Ancient Farmhouse Near Etna

Christie's International Real Estate is pleased to offer for sale this historic rural property located in the province of Catania, in one of the most touristic and scenic areas dominated by the famous volcano.
Santa Venerina, is nestled on a gentle slope at the foot of Mount Etna and takes its name from the Saint to whom the mother church is dedicated. Famous for the "Enoetna" Market Exhibition, an event dedicated to the volcano's wine, its food and wine excellences and crafts, the village attracts numerous visitors every year.
The property, which consists of three adjacent buildings, opens its gates onto a large area of approximately 6,000 m2, mostly terraced, which slopes gently towards the sea.
This ancient farmhouse from the 1800s silently tells the story of country life in the past, when the day began with the cockcrow and ended at sunset. The five barrels placed on the left side of the entrance are the emblem of the winemaking activity that once animated this place.
The farmhouses, identified as buildings A, B and C, occupy a total surface area of approximately 550 m2 and are composed as follows:
- Building A: two housing solutions, each with a bedroom, living room with kitchenette, bathroom and anteroom;
- Body B: three rooms used as a wine press, where an imposing press, the pride of this residence, dominates the rooms recently used for catering activities.
- Building C: a warehouse and an apartment with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two anterooms and a kitchen.
All apartments are thermo-heated and air-conditioned and have an independent entrance. The ceilings, with wooden beams, and the terracotta floors give a rustic and welcoming character.
In the garden, characterized by bushes and shrubs, you can breathe in the scented air of jasmine, citrus fruits and Mediterranean essences. From here you can enjoy a splendid view of the sea and Mount Etna. In the colder months, the volcano, wrapped in a blanket of snow, makes the landscape even more suggestive and fairytale-like. The exterior also leaves room for large green areas embellished with olive trees, cycas and palm trees, while the wooden pergolas covered with climbing plants, during the summer welcome tables and sun loungers.
The ancient well with the washhouse is a corner that enchants with its timeless charm. Enclosed in a quadrangular area with brick seats, it evokes the history of the women who once lived in the house and gathered to wash clothes by hand, thus becoming the center of their social life. Poets and writers of modern literature have been inspired by the activity of the washerwomen. Giovanni Pascoli's poem Lavandare (1891) is famous: "And tinged by the stream comes the splashing of the washerwomen with heavy thumps and long chants".
The structure is ideal both as a private residence and for forms of tourist accommodation typical of the place, closely linked to local traditions and agricultural practices.
It is twenty minutes from Taormina and thirty from Catania's "Fontanarossa" airport.