! I love the view – and that pool just begs to be dove in
This place is really nice, It look more beautiful and relaxing to me. I’m in love with the swimsuits.
Beautiful shots and it looks like you’ve had so much fun! A perfect getaway place indeed!
What a wonderful family getaway! The villa is so quaint and cozy and the views are spectacular. Definitely something the kids will remember for a long time to come! x
This is dreamy! You instantly transported me to Sicily with your pictures and words and made me wish I was actually there. I had the opportunity to live in Rome for a few months and now I regret not visiting Sicily while in Italy.
Such a relaxing and quaint destination!!
What a gorgeous villa! I love how colorful everything looks. I’m a lover of Italy myself but I haven’t been to Sicily. I definitely just added this gem to my travel bucket list
yes please and thank you! sicily has always been on my bucket list and this just makes me want to pack up and go now! the photos are stunning! anytime i see a place decked with flowers, i’m so down!
What a cool location! I love that you can take kids there and you did. How fun is that!
This is so beautifully written and the opening of this article had me dreaming about how great how time would have been there. The villa really looks like it has got all!
My favorite would be the lovely outdoor terrace with all the wonderful al fresco dining areas! My husband would love walking the outdoors, especially along the grape vines.
You look gorgeous and your holiday looked amazing! Thank you for joining in today for #whatmamaworemonday ❤️❤️❤️
thank you!! x
All those beautiful colours. Such an amazing looking place. It looks like you had a wonderful time!
We really did! X
Wow that place looks stunning I would love to visit one day!
I have always wanted to visit Sicily. This looks so beautiful and the gorgeous views are amazing. It’s nice to see pictures and experiences from others before visiting a place and you made it sound incredible. My kids are water babies too so I know they would be in the pool all day too! Also love all the ripe fruits and veggies!
Well, that’s certainly a more beautiful view than the one I’m looking at! What a gorgeous place to blog from!
That villa looks stunning. I love the outdoor shower and the pool and the olive trees surrounding the place. You could almost picnic just from foraging around the place!
I think I’d set up camp in the terrace and refuse to leave! You all look so happy and relaxed there.