La Prora

Main House

• Bedroom 1: double bed (160x200cm), en-suite bathroom
• Bedroom 2: double bed (160x200cm), en-suite shower room
• Bedroom 3: double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), adjacent shower room
• Bedroom 4: double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), en-suite bathroom
• Bedroom 5: double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), en-suite shower room

Guesthouse

• Suite 6: double bed (160x200cm), en-suite shower room
• Suite 7: double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), en-suite shower room

Both suites also have a single sofa bed in the kitchen areas, meaning that it could also function as a twin.

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, La Prora has a reduced price for a group of up to 10 that only need up to 5 bedrooms. The bedrooms not required will be closed, but the rest of the villa, its amenities and its grounds will remain at the complete disposal of guests. Should you book the reduced occupancy, the bedrooms in the main house will be prepared for you.

Inside

accommodation at La Prora is spread over a main house and two independent guest suites in the grounds. The property has been lovingly and luxuriously refurbished to an extremely high standard. Furnishings are at once elegant and homely, flooring is an eclectic mix of gorgeous grey-tone patterned tiles, polished concrete and black brick, bathrooms are voluptuously pampering, the kitchen has been designed to inspire gourmet culinary exploits, and light fittings throughout are subtle, sophisticated and atmospheric.

The front door of the main house takes one into a large, luminous living room, whose lofty vaulted ceilings and French doors opening out onto the main terrace, create a luminous, airy atmosphere. An opening at one end allows the space to flow into the dining room, which has a fittingly convivial feel, thanks in no small part to the splendid designer fireplace, on each side of which glass doors lead into the kitchen. This space is a dream for keen amateur cooks and seasoned professional chefs alike. A stainless steel central island hosts an impressive range of gas burners and grills, all surmounted by a sculptural hood. One wall is filled with a bank of stainless steel appliances, including fridges, a wine chiller, and ovens. There's plenty of workspace and, like the living and dining rooms, easy access via French windows to the main terrace and al fresco dining at the front of the property. Back in the living room, a door leads to a cloakroom, a guest WC and on to a series of utility and store rooms.

Another opening in the living room leads into a hallway and the stairs up to the first floor. Upstairs there are five similar-sized bedrooms linked by a long landing and a sitting area. The first is a double-aspect double-twin bedroom with its own antechamber and an en-suite bathroom with separate tub and shower. The second is a double-twin with an en-suite shower room. The third, a double, has an adjacent shower room with splendid sea views. The fourth is a double-aspect double with en-suite bathroom with an elegant tub. The fifth is a double with en-suite shower room and French windows opening onto a large terrace (also accessed from the first floor sitting area and the gardens). All bedrooms in the main house have fabulous sea views and French windows opening onto small balconies.

The two independent guest suites are situated up a few steps to one side of the main house. One has a double bedroom and a sofa bed, meaning that it could also function as a twin. The other has a double-twin bedroom. Both have en-suite shower rooms, a living area and a kitchenette.

Outside

all the ground floor rooms at La Prora flow out onto a dreamy shaded terrace, furnished with sofas, armchairs, built-in daybeds and a large dining table. Beyond this area is the tempting heatable pool, the gardens, a boules pitch, and a monumental old brick wall with two recesses that were once lime kilns - a hint at La Prora's long history.

From the outdoor living area, a path leads round the house to a flight of steps, at the top of which is a panoramic upper floor terrace, also accessed from one of the bedrooms and the first floor sitting area. Finally, just above this terrace is a little area of garden dominated by a mature shady pine tree.

An interview with the owners of La Prora

What’s the story behind your choice of location where you bought your villa? Is there any personal connection? Any story about your search?

We had been coming regularly to Taormina every summer for 20 years, and we had for a while considered acquiring a property somewhere in Italy. Having considered several locations from Turin to Trieste, in Tuscany and the lakes, as well as around Rome, we realised that whilst those are lovely places, we would probably wish to return to Sicily and Taormina anyway. Hence we decided to find our own home in Sicily and preferably in Taormina. We looked at a handful of properties but landed on La Prora. The house was big but not too big, and has a beautiful location with views of Mount Etna, Isola Bella and the sea. It also had a garden with potential.

