Villa with full privacy and heated pool near the Mediterranean Sea.

We had a wonderful family vacation at Giuseppe's beautiful villa! It is so comfortable and so thoughtfully built. We enjoyed the terrace and the summer kitchen every day! Our little kids had lots of fun in the spacious pool and roomy front yard. I've personally been impressed by the multitude of personal touches and artsy details of the villa. Both Giuseppe and Segnora Carmela ensured we had a comfortable stay and were incredibly easy to stay in touch with. Giuseppe gave us so many wonderful advices on restaurants, markets and beaches! We were sad to leave the house...but we're so grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time there and we wish everyone else a great time at Villa Ruta!

We all loved the villa, it was spotless when we arrived, with a lovely welcome spread. It felt like home, so we instantly relaxed. We enjoyed the pool every day, which is a good size, big enough for general playing as well as swimming a few lengths. We had a few days exploring the area, and found some great restaurants.

My husband, our 3 and 6 yr old daughters and I had a fantastic stay at Villa Ruta at the beginning of April. Probably partly because Giuseppe and his family have lived there and obviously enjoyed it themselves, it is fully kitted out with everything you could need and more: cooking utensils, outside wood burning pizza oven, barbeque, television, swimming equipment etc. Big television, peaceful at night, the only negative about the house would be that the mattresses were too hard for our tastes. Although our children were too young to use them, there are bikes to use, exercise and diving equipment in the garage, for example. Gorgeous pool, that I enjoyed so much, even if it wasn't always the warmest weather or water. Warm enough for us! Again, maybe better for slightly older children because the shallow end is too deep for little ones to stand, but it didn't stop ours from loving it once they had arm bands etc. Great location for visits to Noto, Modica, and Syracuse, wonderful coastline 2 mins away, with lots of restaurants all along the coast, big supermarket 15 mins away, small one 2 mins away.

What we were particularly impressed by was the attentiveness and generosity of Giuseppe as a host. We arrived to a complementary table of bread, ricotta, olives etc, a bottle of wine. Although he's in New York, he answered all our queries immediately and thoroughly, and went out of his way to accommodate us. Our youngest daughter was ill, and he was quick to make arrangements to have a doctor brought to us if need be. Although it wasn't needed, it was a real relief to know it was possible.

We are a family of 4 with two small children and really enjoyed our stay in the Ruta Villa. The house is impeccably clean. I've seriously never seen a cleaner house. The housekeeper deserves an award. We especially enjoyed the outdoor space. There is a hammock, outdoor dining room and kitchen and a variety of lounging spaces around the pool. We also appreciated that the pool can be completely closed off for the safety of young children. The bathroom with direct access to the pool is also a nice touch.

One of the most memorable moments was the lovely spread of local food that was awaiting us on arrival. The fresh local ricotta was unbelievable. On a practical level, this was important as well because we arrived on a Sunday night when most shops (and many local restaurants) were closed.

It's hard to find any flaws in this home. The beds were definitely on the far end of the firm scale, which may not be everyone's preference. Also, the pool heater wasn't working while we were there, so being mid-October we weren't able to enjoy the pool (even though the outside temp was still lovely). The owner was very apologetic and tried everything he could to get it resolved.

The villa itself is situated amongst farmland. We very much enjoyed the quiet, rural feel. A lovely beach is within a 3 minute drive (or you can use the provided bikes). Several good restaurants from low- to high-end are within a short driving distance.

I really think this home is a great location to explore southeast Sicily with short drives to some amazing cities and sites to explore.

Spent a week here with my family and couldn't have been happier. It is great to stay in a place that is a real family home and not just an anonymous rental property -- it is really comfortable and well equipped for cooking and dining. The pool is big and gorgeous and there are plenty of loungers and armchairs as well as a shady hammock for the heat of the day. We spent many happy hours round the table on the terrace next to the outdoor kitchen -- a fantastic place to cook and eat. The nearby beach is sandy and perfect for a swim, and there are plenty of other beaches to explore. The towns round about, especially Noto, are perfect for an evening of promenading and ice cream. Finally, the villa was beautifully prepared for our arrival, with masses of food and drink, which made us feel very welcome. All in all, I recommend this villa very highly indeed.