 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back to Mare Siciliano
Hi,
I guess all the running around we did over the three weeks caught up with us and we came down with the flu. It didn't help that the Villa Mare de Sicilian was quite damp. Pepe and Renata were so wonderful we over looked it. You couldn't find better hosts. There was anything they wouldn't do for us. Renata even gave up cough medicine to help our sleepless nights! An important thing to mention to your readers is to be extremely careful of pick pocketing. The second night of our trip we were in Venice. We were on a waterbus, my wallet was stolen right from my purse. They got all my credit cards, money, euro... They are like magicians. So, advise your readers to be extra, extra careful. All and all we had a wonderful time. My husband told me he will not return to Europe for at least three years. I'm returning to Rome and Naples with one of my dearest friends next September. As for the country Northern Italy was beautiful the people were nice, but we found them to be a little inpatient with Americans. Sicily was incredible! We found the people to be quite different. They were so warm, wonderful and extremely helpful.
Ciao,
Jacqueline
M.
Dear In Italy
We had a fairly extensive trip through Southern Italy, 16 days 2800 miles and over-nighted in 8 cities from Rome to Sicily etc. I booked partially with you for Mare Siciliano 3 day stay, a cooking class with Pepe and his wife Renata and a guide and car in Naples. The stay at Mare was alright. I believe its description is overly enthusiastic and should be played as a Rustico-Agriturismo. The cooking classes were to be given on May 22, changed to may 21 because Renata had to travel to Saudi Arabia for her ceramics. We were at first concerned but I must tell you that Pepe's warmth and enthusiasm saved the day. Renatas mother pinch-hit during our cooking classes with advice from her husband, after which 7 of us dined away a great evening on many dishes we had shopped for in Siracusa, prepped and cooked ourselves. This was a great success. The guide in Naples was perfect (forgot name-sorry). She was perfect for our pace covering markets to churches to important sites, spoke very good English. All in all I would recommend your site. You definitely need more places in Southern Italy. A gem we uncovered was Scilla, beautiful beach town, great restaurants, history etc. Definitely worth a look. Great stop off after getting off or resting up going to Sicily, next town up from Villa San Giovanni where ferries drop you off going back into Italy.
Chow
Lucien D.
Dear In Italy Online,
Our stay in Mare Siciliano was everything we had hoped it would be. When making reservations on-line, one never knows just what type of accommodations they will be getting, especially when the accommodations are in another country. But, I am happy to report that Mare Siciliano was absolutely perfect. My wife and I, and the other two couples traveling with us were completely satisfied with the accommodations. Renata and Pepe were so gracious and helpful. They treated us like family. The rooms were beautiful and enhanced by Renata's pottery skills, just as you said they would be. All the wives immediately wanted some of Renata's pottery and each brought something home. The friendly atmosphere, the short walk to the sea, the friendly animals, all made for a relaxing way for us to wind down after a busy 15 days touring the Italian mainland. And the easy access to Siracusa, Ortiga, Noto, and other small towns made our stay at Mare Siciliano all the more enjoyable. The one drawback to our stay were the directions to Mare Siciliano. We arrived after dark and could not see all the road signs and land marks. The distances between signs and landmarks are not specified and we became quite lost for a short period of time. But that did not detract from our stay. On the contrary, it just gave us one more thing to talk and laugh about. We all had a very good time and I would recommend Mare Siciliano to anyone wishing to stay near Siracusa. My wife wasn't too keen on visiting Italy in general, and Sicily in particular. But after our stay at Mare Siciliano, she said "That was great. I want to come back someday." And I guess, that says it all. Thanks so much for helping us have a wonderful time.
Lou S.
Dear In Italy,
My stay at "Mare Siciliano" was delightful. Renata and Pepe are adorable and so helpful. I stayed in the accessible unit which was a small apartment attached to the main house with a kitchen and patio. It had beautiful fabric hanging outside the patio which was so pretty when the wind blew. The kitchen was equipped with just enough items that I was able to cook up a great dinner for two friends who live in Ortigia. They thought it was amazing to sit out on the patio in such peace. Renata showed me around to the other newer apartments one day before new guests arrived. They are all truly unique and creative with Renata's artistic designs and imagination. Since I do not use a wheelchair, some of those units would also work well and I might try one of those next time. There is a road that leads down to the water which I was able to drive in my little Micra. It is very quiet and beautiful down at that little cove. Since I was traveling alone, I was also very happy to be invited for a wonderful Sicilian dinner with Renata, Pepe and several guests. It was a multilingual, multicultural night with fantastic food and they were very gracious to include me. I was also happy to welcome Leopoldo, the cat, as a visitor to my kitchen from time to time. This farm is just outside Siracusa boundaries and it is an easy drive into Ortigia (about 15 minutes), or off to Noto. All the main roads are easy to access of the SS115. One thing that is important for people to remember is that it is a farm and there may be some insects around so be prepared with some insect spray in your baggage. I rarely go anywhere without some - just in case. I enjoyed a really lovely stay and I would return.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeanne K.
