The Villa del Gelso is located in Montargano, on the edge of the Etna Park, about 800 m asl, very close to the most characteristic paths of the Park, a UNESCO heritage site with its ski and hiking trails; just 14 km away are the beaches with our partner lido.
The house occupies a strategic position: a populated area of the Park, quiet and panoramic, a few kilometers from Puntalazzo, where there are food shops.
The property is founded on the very solid basaltic rock, rich in titanium dioxide and aluminum, originating from the eruption of 1030, not far from the extinct crater which in 1651 created the Scorciavacca ski slopes. The area is a few steps from the point where San Leonardo miraculously stopped the eruption of 1865 and right on the ancient Norman road, still visible, which connected the village of Riposto to the Sanctuary of Vena (monastery of S. Andrea).
The Villa, silent witness to the history of the island, is immersed in the silence of the centuries-old trees, a large and wonderful olive tree planted in 1816, the year in which Ferdinand I was crowned, with which the Bourbon kingdom of the Two Sicilies began. The building develops around a large mulberry tree, also centenary, dating back to the time of Ferdinand II, when Eastern Sicily was one of the most important silk production areas in Europe; the tree, together with the vine and the hazelnut, was the sustenance and resource of the Villa.
In the quiet playground, to keep the children company, there is a wonderful specimen of minicucco (bacolaro, Celtis Etnensis ) planted around 1865 to commemorate the feast for the miracle of San Leonardo: the patron saint, on that occasion, granted the people gathered in prayer to stop the river of incandescent magma that was about to cover the town of Mascali. In early autumn, its green berries darken and become delicious, great for sucking like candy; the very hard stones were used in games by the children of the time as bullets in straw blowers.
From the salt water pool, so as not to generate allergies and to maintain a tan, sitting on the hydromassage bench, it is possible to admire the majestic silhouette of Etna, framed by oaks; among them stands a specimen over two hundred years old, grown in one of the fissures of the ancient lava rock.
In summer, when the heat suffocates Sicily, it is possible to enjoy the shimmer of the moon over the Ionian sea in the cool, lying in the shade of the camellias on the upper terrace of the Villa.
A real paradise where you can find yourself in contact with nature and with the sweet scented air of the broom, while the children bathe in the pool and play peacefully in the park.
The villa del Gelso has adopted the " pet friendly in Sicily " ribbon which guarantees comfort for four-legged friends and safety and hygiene for all guests.