Live la dolce vita at this Val di Noto villa in Sicily
Sicily has an abundance of baroque towns – more than you might expect for one relatively small Mediterranean island – and those with a love of all things ornate and opulent will enjoy a trip through its valley dedicated to the artistic style. The Val di Noto spans several of these extravagant places, including Modica, Ragusa and, of course, the namesake Noto, each with a towering temple of architectural excess in the form of its honey-coloured cathedral.
Villa Dolce Vita, available exclusively through the Thinking Traveller, is the perfect pad to borrow for exploring the region, being just a short drive south of Noto – as some friends and I discovered late last summer, on a brief respite from the UK between lockdowns. The two-bedroom casa is dripping in Dolce & Gabbana (even the kettle and toaster were made in a collaboration between Smeg and Italy’s beloved designers). The sleek interiors feature polished concrete floors, splashes of colour courtesy of lime-green cushions and whole walls of windows. There’s plenty of outdoor space, too, for enjoying the reliable Sicilian sun – various terraces, a hammock over the lawn and a yellow-tiled alfresco kitchen with a thatched dining area. The pool is the star of the property, with its dark tiles and showpiece swing. There are two bedrooms of similar design, each with high ceilings, an ensuite bathroom, an outdoor shower and a private terrace. Tech fans will love the induction hobs, the single button that raises all the shutters at once, the video-call gate control and how the lower level of the dishwasher magically rises up to helpfully meet you halfway.
The Thinking Traveller team can arrange everything from hampers on arrival to in-villa cooks to create an authentic local feast one night (or every night) – caponata, cannoli and arancini are just some of the things that Sicily has given the world, so you can expect to be in for a treat. Our arrival at the villa was marked with a tray of pistachio cannoli, which is exactly how any holiday to Sicily should begin; kindly delivered by our local manager Marco, who was on hand throughout our stay to impart wisdom on the area, including the best restaurants to book.
Villa Dolce Vita is set within the Vendicari nature reserve, where you can trek to deserted beaches and look for flamingos (most commonly spotted in autumn). On some mornings, we would head to San Lorenzo beach for a dip in the clear turquoise waters and breakfasts of coffee and cornetti at the club; but most days we were more than happy to stay put, drinking espressos, swimming long lengths in the pool and attempting to gracefully mount the swing.
In the afternoon, we’d set out for a neighbouring hillside town in an attempt to tick off the golden settlements of the Val di Noto one by one, since each has its charms. Modica was worth a trip for the view from behind the open doors of its cathedral alone. Our favourite was Syracuse, a coastal university town with a lively food market, a castle and lots of ceramic shops for sourcing the famous testa di Moro (or “Moor’s heads”). It’s connected to the island of Ortigia, a peninsula that’s often considered one of the prettiest parts of Italy (the competition is certainly stiff).
The queue for the sandwiches at the Food Experience may have been generated by Instagram, but we’re sure all those people weren’t patiently lining up just for a photo. The sandwiches are clearly a labour of love for the aged man and his team who meticulously add each ingredient (and there are many) at speed to meet the relentless demand. We also paused at the Fratelli Burgio deli for a prettily arranged sharing board that let us try out some of its products ready for an eager shopping trip afterwards.
In Noto, lunch of shrimp carpaccio and seafood pasta at Fontana d’Ercole, with unreasonably good house white wine, was sublime. The fishing village of Marzamemi, with its restaurant-lined squares, lit-up churches, waterside aperitivi terraces and historic gelateria, was our favourite spot for sundowners and shopping for local delicacies like jars of tuna (it’s hardly a glamorous claim, but Vendicari was once prolific in its tuna production), pistachio paste (Bronte, whose green nuts are held in particular esteem, is a couple of hours north) and, naturally, delicious olive oil.
On our last day, we headed to Catania, an ancient port city in the shadow of Mount Etna, for our flight home. The island’s greatest export was once lemons; and as the saying goes, if life gives us lemons, we should make (Sicilian) lemonade. Life may not seem all that sweet at the moment, but we can at least dream.
Villa Dolce Vita, from about £3,690 a week (sleeps four), with the Thinking Traveller. For more information, ring 020 7377 8518 or email info@thethinkingtraveller.com.
