Of all the places I’ve stayed in Sicily, the area around the foothills of Etna is my favourite. Whether in a hotel or villa, there’s something magical about watching the sunset over the sea as the twinkling lights of Taormina appear on one side and watching Etna smoke (and if you’re lucky, erupt a little bit) on the other. The L-House, which is part of the growing Monticello estate, offers both of these views up in abundance and is perhaps the best villa in Sicily for them. It’s set on a hillside position outside the town of Piedimonte Etneo, amongst the owners’ enviable olive, citrus and almond groves. We stepped out the house of a morning, plucked oranges from the tree with our toddler and took them back into the huge open-plan kitchen, living and dining room to juice them and have with our breakfast.

The L-House was designed by architect Ben Masterton-Smith of Transit Studio and it’s been done brilliantly. The L refers to its shape, with the long part housing the master suite – complete with double height ceilings and a mezzanine level – and living space, while the shorter end has the other two bedrooms, bathrooms and utility room. The interiors are light and cool, precisely what you need to counter the lava stone outside and the strength of the Sicilian sun. It’s incredibly well equipped with everything we needed for a toddler, as well as every piece of cooking equipment we could have possibly wanted and a very well stocked pantry, which made cooking there even more enjoyable.

The outside space is hard to beat, with an infinity pool overlooking the valley that slopes down to the sea, shaded dining area, barbecue and endless grounds to explore. There’s even a playground on the estate, as well as a rose garden and a church, currently being renovated. As for its position, the town is a five minute drive and has lots of shops for groceries, while Taormina is close enough, as are the lovely towns of Linguaglossa and Randozza. From Linguaglossa, you can drive 30 minutes or so up Etna to get an up close and personal experience, and from there embark on guided tours to one of its craters.

For anything we needed at any point, the housekeeper Maria was always contactable and there in a flash to sort it. One note, as with the rest of Sicily, there are lots of sweet little cats running around the estate and one has taken a shine to the house and wandered in and out during our visit. All well and good, but, if you’re an allergy sufferer like me, you may want to pack antihistamines and keep the door closed to stop the cat popping in of an afternoon.

Sleeps: 6
Bedrooms: 3
Rates: from £5800-7850 per week