Tennis in a sylvan setting                          The swimming pool                

Santa Maria has a long history. It takes its name from a nearby church built by the Normans who conquered Sicily in the 11th Century.
The villa, which was probably once a monastery attached to the church, dates to the 17th Century. It was built as a fortified farm house - a ‘baglio’, a type of building unique to Sicily . Although it looks more like a castle than a villa, the high walls and castellation were designed to keep out pirates and bandits. Within the grounds there is also a separate watchtower, recently restored and bearing the name of the architect and the date of construction – 1584.

       The view from the top of the villa                      The intriguing watchtower           

By the 19th Century Santa Maria was in private hands. In 1915 it was bought by the grandfather of the present owners. Until the 1960s it was the centre of a wine business, which has since closed. Marcello and Caroline let the ground floor to guests, while the first floor is inhabited by Marcello’s brother and his family.

 

          

The castellation on the top of the villa               Relax among the orange trees  

The three acres of grounds include formal gardens, an olive grove and an abundance of fruit trees, pines, cypreses, bougainvillea and date palms.

The ground floor has its own walled citrus grove - a magical Sicilian garden with a hundred orange and lemon trees. The splashing fountain in the centre is a reminder of the island's Arab heritage. There is a patio with seating for eight people and a barbecue.

The swimming pool is in a separate garden set away from the villa. With its vine-covered gazebo, exotic plants and mature shady olive trees, this is a perfect place to relax.                                                         The pool itself, 12 by 6 metres, is lined with mosaic tiles. It has steps going down to the shallow end and is surrounded by a large area for sunbathing, equipped with beach chairs and sunbeds.

The  newly revamped tennis court is ready to go. Remember that Sicilian winters are short and you can play tennis in Sicily almost all the year round.