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Villa Palmento
Sicily

Italy

View photos Villa Palmento
Sicily
“Set within the rustic Sicilian countryside near the UNESCO World Heritage town of Caltagirone, this beautifully restored 19th-century villa was once a working wine estate and has since been reimagined into an elegant, spacious home”

Villa Palmento sits in an elevated position in the hills near Caltagirone in south-eastern Sicily, with wide panoramic views over the surrounding countryside and is set within approximately ten hectares of fully enclosed private land taking in mature pine woodland, gardens and landscaped terraces. Its restoration was undertaken over several years guided by an architect who specialises in historic architecture to ensure the traditional bones of the building would coexist harmoniously with the modern interventions.

On entering the villa, the eye is drawn to the interior design that draws together the authentic stonework with a modern style. At its heart is a double height galleried sitting room, emphasising the proportions of the space and opening onto the pool and south terrace for easy indoor-outdoor living. A dining room seating up to ten guests connects through glass doors to an outside dining area, while the kitchen, with its separate pantry and small bar, leads directly out to the barbecue and al fresco preparation space.

The property extends to approximately 300 m² and includes a full-length balcony looking out over the valley and a bathroom built around a wet room shower, twin basins and a generously proportioned bath. A third bedroom is neatly linked to its lineage: known as the Salotto del Vino, it was once the heart of the estate’s working winery and the tanks where grapes were once crushed by foot remain visible beneath a floor of wood and glass.

A separate three-bedroom guest house stands a short walk from the main villa, providing independent accommodation for family and friends in a subtly modern style. Connected to the villa by intercom and furnished with its own facilities, its guest principle bedroom opens onto a large shaded terrace with views back across the valley and comes with an ensuite shower room and whirlpool tub, while a second guest bedroom faces the pine forest and offers flexible double or twin configuration with its own ensuite. In total there are five bedrooms and seven bathrooms across the two houses.

The dialogue between the interior and exterior remains central to Villa Palmento. The grounds are entirely enclosed and private, arranged around a heated infinity pool with a shallow, child-friendly area and steps down into the main basin. A bougainvillea-covered pergola shades part of the south terrace, where relaxed outdoor seating invites a slow glass of Sicilian wine, and a further pergola shelters the ten-seat dining table used for long evenings outside, one of several terraces and outdoor living spaces built for dining, entertaining and simply enjoying the landscape.

Beyond the pool, a lawned area is bordered by a centennial olive tree, and the wider grounds unfold into a wooded park of over a hundred species, along with terraced gardens of lavender, rosemary, olive and fruit trees set against the native agaves, yuccas and pines. Paths wind throughout the land for walking and cycling, while quiet corners provide the perfect spots for rest, reading and enjoying the sound of the countryside.

The villa lies around fifteen minutes from the UNESCO World Heritage town of Caltagirone and within easy reach of Sicily’s southern coastline, offering the privacy and restful seclusion of a country estate alongside easy access to the towns, markets and beaches of the surrounding region.

Floorplan

“Located on Italy’s toe and known as one of its prettiest islands, Sicily is famed for its Baroque architecture, rustic charm and slices of sfincione.”

Caltagirone rises from the hills of south-eastern Sicily as one of the region’s most compelling towns, its honey-coloured churches and palazzi rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 in the same late baroque style that later earned the Val di Noto its UNESCO World Heritage status. The town’s real signature, though, is ceramics: a tradition here that stretches back thousands of years and reached its full expression during the Arab period, when the tin-glaze technique and the now-famous palette of yellow, blue and green first appeared. That heritage is still visible everywhere, worked into balconies, fountains and shopfronts, and above all into the Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte, a staircase of over a hundred steps in which each riser carries its own hand-painted design, climbing through the old town towards views across the surrounding countryside.

Away from the staircase, Caltagirone rewards slower exploration. Artisan workshops line the streets around Via Roma and the Giardino Pubblico, many still run by families who have worked in ceramics for generations, and the Museo Regionale della Ceramica holds one of Sicily’s most complete collections of the town’s pottery, from Neolithic pieces through to eighteenth-century nativity figures. Cafes around the main piazza make an easy stop after a morning spent wandering the baroque quarter, and the town’s slower rhythm, its lack of crowds and its genuine working culture give it a character quite different from the more visited hill towns further east.

Caltagirone also sits well for exploring further afield. Piazza Armerina and the mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale lie within easy reach, and the baroque towns of Ragusa, Modica and Noto, each part of the same UNESCO listing, are close enough for an unhurried day out. Sicily’s southern coastline, with its long stretches of sand around the Ragusa and Gela shores, is within about half an hour’s drive, offering a natural counterpoint to the hill town’s stone and ceramic streets. There are direct flights from the UK to Catania and its airport, which lies around an hour to the north, keeping the area well connected while retaining the sense of a Sicily still shaped by its own traditions.

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