Dietro al Muro - Quatre Chambres Villa, Couchages 10

A sleek, contemporary design villa with pool and unique views over Noto and the sea.

Dietro al Muro is an architect-designed villa where clean lines, immaculate interiors and contemporary stylings blend harmoniously with hints of local traditions. Views abound from every angle, so whether you're dining al fresco, floating in the pool or soaking up the sun, the curvaceous dome of Noto's cathedral and the sea are omnipresent.

Inside: accommodation at Dietro al Muro is all on one floor, which is divided into two wings. Pristine white walls and cool grey polished concrete floors run throughout, creating a sleek, pared back minimalist ambience that defines the property.

The main entrance takes one into a glass corridor. Heading right one soon comes to the large, open-plan living and dining area and kitchen, which is organised in the shape of a T. To one end of the T's horizontal line is a large dining table looking out over the pool area. To the other is the superb contemporary kitchen, featuring white cabinets, black work tops, a central island with breakfast bar and top quality appliances. A large sliding glass door leads to the al fresco dining area. The base of the T is given over to the living space, furnished with grey sofas in front of a fireplace and TV, a designer chair and a desk. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring in the views and provide access to the outdoor living area and pool.

Heading back along the corridor, past the main entrance, one comes to a second, smaller living area, with a couple of sofas and a second fireplace. The second wing is given over to the sleeping quarters, comprising four bedrooms.

• the main bedroom has an en-suite bathroom with tub and shower and access to a private terrace with outdoor shower. A series of metal shutters close this terrace off for privacy or open up to reveal views of the surrounding countryside.
• a double bedroom with an interconnecting door through to a quadruple bedroom with two bunk beds - perfect for any children in your party. These rooms share a shower room and both have their own access via French windows to the surrounding terraces.
• the fourth bedroom is a double with en-suite shower room and views of and access to the pool area.

The fittings and fixtures of the bathrooms are of an extremely high quality and add to the sense of luxury that pervades the property.

Outside: al fresco activity at Dietro al Muro revolves around the large terrace that runs along the front of the house. In pride of place sits the delightful pool, whose cobalt waters and views over Noto make it irresistible.

To one end of the terrace is a shaded al fresco dining area, while in the centre, is a sitting area with an L-shaped sofa covered by the extended roof of the house.

Then, to one end of the house, and conveniently accessed from the kitchen, is a second, secluded dining area looking straight out over Noto. Here there is a built-in barbecue, an area of work surface and a sink, making outdoor cooking an attractive proposition.

The terrace, which continues all around the house, gives way to the fertile earth of the Val di Noto, where olive trees, Mediterranean maquis and fragrant herbs thrive and scent the air.

Please note that there is no real shallow end in the pool, whose minimum depth is 1.3m around the sides and 1.6 in the middle.

The final section of the access road to Dietro al Muro is a little rough, so we recommend guests hire a 4x4 or one with excellent ground clearance.
Dietro al Muro is set in the rolling hills above the fascinating baroque town of Noto and the beautiful natural reserve of Vendicari.

Noto is the most easterly of a chain of baroque towns now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also perhaps the most perfect of the baroque towns, which were all rebuilt in flamboyant style following a major earthquake in 1693.

Vendicari Nature Reserve boasts some of the finest sandy beaches in Sicily, some of which are pleasingly underpopulated even in the height of summer. Vendicari is also home to thousands of migrating birds, including flamingos, and sea turtles nest on its beaches.

If hiking in the hills is your thing, then there is some spectacular scenery in the rushing streams and waterfalls of Cassibile and at the Paleolithic burial sites in the dramatic valley of Pantalica.

Syracuse is just half an hour's drive away, and a day there is highly recommended to anybody spending a week or two at Dietro al Muro. A little further afield, the other baroque towns of Modica, Ragusa and Scicli are easily reachable in a day.

Arrival details will be confirmed by The Thinking Traveller after your villa is confirmed.

The Thinking Traveller can organise transfers and car hire and an agent will be in touch with you once your villa is confirmed.