Villa Pietra Bianca

In summary

The Villa has twelve comfortable double rooms, decorated with antique furniture, all in different colours and curtains.
A former feudal estate, the Villa Pietra Bianca is located at the very end of the Ibleo plateau, looking out toward Mt. Etna, north of Siracusa, and at the centre of the white stone valley slowly excavated through the centuries by the San Calogero River. The lush fields in the valley bottom, rich in spring water, were at one time the only place fertile enough to nurture and cultivate abundant citrus groves. The estate remained a hunting reserve up to the seventies and still has one of the oldest and best known stud farms in Sicily. Its ancient and ample spaces have now been made available to all those who would follow in the footsteps of St. Calogero, known to have been here during the Byzantine era, to enjoy a sojourn of beauty, wellbeing and relaxation. The storehouses of the past have given way to an immense dining room, library and lounge with fireplace, looking out over the cool and shaded arches of the ancient stables.

In summer, you can spend your days in the charming saltwater pool. There is a pleasant poolside bar where light meals are served.
La Villa Pietra Bianca also offers a wellness center where guests can enjoy a sauna, turkish bath and massage on request.

The homes of the farmers are now the “guest quarters”. Rooms furnished in vintage period pieces, each with a distinctive colour and décor, face the inner courtyard, as do the public rooms, also furnished with rare and valuable antiques so that our guests may savour the true atmosphere of an ancient Sicilian dwelling. It is a place where the only exception to silence is the gushing water of the fountains and the rustle of the wind among the leaves. All the surrounding area has become a flourishing garden.

An intimate and inviting Spa faces a perfumed garden rich in aromatic plants, serving as passageway to the enchanting salt water pool, surrounded by a dry-stone wall. An oasis within an oasis!


Bedrooms

Room 1
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with bathtub, shower.

Room 2
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with walk-in shower.

Room 3
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with bathtub, shower.

Room 4
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with walk-in shower. This bedroom includes also fireplace.

Room 5
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with bathtub, shower. This bedroom includes also closet.

Room 6
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with walk-in shower. This bedroom includes also fireplace.

Room 7
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with bathtub.

Room 8
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 160 cm. Bathroom private, with walk-in shower.

Room 9
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with bathtub.

Room 10
Room, independent access. This bedroom has 1 double bed 160 cm. Bathroom private, with bathtub.

Room 11 - Annex :
Room, direct access to the garden. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with walk-in shower.

Room 12 - Annex :
Room, direct access to the garden. This bedroom has 1 double bed 180 cm configurable in twin beds. Bathroom private, with bathtub.

Note: It is possible to add cots or camp beds in some rooms on request


Indoors

- All bedrooms with Digital TV, air conditioning, central heating, mini fridge and safe
- The kitchen is available on request. Our guests will be offered the best dishes of traditional Sicilian and Italian kitchen. Lunches and dinners will be served in the dining room in a magical atmosphere. Professional kitchen, also available for food demonstration for guest participation. 
- Tea and coffee, as well as all types of drinks, especially freshly pressed oranges juice, available in the dining or living room on request
- Wine cellar from which guests can choose some of the best local wines 
- Restaurant (reservations required)
- Meeting rooms for 10 to 100 persons
- Wi-fi in all common areas of the villa and rooms


Outdoors

- Swimming pool 18 x 9 m with saltwater surrounded by ancient dry stone walls, a summer loggia and summer kitchen 
- Pool house with shower, WC and changing rooms
- 2 outdoor showers 
- Breathtaking Italian garden with palm trees, cypress trees, fountains and water rills 
- Medicinal herb garden adjacent to pool 
- Two pavilions of Indian inspiration
- Large lawns and beautiful vistas
- Spa with Finnish sauna and Turkish steam bath in a separate building included in the rental price
- Parking up to 200 Cars (+ other usable space)
- Nature and archaeological paths


Staff & Servies

Staff included
- The villa manager (non resident) for concierge services
- 2 maids, 5 hours per day for the maid service 
- 2 waiters who help serving lunch and dinner and prepare breakfast 
- Daily chef for lunch and dinner. Traditional Sicilian and Mediterranean cuisine, made with local products... enjoy orange blossom honey from the bee hives of San Calogero, homemade jams, fruit, yogurt, ham, tomatoes and cheeses, including ricotta from local shepherds. Fresh herbs grown in the vegetable-garden, local seafood and meats are always present. Costs of food and beverages are extra. 

Services on request
- Grocery shopping service (€500.00 as a deposit for groceries will be collected by the owner or by his staff at check-in and in cash)
- Personal laundry 
- Expert masseur who comes to the house 
- In-house esthetic treatments 
-  Wine tours and in house wine tastings
- Wedding or other receptions up to 180 guests
-  Fishing tours, boat tours
- Wonderful private guides to Sicily’s main sightseeing landmarks 


We can also organise

- Sailboat and motorboat excursions, sea kayaking
- Eno-gastronomic tours
- Helicopter tours
- Specific activites for special events:
Orienteering, historical-archeological treasure hunts, raid adventures
Trekking, free-climbing, mountain biking, horse-back riding, quad excursions, trips in all-terrain vehicles, river trekking, rafting, canyoning, skiing.


Activities in the area

A woodland of Mediterranean essences, fields rich in spring water, plateaus abounding in olive and citrus groves, verdant pastures. This is a place where you can communicate with nature: discover nature trails, enjoy archeological walks to discover the grottos and tombs of the X-IX century B.C.; taste extra virgin olive oil, citrus fruit jams and orange blossom honey that are still the principal products of the farm. All this is available to you on an area of 100 hectares, offering you an ideal location for team building activities and an exclusive site for special events.
The interior spaces are numerous and diverse in nature and dimensions: the medicinal garden adjacent to the pool is only one of many charming surprises provided to our guests: the suggestive main courtyard, the paths, the old stables and the interiors are only the prelude to the captivating Italian garden, bursting in colours and perfumes of the Mediterranean and beyond.
Located at the centre of an area rich in prestigious natural sites (Etna, Oasi di Vendicari...), archaeological ruins (Siracusa, Pantalica...), and architectural works of art (Ragusa Ibla, Noto, Modica...), the Villa Pietra Bianca enjoys a strategic position that allows you to visit all of eastern Sicily in one day. Between May and June, don’t miss the yearly appointment with the classical performances in the Greek Theatre of Siracusa. Also of increasing popularity, along with the better known Taormina Film Festival in June, is the International Frontier Film Festival (July) in Marzamemi, an ancient fishing village that has now become one of the newest not-to-be-missed spots in the area, with the largest and southernmost open-air hall in Europe, positioned within the tonnara, a tuna-net maze dating to the period of the Arab domination of Sicily and still perfectly preserved.