THE FACTS ABOUT VILLA ARMERINA

Italy Sicily

An early-17th-century hunting lodge on the outskirts of Piazza Armerina, this is an honest, four-square country house with enormous rooms, serious mouldings and plasterwork, polished Sicilian floor tiles and a smattering of antiques. Downstairs are a salon and dining room on either side of a central staircase, with a small single bedroom to the back; upstairs is another massive salon with a master bedroom on one side and two further bedrooms on the other. The French doors and tall windows let in masses of light and the thick walls and cross breezes keep the recently redecorated, airy rooms cool. There's a peaceful lawned area with bucolic views in front and a new swimming pool at the back. SLEEPS Eight BEST FOR Staying put, with a couple of excursions (such as to the Roman mosaics at Villa Romana) WHY The caretaker and his English-speaking wife live in an adjacent building and will cook and shop for you WHY NOT The single bedroom is very small COST 2,940-4,190 euros per week CONTACT thinkSicily (020 7377 8518; www.thinksicily.com)