Talk About a Change of Scenery....

From hectic, vibrant, over-the top Palermo to rural, agricultural Naro in southern Sicily in two and a half hours.  What a change!  When we arrived at Agriturismo Baglio San Nicola on Sunday afternoon, we were greeted by Marta, who looked after us during our entire stay.  She could not have been more friendly and helpful.  The property has eight regular rooms and one suite, which we were given... maybe this "anniversary season" thing is working!  The "Baglio" is a typical Sicilian structure that is built in a "U" shape, with a main gate at the front.  The various rooms housed not only the family, but also farm produce, animals, etc.  Many have been transformed into guest quarters and wineries.


The gate to the courtyard...


Guest rooms on both sides of the courtyard...


The Baglio San Nicola is a working farm that produces olive oil, oranges, pomegranates and other fruits, jams and juices, etc.  They have horses and a beautiful pool, which of course was not open, the price you pay for traveling during your anniversary season...

The beautifully landscaped pool area.. 

    

Wild flowers among fig trees....

View from the horse barn back to the Baglio...

We had a two room suite with a beautiful beamed ceiling...

The entrance to our suite, and our terrce...



Since the nearest town of Naro was a good twenty minute drive away, we decided to eat dinners at the Baglio, and what a good decision that was!  The chef Giuseppe prepared outstanding meals for us all three nights we were there.....

This is one appetizer plate...!

Paccheri pasta with artichoke, cherry tomatoes, burrata cream sauce, the farm's olive oil.... yum!

Two amazing desserts...


An excellent local Nero d'Avola wine from Campobello five miles away...
Andrei served us breakfast every morning, and he was such a nice person, willing to offer anything to make our stay more pleasant.  In fact one morning he suggested that we see the Turkish Steps outside of Agrigento.  We took him up on that advice and it turned out to be a very interesting adventure... more about the Turkish Steps in a later post.

Baglio San Nicola was a great place to stay for three nights.  We appreciated the sensitive approach to the restoration of the structure.  But the highlight of the stay for us was the people... Marta, Giuseppe, Andrei, and the owner Santo.  They welcomed us, made us feel at home, and warmed our hearts.

Touch any photo to enlarge....

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