Le Stelle di Casa Leonardo

The view from the main bedroom balcony is breathtaking, day or night, and I really enjoyed driving around this area. My family and I enjoyed our stay, and Louise looked after us so well. She says her guests matter a lot to her, and she made sure we felt that. Ask her for local advice. She also met us to show us the way to the house. Take extra care on the last 7-10 minutes of the drive. It isn't especially dangerous, and how difficult it feels depends on your experience, but be ready to stop, use the handbrake on a slope at a blind turn, or reverse downhill to let a bus through. Lower gears may help. Guides can be dramatic about driving in Sicilia, while local drivers were quite patient with people who aren't used to narrow, steep zigzags. Be careful. Save the house location on both your phone and navigator, as old TomToms rented by agencies may lose GPS and give wrong directions, like suddenly telling you to make a U-turn. I think Louise gave her guests the best parking spot. It's shaded and has a longer run-up before the steep driveway, as shown on the left of my photo. If you don't make it to the top on your first try, slide back to where you started and try again with a bit more gas. The house occupies the bottom two floors of a three-storey building. The bedrooms are on the first floor, and the kitchen and sitting room are downstairs. Both floors have an outside entrance. Because of the spiral stairs, I wouldn't recommend it for families with toddlers or elderly people. It may be easier to carry trays of wine glasses and snacks outside via the road. The small bedroom only has a fan, but we were comfortable even in high heat. You could also sleep on a couch in the sitting room, where there's air conditioning. The main bedroom's air conditioner blows strongly, and we couldn't find a way to turn it down, so we didn't use it at night. Even 35°C feels much more comfortable in these hills than in a city. I recommend eating in Castelmola instead of Taormina. It's cheaper, tasty, just a five-minute drive away, and parking usually isn't much of a problem. Taormina is busier and about 20 minutes away by SP10. On arrival day, consider buying groceries before you get there to avoid a return trip. At the multi-storey car park in Taormina, long queues of cars usually move quickly because someone directs them to available spaces. The beach near the good cafe Cavallaro has boulders, but it's relatively close and has two free manual showers that still work after sunset. Do visit the Greek theatre. Enjoy!

During our two days at Le Stelle di Casa Leonardo with our two children, Lucia gave us lots of useful suggestions for restaurants, sightseeing, and more. The accommodation is practical and well-equipped, and the view is incredible, especially at sunrise.

You’ll find everything you need in the apartment, which has a small balcony with a great view. The bathroom and other furnishings are somewhat dated, but they all work. The neighbors, including a dog and a moped, could be a little noisy at times. The best part is the view and the fantastic location above Taormina, only a few minutes from the mountains. Luisa, the landlady, is also wonderful, very friendly and always ready to help.

The view from this lovely mountain apartment is even better than the place itself. Our two hosts looked after everything so well. We’d absolutely come back.