Discovered by an Italian couple on the look out for a sunny, country escape, this vacation home rental in Sicily was in an advanced state of disrepair, having been abandoned for many years. The rural property is typical of the fortified “baglios” of the island and, was originally a working farm surrounded by olive groves and vineyards.
History serves as a backdrop and reference point, with contemporary design and renovations firmly rooted in the present. Organized around the central courtyard, the two main accommodations once housed livestock and crops, with the mangers and feed bins imaginatively repurposed into functional living spaces. Architect Patrizia Sbalchiero used traditional materials and techniques to match the tone and elemental simplicity of the existing buildings, integrating the rural past with modern living.
The orginal stone, ceilings of reeds, and walls blackened by fire, form a backdrop of a bygone time in an innovative combination of rustic authenticity and stylish modernity.
Owner and interior designer Andreina Lebole decorated the interiors with an eclectic but spare collection of Scandinavian and German furnishings and traditional Sicilian handcrafts, with art works by Elisabetta Reicher, and lighting designer Davide Groppi’s simple, luminous fixtures.
The separate spaces are all your own, while the communal spaces invite you to enjoy the tranquility of the country, lounging poolside in the sun, playing Croquet and Bocce, reading a book in the library, and enjoying the simple pleasures.
Come share in (and taste!) the olive harvest in September and the beginning of October for an authentic Sicilian experience.
Read more about this home’s unique kitchen in our Journal section here.
