В Сицилии открыли подборку из шести роскошных барочных вилл с видом на Этну

The late baroque period gave Sicily some of its most splendid cities and palazzi. This was an era characterised by vast aristocratic estates, grand courtyards adorned with fountains and glittering ballrooms. In subsequent years, many of these gorgeously ornate palaces — depicted by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa in his 1958 novel The Leopard — fell victim to the mafia, to weeds and ruin. The few that remain, however, are more fantastical and opulent than their equivalents on mainland Italy. While some have retained their pomp-and-pillared Il Gattopardo character, others have had their old noble bones fleshed out with gentle modernism. Here are six disarmingly beautiful palaces, each recommended by a Sicilian villa expert. Rocca delle Tre Contrade, Santa Venetina Available through The Thinking Traveller, this villa harks back to Sicily’s golden era. Perched atop a hill on the island’s east coast, from one side it overlooks the shimmering Ionian via a particularly photogenic infinity pool carved into an elevated, palm-flanked terrace. On the opposite side are views over landscapes backed by Mount Etna. Amid the lush grounds is a clay tennis court and an outdoor terrace festooned with exotic plants and cooled by linen drapes that swell in the hot breeze. Most commented - 1 - 2 The 12-bedroom villa blends antique and contemporary furnishings: woven rugs in blush shades and cosy linen sofas alongside traditional wicker and gnarled coffee tables, original beams and vaulted ceilings soaring above the modern art that lines the walls. Light spills in from all angles, particularly into the bedrooms — mostly dressed in fresh modern whites — in which tubs are strategically placed to take advantage of the Ionian views. The villa’s location makes Etna wine tasting and Taormina day trips a breeze, while workshops with artisans and cooking classes with Michelin-starred chefs (Merlin Labron-Johnson and Giuseppe Raciti, among others) can be organised in advance. For those looking to host more than 24 guests, the Lodge at Rocco delle Tre Contrade, a luxuriously redesigned farmhouse in the grounds, brings numbers up to 30. Beyond the knockout views, romantic gardens and tastefully designed communal spaces, the villa is not far from Catania airport, guaranteeing mercifully short transfers. From £40,706 a week, sleeping 24, thethinkingtraveller.com Villa Valguarnera, Bagheria Located in the seaside town of Bagheria between Cefalu and Palermo, which is in the green valley surrounding Sicily’s capital, this is a vast royal palace and an exemplar of the extravagant glory of Sicilian baroque. Commissioned by Maria Anna del Bosco Gravina and designed by Tommaso Maria Napoli in 1712, it was a splendid expression of power from one of Europe’s wealthiest noble families, whose reverence for art, science and philosophy is painted, carved and gilded onto the villa. With its sweeping staircases, elaborate masonry and maze-like Italianate gardens, Valguarnera was an easy choice for location scouts working on the hit Netflix remake of Il Gattopardo (the villa stood in as the noble Salinas’ Palermo home). It has also been used by Dolce & Gabbana, whose Dolce Rosa Excelsa campaign featuring Sophia Loren was filmed here. The Alliata family’s determination to honour their ancestral home’s history (including surviving a protracted legal battle to reclaim the family home from the Sicilian mafia in the late Eighties), has brought this sprawling neoclassical landmark back to its former glory. Renting is easier said than done but Bellini Travel’s Emily FitzRoy, with her esoteric knowledge of the island’s grand piles and their blue-blooded residents, has been known to make it happen several times. She has the ear of the owner, Principessa Vittoria Alliata di Villafranca, and on occasion the key to Villa Valguarnera’s magnificent piano nobile. Silk-walled music rooms, furnished smoking terraces, Arabian pavilion bedrooms, a ballroom and rolling verdant parkland with a tropical twist can be the preserve of a privileged six. From £9,800 a week, sleeping six, fully staffed, villavalguarnera.com Giardino San Giuliano, Catania Some 45 minutes from Catania, and built from the same volcanic limestone as the baroque city, Villa di San Giuliano is charged