The Villa del Gelso (mulberry) is located in Montargano, on the edge of Park of Etna, a UNESCO heritage, approximately at 800 m s.l.m., close to the most beautiful trails of the park, with its skiing and hiking trails. Just 14Km far from the sea and the conventional lido.
The house is strategically located in a quiet and populated area of the park with scenic surroundings, just a few kilometres from Puntalazzo, or Presa where you find market and the grocery stores.
The property is founded on solid basalt rock, rich in titanium and aluminium oxide, originated by the eruption of 1030, not far from the crater extinct which in 1651 generated the reserve of Scorciavacca “sciare”. The area is a short walk from where San Leonardo miraculously stopped the eruption of 1865 and on the ancient Norman road, still visible, which connected the town of Riposto to the Sanctuary of Vena (monastery of St. Andrew).
The villa, silent witness of the history of the island, is immersed in the silence of the trees; there is a great and wonderful olive tree planted in 1816, year in which Ferdinand I was crowned and began the Bourbon kingdom of the Two Sicily’s. The building is organized around a large mulberry tree, also centenary, from the time of Ferdinand II, when the Eastern Sicily was one of the most important areas of silk production in Europe. In the quiet playground, to keep company to the children, not surprisingly, is a wonderful example of “minicucco” (bacolaro, celtis Etnensis) planted around 1865 in memory to the party for the miracle of San Leonardo: the patron saint, in that ' opportunity, granted to the people gathered in prayer for the stopping of the magma river, which was to cover the country of Mascali. In early autumn its green berries darken and become delicious, good to be sucked like candy; the hardest kernels were used in games by the children of the time as projectiles into straw blowpipes.
From the pool of salted water, so as not to generate allergies and keep your tan, sitting on the bench of the hydro massage, you can admire the majestic form of Mount Etna, framed by oak trees; between them, stands a sample of over two hundred years, grown into one of the slits of ancient lava rock.
In summer, when the heat suffocates Sicily, you can enjoy the cool shimmer of the moon on the Ionian sea, lying in the shade of the Camellias, in the top of the villa terrace.
A real paradise where you can find themselves in contact with nature and with the sweet scented air from the broom, while the kids are swimming in the pool and playing peacefully in the park.
The Villa del Gelso adopted the "pet friendly tape in Sicily" that ensures comfort for four-legged friends, and safety and hygiene for all guests.
