Casa Cuseni ... A House in Sicily

Casa Cuseni is an enchanting villa in Taormina built in golden stone and was designed for the English painter Robert Hawthorn Kitson in 1905.

In his Taorminese house and its beautiful gardens, art nouveau mixes with Sicilian style. The dining room was both conceived and designed by a friend of Robert Kitson, Sir Frank Brangwyn,a pupil of William Morris, the famous member of the artistic movement “Arts and Crafts” and by Sir Alfred East,who was at that time, President of the Royal Society of British Artists.

The decoration of the dining room boasts a series of murals inspired by the famous photographic models of Von Gloeden.

Robert Kitson integrated perfectly with the Taormina community and Casa Cuseni with its gardens became one of the favourite places of D H Lawrence and his wife to have afternoon tea. After his death, Robert Kitson’s niece Daphne Phelps inherited the villa in 1947.

At the age of 34, war-weary from working as a psychiatric social worker, with barely any Italian, and precious little money, Daphne entered a fascinating Sicilian world.

Every imaginable problem had to be overcome, not only financial difficulties but local authorities and a house staff who initially felt no loyalty to the new Signorina but who gradually accepted her as a respected member of their small community.

To help make ends meet, for many years she ran Casa Cuseni as a guest house and to her doors came Roald Dahl, Tennessee Williams, Bertrand Russell, Pablo Picasso and Henry Faulkner, amongst other famous artists and intellectuals of the 1900’s who were all looking for a peaceful place to work.

But just as important to her life and her story are the Sicilians with whom she shared the love and care of Casa Cuseni, Don Ciccio the local mafia leader, Vincenzo the general manservant, Beppe, a Don Juan who scented his eyebrows and his moustache to attract the local girls; and above all the steadfast cook and housekeeper Concetta, who lived with Daphne, along with the many pets she acquired.

In 1999 six years before her death Daphne told her story in the book “A House in Sicily”.

On my first ever visit to Sicily I bought Daphne’s book to read whilst lazing around my hotel swimming pool and loved the way she wrote about her life in Taormina with its many colourful characters and visitors but at that time I had no experience of living life the “Sicilian way”.

I read the book again many years after we bought our Sicilian home and the second time everything amused me so much more and made more sense now that I was living life the “Sicilian Way” and I understood her experiences first hand. The book now has pride of place in my Sicilian library.

After Daphne’s death the villa closed its doors to guests.

In 2012 at the behest of the current owners Casa Cuseni reopened to the public and has once again become for the third time in its history, a place to meet, stay and unwind where you can admire the art and masterpieces from the previous owners.

There are five rooms to stay in, the Pablo Picasso suite, the Daphne Phelps junior suite, Henry Faulkner room, Greta Garbo room and the Bertrand Russell room.

By pre arrangement you can visit Casa Cuseni’s museum and gardens and in May this year I had the pleasure of visiting. We had driven past many times and the house with its English union jack flag flying always intrigued me.

After reading and enjoying the book I was excited and fascinated to explore this legendary home of Daphne Phelps and its spectacular gardens so with my English friend and local resident Teresa we booked a morning visit. Teresa has memories of seeing Daphne Phelps at mass in the Anglican Church of Taormina.

The morning started with Mount Etna erupting big plumes of volcanic clouds into the blue sky, whilst grumbling with big booms every now and again. The four of us met for a quick cappuccino near Porta Catania then headed up to Casa Cuseni.

We rang the doorbell and made our way through the lower terrace of gardens and walked up the stairs to the house. Our guide for the morning was Clelia who was waiting for us at the top of the stairs with a very friendly big ginger cat who put on a performance to have its tummy rubbed.

Clelia explained the history of the gardens and the house, the gardens are beautiful with an abundance of flora and fauna both English and Mediterranean and very much resembles a quintessentially English garden with colourful flowers of every species with a Sicilian twist. I could just imagine Daphne pottering around tending to her plants with her beloved pets.

In the house we saw the drawing room, the dining room and the library. What strikes you most are the works of art collected by Robert Kitson during his travels around Italy, Europe and the Middle East. Most interesting was the characters from a nativity set of dolls that are still used every year to decorate the Christmas tree at Casa Cuseni.

In the dining room there are the beautiful murals looking down on you designed and painted by Sir Frank Brangwyn who was one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. The murals tell a fascinating story, but I invite you to visit the house to find this out as I really think you need to be in the room in person to enjoy the ambiance.

In the library there are many books and works of art from visitors, it is here that Lord Bertrand Russell, Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1950 wrote his famous essay on the history of the western philosophy.

When you visit the house you can feel the atmosphere of the many colourful and wonderful visitors that have passed through Casa Cuseni and you can only imagine how much fun and mischief was had there.

One of the things I always wondered when reading the book was that Daphne never married and never wrote of any romantic liaisons. I mentioned this to Clelia and she took me to an antique writing bureau, took out a key, opened one of the drawers and let me in on a little secret …. But that’s for me to know and you to find out when you visit Casa Cuseni.

After visiting the house we headed outside to explore the gardens whose terraces ascend far up Mount Tauro, further up behind the house we found orange and lemon trees, olive trees and wonderful fountains and ponds, it truly is like an enchanted secret garden.

The house is in a commanding position above central Taormina with stunning views of Mount Etna, the Bay of Naxos and the sparkling Ionian Sea.

We all enjoyed our visit immensely and Clelia was the perfect guide.

There is a lot more to discover about Casa Cuseni and when in Taormina a visit is a MUST.

If you want a tranquil Bed and Breakfast to stay in that is steeped in history with an English touch and wonderful hospitality I would recommend Casa Cuseni, but wherever you are staying I would encourage you to visit the house, the museum and its gardens. But ensure that you have read the book first.

After my visit I re-read Daphne’s book for a third time and this time with a whole new prospective and a touch of romance.

Casa Cuseni is part of 'Taormina Cult' a trail of 21 places where the muses made their home.

A House in Sicily by Daphne Phelps is available on Amazon www.amazon.com and is the perfect read for your Sicilian holiday. I would 100 percent recommend reading the book even if you have not visited Sicily as all the characters are thoroughly eccentric and entertaining. I love it.

For information on Casa Cuseni visit www.casacuseni.com

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