with Gattopardo energy. Ensconced in exotic gardens and citrus groves between Mount Etna and the ancient city of Syracuse, this aristocratic villa has been owned by the Marchesi di San Giuliano since the 12th century. So unlike most foreign-owned villas across the island, filled with heritage pastiche, here the belongings and collections are authentically those of one of Sicily’s oldest noble families. Expect majolica tiles, original vaulted ceilings, tapestries, grand pianos, gilded mirrors, antique vases and four-posters draped in linen. Halls and rooms open onto a genteel terrace with its cushioned wrought-iron furniture, all twisting like theatre seats towards Etna’s inky silhouette. The pool has an oasis-like character, being located within verdant, tropical gardens inspired by Seville’s courtyards, and featuring giant palms, cacti, urns and mosaics. Kitchen staff harness the abundant bounty of Etna’s fertile slopes to whip up Sicilian classics for drawn out terrace suppers. The joy of this noble abode’s location is that it’s the perfect launchpad for day trips to the splendid baroque towns of the southeast of the island, or wine-tasting jaunts to some of Etna’s finest vineyards. From £8,313 a week, sleeping up to 16, giardinosangiuliano.com Villa Tasca, Palermo This honey-hued, pleasingly symmetrical villa surges from mirage-like gardens and acres of citrus groves just outside Palermo. Villa Tasca’s 16th-century good looks were used for season two of The White Lotus, as well as Netflix’s recent adaptation of The Leopard. Frescoes, tapestries, gilt panelling and majolica tiles dress the cavernous rooms, while in the grounds can be found fountains, mottled stone busts on plinths and exotic plants. This is the home of Countess Luisa and Count Giuseppe Tasca, whose family, the Tasca d’Almeritas, have owned it for more than 500 years. However, it can be booked through Bellini travel (Emily FitzRoy may have been the one to nudge the White Lotus team in Villa Tasca’s direction too). This will grant access not only to the villa’s four flamboyantly frescoed en-suite bedrooms, but also to Villa Tasca’s butler, chef, housekeepers and Bellini’s little black book of exclusive high-end experiences. The countess is an exceptionally good cook and is happy to whizz guests round Palermo’s markets to source the best produce before taking them back to their baroque base for an intimate cooking class with supper.  From £30,304 a week, sleeping eight, sicilyluxuryvillas.com Palazzo Musmeci, Acireale A dinner in Palazzo Musmeci’s gently uplit palm-lined courtyard stamps itself indelibly into the memory for years to come. This 17th-century palazzo sits in the historic centre of lesser-known Acireale, just north of Catania and south of Taormina. Courtesy of the baroque town’s elevation, its inhabitants have dress circle seats for the theatrical views of the sparkling Ionian coastline and Mount Etna. Thankfully, its owners have paid the utmost respect to the resplendent baroque residence’s interiors. Guests can move between ornate halls and salons, lie by the pool in a serene courtyard or steal away into sweeping rooms with grand headboards and Moorish tiles. Although it has been updated with modern touches, this remains a residence fit for a royal — King Ferdinando IV of the Two Sicilies and King Umberto I of Savoia are among those to have slept beneath its frescoes and chandeliers. From £17,033 a week, sleeping 12, thethinkingtraveller.com Villa del Tempio, Noto For those unfamiliar with the sumptuous interiors of Sicily’s grandest houses, a week at Villa del Tempio is a fine introduction. Richly dressed in silk drapes, chandeliers and marble, the villa is as beguiling as its gardens, which have their very own ancient Greek-inspired temple. Guests can take refuge from the Sicilian afternoon heat in cool salons adorned with intricate panelling, portraits and gilt mirrors, or siesta in regal bedrooms beneath silk canopies and vaulted ceilings. One of the loveliest spots is by the villa’s temple pool, set in the neoclassical grounds, with its fountains, bougainvillaea, giant palms and topiary mazes. The views of Val di Noto’s hills are poetic enough to nudge guests out on morning jaunts to nearby baroque towns or the protected beauty of the nearby Vendicari beaches. From £120,662 a week, sleeping 14, lecollectionist.com