We enjoyed our stay, although it was highly stressful at times. The apartment has two roomy bedrooms and a sizeable living room, all tastefully furnished but the kitchen space was tiny with access for one person at a time, inadequate for two let alone four people. To welcome us , we were given a bottle of wine but only one wine glass. The outdoor space is very pleasant and the grounds are extensive and interesting. The swimming pool hours are rather limited,10a.m. to 6.30p.m., although we were allowed to swim before 10, provided the pool was not being maintained. It is a good sized pool in a lovely setting.
Bagheria is a busy town within a labyrinth of very narrow streets. Driving is hazardous by any standards due to double parking, lack of signage, and scooters whizzing by haphazardly. SatNav is more of a liability than an asset. Finding the Villa was a nightmare, since we were given no directions from the management. The link we were sent was empty, and it was simply sent empty a second time when we informed Giacomo (the manager) of the problem. Fortunately, a local policeman helped out by driving there with us following in our own car. The gates of the villa are kept locked at all times, and Angela, Giacomo's assistant, had to wait outside for us to arrive to let us in. Given that we spent over an hour driving around trying to find the place, everyone was stressed out by the time we arrived.
When we finally did arrive, Angela was very kind and as helpful as possible.
One day, having locked our bedroom door from the outside, the lock failed to open. It was lunchtime, which is sacrosanct. So we had to wait until after 3pm before someone came along with a hammer and an oil-can to open it. Again very stressful.
About a week before arrival, we were told that the apartment would not be ready on time, and offered an alternative for one night. Given that we did not know where the first apartment was, finding a second one seemed to pile on the pressure. Fortunately, the first apartment, was made ready in time. But the stress of not knowing was not good.