The baroque hunting lodge
A historic hunting lodge in Sicily’s evocative heartland... With its elegant, perfectly proportioned facade, its spacious, high-ceilinged interiors and extensive grounds, Villa Armerina is special place indeed. Views of the rolling countryside abound, not least from the well-placed pool, and it is extremely easy just to put your feet up, close your eyes and soak up the calming atmosphere of life in the country. Villa Armerina was recently featured in The Times.
Our team has visited each of our villas, so they can share the finer details and help explore flexible date options
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The villa is set in one of the rural heartlands of Sicily. In fact, the area around Piazza Armerina was once known as the "granary of Rome". The rolling hills and forests of this area inspire images of the hunting depicted so vividly in the superb mosaics of the world-famous Villa Romana del Casale (UNESCO Heritage Site) a short distance away. Piazza Armerina is well situated for exploring the centre of Sicily, and a great selection of sandy beaches on the south coast are just over an hour's drive away.
Piazza Armerina itself has a beautiful "medieval" quarter with an impressive duomo. Most of what you see in the centre was constructed between the 15th and 18th centuries. It is also well furnished with shops and there are several supermarkets on the outskirts of town. About 20 minutes' drive away is lovely Caltagirone, another historic hill-top town, famous for its mosaics and well worth a visit. Enna, the provincial capital offers stunning views over the centre of Sicily and a history that extends back to ancient times.
A helicopter trip in Sicily over Etna and to the Aeolian Islands is a highly moving experience, enough to reduce grown men and women to tears! Book with us for a truly unforgettable addition to your Sicilian holiday.
DiscoverFrom here until the southeasternmost tip of Sicily, the coastline is an uninterrupted stretch of sandy beach, dotted with picturesque little resort towns, including Punta Secca (Inspector Montalbano's home), Marina di Ragusa, Donnalucata, Cava d'Aliga, Sampieri and Marina di Modica. The last strip, made up of several miles of dunes, is where the Allied forces landed in the 2nd World War. At the southernmost tip of Sicily is Isola Delle Correnti, offering an almost African scenario. Indeed, here we are considerably further south than Tunis.Just around the southeastern tip and heading north up the east coast, are the beaches of Marzamemi, San Lorenzo and Vendicari Nature Reserve. The reserve's salt water lagoons and varieties of flora offer the ideal habitat for a wide range of fauna, including nesting turtles and migrating flamingos.Continuing up the east coast, between Vendicari and the historic Greek town of Syracuse, are the popular sandy beaches of Marina di Noto, Calabernado, Marina di Avola, Gelsomineto, Fontane Bianche and Arenella.
DiscoverSicily is, quite simply, one of the world’s most fascinating places, with a uniquely rich history, geography and cultural heritage. The Eastern side of the island has a seemingly endless variety of treasures to discover, from the architectural gems and culinary delights of the main towns, to UNESCO Heritage sites, to the geological phenomena and breath-taking landscapes of Mount Etna.Our private guides are tried and tested experts in their field, with many holding PhDs in their particular specialism. Book a tour or two with them and you'll come away with fascinating insights into your destination's towns, archaeological sites, food, wine, landscapes and geology.
DiscoverThe southeastern tip of Sicily is home to mile after mile of largely unspoilt sandybeaches and an impressive list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica, the towns ofthe Val di Noto, and Villa Romana del Casale.
DiscoverThe southeast of Sicily is famed for its superb tomatoes, cheeses, meat, olive oil, vegetables and seafood. Our culinary experiences in the area will enable you to transform these exquisite ingredients into some of southeast Sicily's most celebrated dishes.
DiscoverFrom the Guest Book
We loved our stay at Villa Armerina. It was wonderfully quirky and very comfortably furnished, with a great pool and exceptional staff. It's a special place and we relaxed and enjoyed the property to the maximum.
RN July 2024
We had the best time staying at Villa Armerina. Everything, from The Thinking Traveller team, the villa staff, the villa grounds and the villa itself, were all incredible.
Anonymous June 2024
The villa was beautiful and the staff and concierge really made the trip memorable. The in-villa dinners were a highlight.
Anonymous September 2023
We had a wonderful time at Villa Armerina, the location was very peaceful and private but with a close town easy to get provisions etc. within a few minutes. The villa itself was incredible with a wonderful pool. We would like to book again with The Thinking Traveller.
Anonymous August 2023
It is a really lovely property, full of character with good grounds. It is quite far to get to anywhere, but we knew that when we booked the villa and in a way it made us go out more and to different places than we might otherwise have visited.
R.W. August 2023
A magical week in a gorgeous, historical, full-of-character villa.
E.S. July 2023