Dear Jessica-
We loved Mare Siciliano and enjoyed our stay there very much. Pepe and Renata are lovely people. The facility is both charming and comfortable.
One small regret we had was that we only allowed a half day for Mt. Etna. I would suggest to visitors to this area to allow a full day and to go where one can take a 'ski-lift' up to the summit to see the crater. We were sorry we didn't. We've seen lots of beautiful Greco-Roman ruins and charming villages and churches all over Europe, Greece and Turkey, but one sees very few volcanoes and it was fascinating!
Sincerely,
Georgette C.
Jessica,
Thank you so much for all your help in making our trip to Sicily memorable. The locations were fabulous. We thoroughly enjoyed both Baglio di Piazza Armerina and the Mare, each made us feel at home and went out of their way to ensure our comfort and providing any assistance we may have needed.
We did have some trouble with the directions due to some construction on the SS115. However a phone call to Renata solved our dilemma and we found our place within short order. Here too, both Renata and Peppe did everything we could ask to make our stay enjoyable. The apartments are spacious, clean and comfortable. The baths were large; by anyone's standards and plenty of hot water. The only drawback to this location was the "flies",
our apartment was on the outside and while we had a profusion of flowers we also had flies. If this is a concern
to folks I'd recommend they request an apartment facing the inner court; no flowers but no flies. Other then
this minor inconvenience this is a great property and one that we'd go back to with no hesitation. We also
found a super Pizzeria right outside the gate no more then 50 yards. Great pizza, huge selection and reasonable
prices.
Thanks again for all your help. This is the second time we've used you folks and we've yet to be disappointed.
Joe & Roberta F.
Dear InItaly....especially Jessica and Kristin.
We are just home a week from Italy and like all your travelers - missing it already! I want to tell you how pleased we were with all the arrangements we made thru your web site.
The Mare Siciliano was adorable! Easy to find, neat and clean, a great dog and wonderful hosts! We found a new treat every morning with our breakfast basket - fresh made ricotta, lemons, marmalades - a joy to open our door and find. And Pepe and Renata are exceptional...I had a medical emergency arise while there and they arranged not only to escort me to a doctor - but one with an english speaking wife! And to top it off Renata even went to the chemist and picked up the things I needed. I can't remember ever feeling more cared for!
At first, like many Americans, we were put off by the limited hot water and not getting fresh towels daily - but within 2 days we were so at home! The beach area is small but nice for a quiet hour or two - the terraces with each apartment charming - the nicest touch was a tablecloth provided for the outside tables - antique linen and breakfast - what could be a nicer way to start the day!
In Ortygia we found a GREAT restaurant right on the marina - Luna Rossa, Lungomare Alfeo 13, Siracusa - just follow the water towards the sea from the Piazza San Rocco. The penne bolognese was incredible - the service good and the host a joy - after a chat he even arranged for us to get a tour of an olive oil press in the country!
All in all - our trip exceeded all our expectations - and working thru your site was great. Every arrangement was flawless!!! We will use you over and over again. We're already planning to go for a month next October - starting in Umbria - and cruising the site for places to stay.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Michelle and Roger Y.
Dear In Italy,
Thank you for your welcome home greeting. Very nice! We really enjoyed our stay at Mare Siciliano. The description of their 'Agro tourism' accommodations was pretty accurate. Including pictures of their rooms is a great enducement: we enjoyed the 'secret' our room had in the floor. We also loved knowing about their pets, we took them little treats. Pepe and Renalda are quite charming and very down to earth people. They were very helpful, giving us tips of what was interesting and available in their area. Satellite TV was not available, most units didn't seem to even have a TV. Pepe loaned us his, what a guy! Our experience was one we will pass on to others. InItaly was the way to go for us.
Thank you,
Nancy D.
