Alba a Noto

Inside

accommodation at Alba a Noto is laid out over two floors. The first European project of Park + Associates, a renowned Singaporean firm of architects, the property has been meticulously designed and finished inside and out.

The main entrance leads into the first floor. At the centre is an elegant living space with a floor-to-ceiling picture window, a sofa and a coffee table.

A corridor on the right leads to the first two bedrooms:

• the spacious main bedroom, a double with en-suite shower room
• a twin, also with en-suite shower room

The the left of the living space, passing the stairs to the ground floor, is a third bedroom:

• a double with en-suite shower room.

All three bedrooms on the first floor are blessed with splendid sea views, courtesy of wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that open out onto a fabulously panoramic shaded terrace running along the entire façade of the property. Walls, floors and bathrooms are all meticulously clad in rectangular tiles of creamy Modica stone; bespoke fitted wooden wardrobes provide contrast; and illumination is provided by black ceiling drop-spots. All these design features are reintroduced on the ground floor, creating an appealing homogeneity of style.

A flight of stairs sweeps down to the ground floor, where, on the left, a door opens into the fourth bedroom, a double with en-suite shower room, sea views and access to a shaded terrace.

Turn right at the bottom of the stairs and one enters the generously proportioned communal hub of the home, a sociable open-concept space where guests can gather together to chat, watch TV, cook and dine. Walls of sliding glass doors promote a free-flowing indoor-outdoor lifestyle and bring in the glorious views.

To one side is a living area, furnished with designer sofas and armchairs wrapping around a fireplace, an a guest WC. To the other is the ultra-modern kitchen, which features bespoke wooden cabinetry, hi-spec appliances, and a long central island that extends to create a dining area surrounded by bar stools. Doors open out onto a secluded, shady al fresco dining area.

Outside

all of Alba a Noto's rooms flow out seamlessly onto terraces and the surrounding gardens via large glass doors.

On the first floor, the three bedrooms access a large sea-view terrace whose railings and iron-grilled overhang have been designed to create geometric chiaroscuro shadows that evolve during the day, marking time as a sundial might. This interplay between light and shade is one of the property's many design elements and great effort has been made to temper and harness the power of Sicily's prodigious sun.

The ground floor rooms - the fourth bedroom and the open-plan communal area - follow the theme of the first floor and open out onto another long shaded terrace, which has been furnished for lounging and gazing out at the sea views. To one end, near the kitchen, is the recessed and secluded al fresco dining area, which comes with work surfaces, a sink and a barbecue.

From this terrace, paving stones lead the way across the gardens to one of the highlights of Alba a Noto: the serene, super-panoramic infinity pool. Formed as a T, with the infinity edge along the top, and wide, elegant steps on the vertical, it is clad in and surrounded by Modica stone tiles. The views from here pan out over the olive, almond and carob tree-carpeted hills and across to the sparkling waters of the Ionian Sea.

Steps lead down to one side of the pool (rigorously in Modica stone, of course), past a shower, to a terrace that seems to float above the surrounding countryside.

Planted with a splendid array of Mediterranean flora, luxuriant gardens and areas of gravel fan out around the property. Aromatic herbs scent the air, olive and carob trees provide cool, whispering shade, and carefully positioned clusters of Greek amphorae evoke the area's ancient Hellenic history.

Alba a Noto features a fantastic infinity pool, offering swimmers stunning views while in the pool. There is a drop off the infinity side so we recommend children are supervised at all times. Please refer to our general safety page if you would like more information about infinity pools.

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

The staircase connecting the ground and the first floor does not have a handrail.