Villa Armerina

• Bedroom 1: single bed (120x190), adjacent shower room
• Bedroom 2: double bed (160x190cm), en-suite bathroom with tub
• Bedroom 3: twin bed (120x190cm), en-suite bathroom with tub
• Bedroom 4: double bed (160x190cm)

Guests staying in Bedroom 4 would use one of the bathrooms described above.

Inside

accommodation at Villa Armerina is set over two floors. Original features abound throughout the property, including beautifully crafted stucco mouldings, vaulted ceilings, Sicilian ceramic flooring and the regal sleeping alcove in the master bedroom.

The ground floor is divided into two wings, at the centre of which is a voluminous entrance hall. To one side is a comfortably furnished drawing room, a small single bedroom with a French bed and a shower room, while to the other is the kitchen and a large, elegant dining room.

A staircase leads from the entrance hall to the first floor and a second large drawing room with views over the gardens. To the right is the huge principal bedroom, complete with sitting area, original sleeping alcove, dressing room and en-suite bathroom with tub. To the left is the equally spacious twin bedroom, which also has an en-suite bathroom with tub.

The last bedroom, a double, is also accessed from the first floor drawing room and has a washroom next door (for showering or bathing guests staying in this room would use one of the upstairs bathrooms or the shower room downstairs).

Outside

the façade gives onto a terraced, tree-lined lawn offering extensive views over the surrounding countryside. The pool, complete with a shady pergola, is set in an equally panoramic position down a short path to the side of the main house.

Behind the pool the grounds stretch up the hill and a long row of cypress trees leads to the main gate. There are plenty of excellent areas for outdoor dining, both in the shade of the large trees on the front lawn and on the panoramic sun-deck by the pool.

Dating back to 1690, Villa Armerina is a splendid example of Sicilian baroque architecture. It was built by a local noble family as a hunting lodge and frequently used for holidays away from the hustle and bustle of Piazza Armerina.

The symmetry of the baroque façade is characterized by the centrally positioned family coat of arms (which is carried by an eagle) and by a succession of wrought-iron “goose breast” balcony railings. The master bedroom still has its original sleeping alcove, and most of the doors are embellished with stucco decorations.

Due to its distance from town, the owners set up a small chapel on the ground floor where Mass could be celebrated on Sundays, and around the back of the villa you can still see the bell that was used to call the family to prayer. It is also thought that this relatively secluded spot was very popular with the young men of the family, who went there it for their romantic trysts.

In the 19th century a cottage was built nearby for the estate’s workers and this was eventually enlarged to provide storage space for grain.

Villa Armerina's current owners (direct descendants of the original family) have carefully restored the property, carefully restored conserving as many of the original decorative elements and furnishings as possible.

An impressive, cypress-flanked driveway leads to the villa, giving new arrivals intimations of the grandeur that awaits them.

Thanks to the design of this property, which keeps the house cool in summer and warm in the winter, there is no air conditioning. Please contact us for more information.

One section of the access road to Villa Armerina is a little rough, so we recommend guests hire a car with high ground clearance.