Friendly agriturismo with restaurant, near the sea

I had had my eyes on this agriturismo for some time when I was finally in the neighbourhood and able to pay it a visit. It was all that I had hoped it to be, and I received an enthusiastic Sicilian welcome. The young proprietors are from the region and have a clear vision of what they want their guests to experience: nature, a relaxed atmosphere, and good food. The agriturismo is situated in the Sicilian countryside, wrapped in olive groves and fruit trees, yet not far from the sea. The agriturismo not only produces olive oil, but also several kinds of fruit: figs, peaches, strawberries, fichi d’india (cactus fruit) and almonds, for instance. They furthermore have a large vegetable garden where they grow cherry tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, fennel, and lots more. A flock of chickens provides fresh eggs every day. The farm’s produce is used in their restaurant. The jams and cakes that are served for breakfast are all home-made, and the lovely local dishes which are served in their restaurant are also prepared from organic ingredients from their own garden. Chilometro zero, as it’s called in Italy.

Restaurant with veranda

Depending on how many guests there are, the proprietor often goes to the harbour to buy fresh fish at the end of the afternoon. Even if you stay for a longer period of time, you’ll find that there is lots of variation in the menu, which is based on the catch and other lovely ingredients that happen to be available. It is great to enjoy the cool mornings and sultry evenings while having breakfast or dinner on the atmospheric veranda. The region is known for its wines - with two big and famous wine-houses there - and the vineyard extends to the sea,

Swimming pool

There is a swimming pool with sun loungers next to the building, and it’s lovely and quiet there. The only thing you hear are the typical sounds of the Sicilian countryside. There are bicycles for rent, and not far from the agriturismo is a disused railway track that has been turned into a cycle path. There is also the opportunity for groups to participate actively on the farm, for instance in the olive harvest in October, complete with Sicilian lunches in the field), and they organize cooking courses (starting from 2 participants).

The rooms

The agriturismo has 11 rooms in the categories: standard, comfort or superior, all of about 20 m2 surface area. There are extra beds in some of them, and several rooms have their own terrace (some with seaview). The rooms have beds of 200 x 180 cm, and are provided with wifi, airco, hair dryer, minibar and satellite TV, and are stylishly and minimally furnished.

Beach

Just a 12-minute drive through the fields takes you to a beautiful white sand beach that’s several kilometres long. There are a few beach restaurants here, but there is also enough space to have the whole beach to yourself.  4 km from the agriturismo is a typical colourful  southern-Italian village, with diverse shops and restaurants. The baker in the village still bakes bread in a wood-fired oven, and their fig-cookies are simply delicious! In little over an hour, you reach the famous Valle dei Templi of Agrigento - with its impressive Greek temples - or the Scala dei Turchi. Trapani and Palermo also take little more than an hour. But don’t stay away too long from this agriturismo, as it’s particularly suited for relaxing, reading, and dining in a cosy, homely ambience. And there is, of course, the lovely beach to go to!

By Margot DeKruif