Al Jafar

Main House

• Bedroom 1: double-twin bed (160/80x190cm), en-suite shower room
• Bedroom 2: double bed (160x190cm), adjacent bathroom
• Bedroom 3: double bed (175x190cm), en-suite shower room
NB: In the antechamber outside of Bedroom 3 there is a chaise longue and a fold-out bed that may be used as extra beds for children on request and at a small extra cost. Please let us know at the time of booking if you would like to make use of them.

Tower

• Bedroom 4: double (140x200cm), en-suite shower room

NB: A double-twin bedroom has two single beds that can either be joined together to create a double bed or left separate as two single beds.

Reduced Occupancy

• During the shoulder seasons, Al Jafar can be rented at reduced rates by groups of up to 6 that only need up to 3 bedrooms. The bedroom(s) that guests wouldn’t need would simply be closed off but the rest of the villa, all its amenities and its grounds would remain at their complete and private disposal. For reduced occupancy bookings at Al Jafar, please note that the tower will be closed.

Inside

accommodation at Al Jafar is spread over three floors of the main castle and at the top of an independently accessed tower.

The main entrance leads from a large walled courtyard into a voluminous hallway, whose elegant furnishings, original features, frescoed beamed ceiling and honey-coloured stone walls set the tone for the rest of the property. Off the hallway is a well-equipped Sicilian kitchen with pantry, a guest bathroom, and a splendid living and dining room whose high vaulted ceiling and decorative fireplace make for a grand yet intimate atmosphere.

Steps lead from the hallway up to a mezzanine floor, home to a double-twin bedroom with en-suite shower room. A few more stairs take one up to the first floor proper, where there is a large comfortably furnished living area and library and a beautiful double bedroom with adjacent bathroom with tub, antique maiolica tiles and an elegant aristocratic ambience.

The final flight of stairs leads up from the first floor living area up to another large living space and the largest double bedroom, complete with en-suite shower room and an antechamber with a chaise longue. The second floor opens out onto a spectacularly panoramic terrace.

Exiting the main house and heading back across the central courtyard, one comes to a tower rising above the impressive entrance gate. Inside, up a 33-step spiral staircase, is the fourth bedroom, a comfortable self-contained double (a small double bed) with en-suite shower room. This little nest is most suitable for independent teenagers or those looking to appreciate the star-gazing skylight.

Outside

Al Jafar sits amidst a peaceful, gently whispering 15-acre olive estate. On the ground floor, accessed from the living and dining area and the hallway, is a large panoramic walled courtyard, furnished for relaxing and dining amongst the towers.

From there, a stone staircase leads down through the walls to an utterly private Arabic sunken garden. Once a quarry providing tuff stone for the construction of Trapani's baroque churches and palazzi, the garden now hosts an al fresco kitchen with barbecue and dining area, and an enchanting array of flowering plants, pomegranate and other fruit trees, exotic palms and a host of fragrant Mediterranean flora. At its centre sits the fabulous 18 metre-long pool with an advanced saline filtration system, a water feature and feature wall decorated with antique ceramic tiles.

Just across a country path in front of Al Jafar is a children's pool (6m x 2.3m and 0.6m deep) and a play area with swing, a little theatre, and other diversions to keep the youngest ones in your group happy.

The terrace accessed from the second floor landing is probably the best spot for an aperitif, a thesis supported by the presence of dumb waiter connecting it to the kitchen below. This is also where the views are at their best, with 360-degree vistas taking in the surrounding olive groves, the Egadi Islands, the sparkling sea and ancient Erice, perched atop its eponymous mountain.

Al Jafar wouldn't be complete without its delicious farm produce, which guests are encouraged to make use of. Its 180 olive trees, some of which are hundreds of years old, as is evident from the considerable girth of their trunks and their sheer height (reaching some 10m), produce a superb extra virgin olive oil. There are also around 40 citrus trees, including orange, mandarin, clementine, lemon, grapefruit and citron, whose zagara blossom perfumes the air at certain times of year.

If that weren't enough, there are also plum, apricot, fig, mulberry, pear, quince, medlar and almond trees, free range hens for delicious eggs, and a vegetable garden where heirloom varieties of tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, artichokes, bell peppers, fava beans, peas and even chick peas are cultivated. Everything is grown without pesticides and no matter the time of year you visit, there'll always be something delicious to use in your cooking.

Al Jafar and its surrounding agricultural estate has a long and distinguished history that dates back over 1,000 years. Originally named Misiligiafari, the property was a fief of Emir Giafar (989-1035), a patron of the arts and sciences who historians have dubbed the Lorenzo the Magnificent of the Arabic Renaissance in Sicily.

The property has been in the family of the present owners since 1335, when a Royal Knight, Lancelot, acquired the estate and began transforming the existing Arabic structure into a fortified residence. The last descendent of the family to live there permanently was Enrico "the Lion" (as Garibaldi nicknamed him), also known in historical circles as the Hero of Three Worlds thanks to his participation in the Crimean War, the American Civil War (on the side of the Union) and the Risorgimento in Italy.

Enrico's daughter, Maria Teresa, founded a religious order, the Povere Figlie di Maria SS Incoronata (the Poor Daughters of the Incoronation of the Virgin Mary), and transformed the castle into an orphanage for abandoned children.

Al Jafar's enchanting sunken garden, meanwhile, was originally a quarry, whose dense tuff stone was used in the construction of many of Trapani's magnificent baroque churches and palazzi. Today, it is an utterly private sanctuary with a glorious pool and a microclimate that provides the ideal conditions for a flourishing and fragrant array of flowering plants, fruit trees and other Mediterranean flora.

The current owners restored Al Jafar in 1990, maintaining the original structure and ensuring that each stone, parapet and crenellation lives on to tell its story. In 2014, the Sicilian Regional Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage listed Al Jafar as a "building of historical, artistic and architectural importance".

Like any castle worth visiting, Al Jafar has its own supernatural back story, complete with ghost. It is, so the legend would have it, home to a magic hidden treasure that can only be found by completing a series of tasks. First it is necessary to pluck a pomegranate from one of the trees in the garden and take it to the stables just as the clocks strike midnight. There, after cutting open the pomegranate, every single seed must be counted. If you achieve this task successfully, a Saracen ghost will appear and lead you to the treasure.

There is, however, one other catch: first you must book Al Jafar!

The number of steps that must be negotiated to get into and/or around this property might make it unsuitable for people with mobility problems.

Due to the nature of the property including terraces low walls and several drops around the grounds, children must be supervised at all times.

This property is surrounded by countryside, some of which is unfenced and may include drops or steep slopes. We therefore recommend that younger children are supervised by an adult when exploring the grounds.

The villa has a few resident cats, who may be seen in the villa grounds; they will not enter the house unless encouraged to do so, however we cannot guarantee that they will stay away from outdoor furniture.