Dear Jessica,
Thank you for your message. We had a great time at Mare Siciliano. Pepe and Renato were brilliant. We particularly enjoyed the evening they hosted at the farm - fantastic food. Pepe recommended a restaurant to us in Ortygia which is worth mentioning to future guests. It was called Osteria de Mariana - really good food and very romantic.
Thanks again for your help
Abigail H.
Dear Jessica,
Thank you for your note. We had a spectacular time at Mare Siciliano! There were no minuses!! Only pluses!! Renata and Guiseppe truly are meant to be hosts they were absolutely wonderful and were so charming!! Incredibly helpful and sincere!! Thank you again for the assistance.
Dorothy S.
Dear Renata and Guiseppe;
Good Evening! We have returned to Colorado and we wanted to thank you for a lovely time at Terrauzza sul Mare. We will always remember you both and the wonderful time we had in Siracusa. You both are such lovely people. I hope that you would come to Colorado some day! Again thank you and take care. Buona Sera.
Greg, Dorothy and Rebecca S.
Dear Jessica,
Thanks for the note. We enjoyed our time at Mare Siciliano-the location is great and having a rock beach close to the accommodation is good.
The apartment was good-we felt though the towels and the accommodation could have been cleaned daily (when you are there for 3 nights).
Our hosts were very friendly and accommodating-we requested to use a washing machine for example and this was not a challenge. They were also very helpful is providing directions to the local attractions.
Regards,
Alan J.
Dear Jessica,
We LOVED Mare Siciliano! Pepe and Renata were wonderful hosts. Every morning they treated us to a basket of baked goodies (different every day) with homemade preserves. We bought some of Renata's lovely ceramics, at very reasonable prices. The apartments were new and very nice. Ours was the "Surprise Room" (very handicapped accessible) with illuminated floor boxes with different sea treasures in them. We could walk on roads through their farm to the sea nearby, which was very pleasant. Pepe recommended a nearby casual pizza place, called La Fornace, which we went to twice...delicious!
We really enjoyed Ortigia, the old city part of Siracusa, lunching at the Trattoria Archemede...very good. The archeological park in Siracusa was spectacular as was the view from the castello of all of the coastline, Siracusa, and Mt Etna. Nearby Noto was a delight, as was our lunch there at Trattoria del Carmine, one of our most memorable meals on the trip, very friendly, very authentic, no tourists.
We would definitely return to Mare Siciliano...we had a very hard time leaving! Thank you!
Kathryn D.
Dear Jessica,
Thanks for your welcome home note & yes we had a wonderful time in Sicily...it has so much of everything there from historical remnants to natural beauty & marvels, & of course the architecture & ceramics are of immense interest. Siracusa was great but unfortunately we had a torrent of rainfall on our day in town just as we were leaving the Archeological Park& the Catacombs late afternoon & decided to forego staying in the city for Good Friday celebrations as we were soaked through .The traffic was banked up for miles on the road to town in the wet, so we gave up on returning....a pity.
We were a little disappointed at not staying in the newer rooms with the lovely ceramic features as that was why we chose the B&B initially. We had not realised that we were in an older part & while it was ok, especially on a nice day, on a wet day it's a bit poky & dark in the narrow kitchen/dining area. Things that could have been improved (as you requested comments) were:
- The linen was flannelette & well used & kept coming off the bed... not quite what we expected from the write-up.
- There was an old saucepan for boiling water, an old frying pan & not much in the way of cooking utensils. We asked for a breadboard & knife, water glasses (the only ones there looked like martini glasses) & some matches for the gas (the lighter didn't work) & they arrived, but nothing to lift eggs or fish& no wooden spoons, or smaller cutting knives. Luckily we had some of our own things. Cutlery likewise was pretty well used & unmatched, from memory. Having seen the new rooms & the furnishings & appliances etc the day we left,we felt there was a huge difference in quality but not in price!!
- The bedside lighting was not really adequate for reading... we removed the shades to increase the light output.
Against this, the position was pleasant & I presume in summer they tidy the beach/rock area as it was littered with plastic, paper& glass waste... not so attractive.
Jessica, I'm telling you these things only because there was such a difference & it would be disappointing for others like us to arrive expecting one thing & getting something else. Although we saw little of the hosts, Pepe was helpful & friendly when we did & we really were only introduced to Renate.
We hope these comments are of some value as they are some of the things that didn't match the description in our view & could easily be remedied.
Kind regards,
Pru & Peter K.
Back to Mare Siciliano