Villa Gaja, located a few kilometres from Cefalù, is a stylish modern villa with a large garden and access to a wonderful private beach.

Set just 200 metres from the water’s edge, the villa nestles amidst the lush Mediterranean vegetation, with the green foothills of the Madonie Mountains rising up to form the perfect backdrop. The surrounding garden with olive trees creates an atmosphere of pure well-being. The spacious veranda offers a wonderful place to rest, dine and share moments with those you love most.

Down at the beach, you will find sun loungers and parasols waiting for you to while away long sunny days paddling, swimming and relaxing with the soft soundtrack of the gentle waves.

The main entrance to Villa Gaja is through a door in the wide veranda that flanks the building. Inside you will find everything furnished in a tasteful contemporary style, with clean lines and a balance of practicality and comfort.

A spacious, bright and airy living area offers a deep sofa, widescreen TV and a dining table with six chairs. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you could need to cater for a large group, including microwave, toaster and oven.

Two of the bedrooms are on the ground floor, with the third upstairs. All have double beds. There are three bathrooms, one on each floor, all equipped with roomy modern showers.

Completing the picture is a small terrace on the upper level, and a wonderfully inviting lounge in the cool basement. Here you’ll find an open fireplace and another TV, and there is even an extra dining table if you prefer to have food down here in the heat of high summer.

All rooms are air-conditioned for air conditioning and heating, making Villa Gaja the ideal location to escape the world and explore nearby Cefalù at any time of the year.

Cefalù – The most beautiful beach in Sicily

The beach of Cefalù is known throughout the world, and not only for its two kilometres of fine golden sand. From the island’s indigenous people who settled here almost three thousand years ago, to the Greeks who gave it its classical name, the Carthaginians and Romans who arrived later, and the Normans who settled in the eleventh century, this sunny promontory in the shade of a distinctive rocky outcrop has been treasured by all who set eyes on it. This is truly a town to love at first sight.

Much of the Cefalù we see today is a direct remainder of that mediaeval town, including the spectacular Arab-Norman cathedral, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. These days recognised for its star turn as a backdrop to films like Cinema Paradiso, Indiana Jones and the HBO TV series White Lotus, the town manages to be both a deeply traditional fishing community and a tourist magnet whose doors are open to the world.

Flanked on one side by the blue Tyrrhenian Sea, Cefalù is also the gateway to the Madonie Natural Park. The fertile hills and mountainous peaks of the second largest nature reserve in Sicily rise up like a green carpet from the yellow sands of this timeless paradise. With picturesque highways and footpaths to explore for every day of the year, the stunning range is also dotted with historic villages and fascinating fortified towns.

The pristine water is comfortable for bathing well into the winter months, and the Madonie even offers opportunities to ski and snowboard on its highest slopes. Cefalù is both a beach resort and an adventure holiday rolled into one.

Learn Italian in Sicily at Solemar Academy Cefalù

If you want to know your Dolce Vita from your Dante, get to know the local cuisine in its own language or just impress the locals when you order your morning cappuccino, Cefalù offers the perfect place to learn Italian on holiday. Solemar Academy – regarded as the top language school in Sicily – offers personalised courses and an exciting programme of social and cultural activities.

While the summer is obviously fabulous in this sunny corner of the Mediterranean, if you plan to take a longer language course we find it is actually best to come in winter. You’ll find prices a fraction of what they would be in July or August, the life of the town much more quintessentially Sicilian away from the tourist crowds, and long sunny autumns that blend almost directly into spring.