Historic Villa on the southern slopes of Mount Etna

On the slopes of Etna, in the town of Mascalucia in the province of Catania, the harmonious complex of buildings, vegetable gardens and gardens built in the 18th century by the barons Rapisarda di Sant'Antonio has at its center the late Baroque style villa protected by the Fine Arts , developed around the splendid internal courtyard: a piece of the historic center of Etna which revived in 2003, thanks to the architect Gianni Branciforti. Like an island in an ancient urban context, the microcosm of Via Teatro is silent and secluded, without being remote. The house is made up of five independent housing units which develop around the quadrangular courtyard and, on the back, overlook the vegetable gardens and a small garden. There is a pleasant succession of living rooms, alcoves, a dining room with a cross vault, nineteenth-century stuccos, a large fireplace, lava stone windows and a kitchen in the former chapel of the house. From the terraces you can see Etna to the north and, beyond the roofs of the old Mascalucia, Catania and the sea to the south. On the other side of the narrow Via Teatro is the part of the property dedicated to leisure time and sporting activities: the terracotta-lined swimming pool is in the orchard, between the walnut and false pepper trees, the palm tree and the pergola of ancient grapes; the gym/activity space is in the old barrel warehouse, a splendid room over 7 meters high, partly on a mezzanine. This part of the property also includes a 60 sq m outbuilding overlooking the lower part of the garden, a garage/warehouse and a winery for pressing grapes (58 sq m), the only non-renovated building in the complex. There is a parking lot with 5 parking spaces. The location is strategic: under Etna and close to Catania, the airport and the Ionian coast, and a 45-minute drive from Taormina to the north and Syracuse to the south. In the past years the property has been successfully put on income, becoming an accommodation facility with a registered trademark and domain that is still active today.