Villa In Peaceful And Tranquil Area With Spectacular Views Of Sea And Mountains
- Villa190 m²
- Sleeps: 6
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 1
- Min Stay: 7 nights
Villa in St. Domenica Talao, Calabria, Italy - An Ideal Location To Relax And Enjoy The Italian Way Of Life
Bedrooms
Owner
Owner
- Languages:
- english
About Owner
When initially searching for 'a place in the sun' during 2007 I looked in all the normal places like Spain, Southern France etc and Fiji but then looked at Calabria, Italy. It didn't take long to realise that this is an area of stunning beauty, dramatic coastline and mountains. Calabria is blessed with what is generally known as the best climate in the Mediterranean. The sea temperature can be as high as 27-29°c and crystal clear azure.
Why Owner chose Orsomarso
You have 360° view of mountains and sea. The nearest neighbours are some 400 metres away. The property is on the edge of the Pollino National Par and there are numerous sites on the web where it's beauty can be viewed. The air is clean and fresh and it doesn't take long to spot the odd Eagle or Honey Buzzard, the two largest birds in the area. The villa is set in approx 1 acre and has been extensively changed and modernised. It was built approx 17 years ago and did not look as it does now as it was flat roofed and incomplete.
What makes this Villa unique
Calabria is a lovely area of Italy in which to spend quality time, the scenery, people and the food. The villa is close to everything that is going on but secluded enough to relax totally.
Amenities
Featured
- Swimming pool
- Internet
- Air Conditioning
- Fireplace
- TV
- Satellite or Cable
- Children Welcome
- Parking
- Heater
Bathrooms
- 1 Bathroom
House Rules
Cancellation Policy
100% refund if canceled at least 60 days before arrival date. 50% refund if canceled at least 30 days before arrival date.
5 Reviews
The Ideal Unwind
We stayed in Mike’s villa in August 2017, the weather was hot and sunny with a cooling evening breeze. The villa has three good sized double bedrooms, two with air con and en-suites and a large family bathroom. The lounge is comfortable and the kitchen has everything you need plus more. The outside space is where this villa really excels. There is a large terrace on the first floor surrounding three sides of the building, you can enjoy the mountain views, gaze down to the sea or enjoy fantastic night skies, thanks to almost none existent light pollution.
The ground floor (actually up half a flight of steps) has a deep covered terrace with a very comfortable outdoor settee and chair set and a dining table and six chairs. In front of the villa is a large patio area with a further table and six chairs and built in gas BBQ where we had several simple but tasty BBQ meals. You then step down to the large pool with roman steps and further seats and sun loungers. The one acre plot is mainly left to nature and has many colourful lizards and trees giving shade and parking.
Although not fans of Scalea which we thought a bit busy (we were there during the main Italian summer bank holiday and vacation fortnight) we found numerous pizzeria type restaurants in easy reach of the villa all of which were incredibly well priced. Bella vista in Santa Dominica became a favourite, booking is recommended and get there early so you can get a terrace edge table to enjoy the views across the valley. There is a local supermarket for your basics – their ham and mozzarella was very tasty and larger supermarkets in Scalea for bigger shops, we preferred the Connad. We would recommend a stroll around Orso Marso and a coffee in the Maratea marina.
Mike is very pleasant and friendly, he was very helpful and quick to answer any questions, he recommended local restaurants and showed us the local supermarkets on arrival.
Thank you Stuart for your review it was so nice to hear from you again.
Mike
Spacious and peaceful rural property with lovely views of hills and coast
Mike the owner was helpful and friendly . On arrival we found the villa clean and tidy , with a well equipped kitchen and spacious bedrooms and bathrooms. We enjoyed eating all our meals on the comfortable terrace. The pool is a good size and Mike visited several times, on arrangement to clean it during our stay. We very much enjoyed our stay at the villa which gave us an opportunity to explore local towns and villages including Sapria, Diamanté and Praia a Mare and experience life in rustic Southern Italy.
Excellent place to relax
Great villa, exactly as in the pictures. Great views, lots of personal space, larger than average pool for a villa.
You are made to feel welcome, by Mike, and that makes a difference.
Well equipped kitchen.
We went in August, so hot of course, but being up the hill a bit makes the difference for cooler nights, which was welcome.
You get the ideal mix of your own space/quiet, near a busy seaside town (Scalea) and near lots of interesting , not very touristy, villages.
Great holiday.
Beautiful villa, huge pool
We are a family with 3 children aged 11-15. The villa was beautiful, quiet and peaceful. It was clean and tidy. The kitchen is very well equiped, including a dishwasher and English sockets!! We made a lot of use of the gas bbq which saved on the washing up. The pool is massive and there are plenty of seating areas for everyone, in the shade or out. Mike was very friendly and helpful and had left a few staple groceries including wine for us.
Map
Special interest holidays:
You can find all of the following activities within a 6 mile radius; addresses & tel. nos. are included in the information folder at the villa:
White water rafting. Karting. Pony trekking. Hiking trails in the national park.
Coast/Beach:
The coast/beach has many activities during the summer period-June to Sept, ranging from pedalo hire to night time discos also during this period there are many weekend events including jet ski shows, MotorX and quad bike competitions – all on the beaches and the never to be missed - Scalea Beauty Contest.
The are many snorkling areas and scuba diving is available in nearby Praia a Mare and Italy's largest water park is also there.
The beach is 7km away and Scalea Beaches some 10km.
Travel:
From April through to Oct Flights are available from the UK via Ryanair to Lamezia Terme some 90 mins drive. The next nearest Airport is Naples - all year, serviced by BA, Easyjet, Jet2 and Ryanair, this is some 150 mins drive and some 270 mins away is Rome serviced by numerous UK and European Airlines.
A car is essential and all of the airports mentioned have a good choice of Car Hire companies.
Scalea/St Domenica Talao has frequent trains to Rome, Naples & Lamezia and rail travel is inexpensive.
Further Details:
A convenient local supermarket is 5km towards the sea and you should be able to buy most daily needs there, it also has a deli counter which is well worth investigating.
The largest supermarkets are in Scalea, about 4 on the last count. Numerous shops selling clothes, shoes etc some really quite upmarket.
There are a number of banks in Scalea, most of which have 'hole in the walls'. No UK banks only Italian.
The old town of Scalea - Centro Storico - if you feel up to it, a trip up the winding steps past restaurants and Piazza's is well worth the effort. As is exploring the narrow passages and steps of St.Domenica Talao. In fact any town or village will have these historic areas.
The nearest local restaurants are in St. Domenica Talao approx 3km away. The villa information folder will have more details.
There are many Norman Castle ruins all along the coast, the nearest approx 10mls south.
Maratea – is a definite must, consisting of several villages dotted around the mountains, a marina and the Statua del Redentore (Christ Statue) the second largest, largest being Rio.
Cetraro, some half to three quarter hours drive south on the SS18 will bring you to the nearest port, here you can catch sight-seeing boats that will take you to Stromboli, a Volcano at sea that has a 2,000 year recorded history of eruptions and you may be lucky to see one, but don't worry they are not violent ones!
Other towns south on the SS18 worth a look are Diamante and Belvedere.
For shopaholics, Cosenza is a must and if you don't fancy driving, a coach leaves regularly from outside the Hotel Santa Caterina on Corso Mediterraneo(SS18-going south). The fare is very cheap and it drops you off right by the shopping complex. You can park in Scalea in the 'white' bays free.