a Mountain Getaway ... Agriturismo San Cataldo

In May this year we decided to escape the madness of the G7 summit in Taormina and have a few days away with Daisy our dog. Living in Giardini Naxos we are in the perfect location to discover and explore the eastern side of Sicily at any time and a place of much beauty is the Alcantara Valley.

The park of Alcantara covers a large region between Randazzo and Giardini Naxos and is well known in particular for its gorges and ravines. The ravines reach over 25 metres high and give life to an exciting spectacular canyon named Gole Alcantara gushing with icy cold water where you can enjoy walks and many activities such as body rafting.

Within the region there are some beautiful medieval hilltop towns including Castiglione di Sicilia, Francavilla di Sicilia, Graniti and Motta Camastra. The area is abundant with local produce including citrus and olive groves, it is renowned for its cherry trees and there are many vineyards boasting glorious Mount Etna wines.

We have visited the Alcantara Valley on many occasions and decided that it would be fabulous to become one with nature and stay in an agriturismo in the mountains, therefore I researched for a dog friendly location and thereby discovered Agriturismo San Cataldo located in Motta.

An agriturismo is primarily a farm and usually has a number of rooms or apartments available for guests. Guests can enjoy the tastes of local produce such as wines, conserves, oils, olives, local cheeses, bread, seasonal fruit and vegetables and typical local dishes. Most often they are restored farmhouses located on quiet beautiful terrain.

After watching the opening ceremony of the G7 on television at home we headed for our mountain getaway.

Hidden five kilometres up a very steep and narrow road San Cataldo is owned and run by husband and wife team Filippo and Rita. The structure was founded in the early 1900's and stretches over fifty hectares.

The intense drive up the road takes about eleven minutes and is long and winding with some of the road unpaved, to the left of us a mountain ravine trickled along the side of us with fields of orange and lemon trees to the right. We knew we were becoming more remote when we had to stop to let a snake cross the road and a mountain fox skipped along the road ahead of us much to Daisy's amusement who was sitting in the back of the car observing our ascent.

When we finally reach San Cataldo we parked the car and were greeted by a beautiful San Bernard dog called Wilson ... for Wilson it was love at first sight when he saw Daisy.

Wilson escorted us to the main farmhouse and to reception where we were welcomed by Filippo.

Accommodation at San Cataldo are beautiful chalets that sit on the side of the mountain. You can choose from 10 chalets built in wood with a garden or a classic room built entirely in local stone. Every chalet has the most spectacular view of the Alcantara Valley and Mount Etna dominates at all times.

We were staying in one of the stone "Camera Vecchia" chalets which are part of a lovingly restored old house which boasts the charm of an ancient rural peasant house. These rooms are located furthest away from the main farmhouse and are immersed in green and peaceful countryside.

After walking about five minutes down a steep road we reached our chalet. As we had arrived mid afternoon we sat outside in the warm Sicilian sunshine enjoying the stunning scenery waiting for the sun to set behind the lush green mountains. Outside our cabin was a beautiful cherry tree laden with fruit and the only sound we could hear was the breeze through the trees, cheerful birdsong, goats bleating and cowbells clanging. Pure bliss.

After watching the sunset we prepared for dinner at the farm house.

Filippo had explained that dinner would be served at eight pm and would be a homemade buffet made by Rita consisting of traditional local cuisine made using the surrounding produce. We made our way up to the farm house ready for our meal and were greeted by Wilson who was all too happy to escort Daisy to our table.

Once seated Filippo brought us over some local wine and fresh mountain spring water. One by one delicious dishes were brought out of the kitchen and Filippo rang a little bell to indicate that dinner was ready. For starters we enjoyed homemade pasta alla norma, rolled aubergine (eggplant) involtini, caponata, fresh mountain mushrooms and frittata amongst other delicacies. For main course we ate barbecued pork chops followed by traditional Sicilian sweets, coffee and limoncello. We returned to our chalet well fed and completely relaxed ready for the next day where we had arranged to go wine tasting at the Cottanera Winery in Castiglione di Sicilia with our friend Simona Ferro founder of Tripping Sicily.

The following morning we woke up to complete silence except chirping birds and cow bells and as I opened the door I jumped back in surprise ... sitting on our doorstep was Wilson waiting for Daisy. We found out later from Filippo that earlier in the morning he had told Wilson to go and find his girlfriend and he had trotted off down the mountain and found our room and sat outside until Daisy awoke.

Ready for the day we headed back up to the farm house for a delicious breakfast.

San Cataldo is surrounded by much beauty and offers many activities for all members of the family.

There is plenty of places to walk, a didactic farm and cheese factory where visitors can discover aspects of the rural environment, you can help pick local fruit, assist with milking the goats, watch the cheese being made, there is also the Parco Avventura (adventure park), go quad biking, have a go at archery, go on a horse riding trail and there is a relaxing bio-swimming pool.

There are many animals in their natural habitat including ducks, hens, rabbits, pigs, horses, goats and even a peacock that struts around showing off his beautiful tail feathers. During our stay there was a beautiful litter of kittens wandering around discovering life.

After breakfast and exploring the area we jumped in our car with Daisy and set off for our wine tasting experience at Cottanera Winery driving back down the long winding mountain road driving through stunning countryside towards Mount Etna's wine territory passing through the medieval town of Francavilla di Sicilia and past Castliglione di Sicilia which sat perched high above us.

After a delicious brunch and wonderful wine tasting experience we headed back to San Cataldo where again we spent the afternoon sitting outside our chalet enjoying peace and quiet watching the sunset reading a book.

At dinner that evening up at the farmhouse we enjoyed penne carbonara for starters and my personal favourite, barbecued Sicilian salsiccia (sausage) for main, again followed by sweets, coffee and tonight grappa.

The following morning we enjoyed our last breakfast and said a fond farewell to our hosts and all the other guests that we had made friends with during our 2 night stay.

Agriturismo San Cataldo is the perfect getaway to relax and unwind and is perfect as a romantic breakaway for couples and an amazing fun holiday destination for families. It is also perfect for special celebrations, children's parties or just to visit for a delicious homemade lunch.

Filippo, Rita and Wilson are the perfect hosts and look after their guests and dogs with a lot of love and care making you feel part of the family. Bizarrely one week later whilst having a pizza one evening in Giardini Naxos who should we find sitting on the next table to us. You've guessed it Filippo and Rita ... only in Sicily!!!

As for the blossoming romance between Daisy and Wilson well lets just say that I think it was just a holiday thing but I will keep you posted.

(Please Note: If you are taking your dog with you it is best to keep it on a leash at all times whilst outside the cabin)

Agriturismo San Cataldo is approximately a 40 minute drive from Taormina.

For more information on activities and booking at San Cataldo

visit their wonderful website www.agriturismosancataldo.it

Next Blog post: "Cottanera Winery with Tripping Sicily"

If you enjoyed this Blog post search my archive
for my November 2014 post
"The Alcantara Gorge"

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