The house is old and has probably had many uses over the years, including as an office and management quarters for the lime kiln operations back in the days before a Sicilian family returning from Australia acquired the property and expanded the house in the early part of the 20th century. We acquired the house from two granddaughters who had inherited the house but had left it abandoned for a number of years.


What do you love most about the location?

We love the fact that it has wide-open views and privacy. It is also convenient, with plenty of parking on the property, which is a rare feature in any Italian town. We can easily walk up to Taormina old town centre, but can also "withdraw from the crowds” during the busiest summer months.


Who designed the house, and what were your specifications? What’s the philosophy behind the choice of materials, style, interior design, etc?

The house has mainly kept its original plan of the ground floor. The first floor has been modified slightly in order to have five en-suite bedrooms. We were lucky to find the architect-interior designers, Anne Herzog (Norwegian) and Vina Matos (Portuguese) who work out of Florence. Our ambition was to create a Sicilian house with Scandinavian comforts (eg underfloor heating!). Anne and Vina perfectly understood what we wanted to do and helped us re-purpose and re-design the house according to our needs.


How did you go about choosing furniture, colour schemes, etc for the villa?

The designers helped choose all colour schemes. We brought with us some furniture from Oslo. The rest was either made to measure in Italy or sourced locally by Anne and Vina.


Is there any item of furniture, artwork or design detail that you particularly love?

We have a certain interest in modern art and have chosen some of the pieces of our collection for La Prora. Possibly our favourite is the wall painting by Hamish Fulton in the dining room, which dates back to his excursion to the top Mount Etna in 2014/15. This mounting of the painting was completed on the day we made our first ascent of Etna in October 2018. The photo by Mikkel McAlinden should also be mentioned, as it captures the map of the War Rooms in London and covers both the First and the Second World Wars (with a noticeable lack of activity in the Middle East – a rather sharp contrast to the conflicts of our age).


How do you “live” the villa? What do you do when you’re there?

We have a routine of starting the day with a game of tennis. This is followed by a walk through town to shop for fresh ingredients at Taormina’s local market. In summer, this is followed by a hearty lunch and some time by the pool. In the afternoon we have a dip in the sea, either at Isola Bella or one of the other beaches, before we settle in to play pétanque and have a sundowner on the terrace overlooking the bay and Mount Etna – often with an eruption at display. We always have at least one trek up to Castelmola above Taormina, following the Saracen trail, and have one morning scuba diving at the dive club. In late autumn and winter a drive up to the wine region of Etna to stock up on wines from one of the vineyards is mandatory.

It is our constant ambition to continue exploring the area between Messina and Catania, which has so much to offer.


What’s your favourite place to be in the villa?

We would say the terraces are our favourite places, depending on the time of day. The kitchen is also a favourite place to gather in the evening and to cook accompanied by a glass of “cooking wine” - from Sicily, of course. And it must be said that the dining and living space under the shaded pergola in front of the house is where we live during summer months.


When you arrive at the villa, what’s the first thing you do?

We always start by airing all the rooms and stock up on groceries, wine etc. so that we are ready to enjoy the first evening and have a good night’s sleep.


When you go to stay at your villa, what are the first dishes you cook?

After a long journey from Norway a starter of ricotta and salumi followed by a pasta dish is the favourite menu.


What’s your favourite day out from the villa? The beach, the mountains, a village or town, etc?

Some of us enjoy the beach, others the mountains, but we all love the trek up to Castelmola for lunch. It takes about 1.5 hours to get there from La Prora, but the nice walk and the views make it very much worth while. We must also mention that Catania is a very nice town to visit, both in the morning for the fish- and vegetable market, and later for good shopping and good food. Overall we love its relaxed atmosphere and its beautiful historic buildings.

La Prora features a fantastic infinity 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.

You may also wish to know that the pool has a single depth of 1.4m.

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

Road noise is audible from the property's grounds. The volume may rise or fall depending on climactic conditions such as wind direction.