Special offer

15% discount on all remaining available weeks in July and September 2025

Price	Starting from € 4500 per week (more information)	Price on request.
Sleeps	8
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
Accessibility	Island life on Pantelleria is not particularly well suited to less mobile guests
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Villa Grande

A luxuriously simple and traditional property, surrounded by citrus trees and rose bushes, with a film-famous pool and picture-perfect sea views

Villa Grande is the principal property of a large and beautiful estate scattered across the rolling hills of the Pantelleria National Park on the southwest coast of one of Italy’s loveliest islands.

Brought back to life by the Italian owner and a local architect, Villa Grande has soft-domed roofs and a plaster façade and comprises two ancient dammusi – vernacular structures that date from the 1700s with thick, lava-stone walls and domed roofs to keep out the heat.

One of the principal pleasures of the house is its sense of quiet privacy. Its proximity to North Africa means there are Arab architectural influences, including alcoves, archways and small, high-up windows that let in air but not the heat.

The owner has been careful to tread lightly, restoring and renovating using local materials and building techniques. The interior remains true to its simple roots, with whitewashed walls and a careful edit of antique furniture, such as the marble-topped kitchen table, dark-wood armoires and cast-iron beds, as well as a few more modern pieces.

Majolica tiles from the south of Italy line the floors and the kitchen countertops, while hanging squid-shaped blown-glass light sculptures from Murano form beautiful artworks in the living space. The rooms have a humble charm which translates as quiet luxury, encouraging guests to enjoy the majesty, remoteness and peacefulness of their surroundings.

Outside, the sea exerts a seemingly magnetic pull, being visible from almost every angle. The gardens, with their citrus, olive and palm trees, hibiscus and rose bushes, add cultivated magic to the island’s natural sun-bleached beauty. Stroll a little further and you will find yourself in a walled Moorish garden of lemon trees and date palms that was laid out in the 19th century and retains its original irrigation system.

Next to the house there are plenty of places to sit or lounge, to enjoy long lunches and to relax and reset. And while Pantelleria differs from Italy’s other islands in that it isn’t a place to see and be seen but rather an under-the-radar escape, guests might recognise the unusual, antique-majolica-tiled pool immortalised in Luca Guadagnino’s 2015 film A Bigger Splash, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton.

Venture beyond the beauty of the estate and the rewards of this volcanic island are plentiful: clear warm sea, hot springs, natural saunas and thermal spas, plus simple restaurants serving stellar food and delicious local wine, all without the usual crowds.

Rooms description

Bedrooms

The four double bedrooms are furnished with antiques, including ornate cast iron beds made up with fine hemp linen. Simple whitewashed walls add to the cool, luxe simplicity.
There are two bedrooms that each have their own ante room, shower room and a private terrace – one faces the pool and the other the Moorish garden. There’s a pretty, double bedroom with its own shower room, and a smaller alcove-style twin room also with its own shower room.

Bathrooms

The shower rooms are individually decorated and include antique Sicilian tiles and carefully sourced antique mirrors and furniture. The Moorish influence can be seen in the arches and niches, the small, high-up windows and the softly coloured tadelakt walls.

Kitchen

The well-equipped kitchen and pantry form the central point of the house and surrounding terraces and feature a vaulted whitewashed ceiling and open shelving. The subtle attention to detail is fabulous – there’s a 12-person set of personalised family porcelain and beautiful antique majolica tiles form a chequered splashback, while the antique marble-topped table seats eight. The separate, barrel-ceilinged dining room has a wooden table large enough to seat 12, a flagstone floor and a door to the terrace. The exquisite,hand-blown glass pendant lights in the shape of squid that hang from the ceiling are by Maria Grazia Rosin.

Living rooms

The living space includes a large sitting room with comfortable sofas and an alcove that’s designed as a TV or reading corner with wifi and satellite TV. There’s a little antique writing desk, a mix of vintage and modern furniture and beautiful flagstone or decorative majolica tiles on the floor. There’s even a piano. Light and airy, these are perfect places to hide from the heat of the sun.

Facilities

Cleaning

The house provides fine hemp linen for the bed, bathrobes and set of towels for the bathroom, the kitchen and the pool. In the rental price is included daily housekeeping of bedrooms and bathrooms. Bed and bathroom linen will be changed twice a week. Extra housekeeping service is available on request at EUR 15 per hour.

Amenities

private pool, hob/stove, oven, fridge, fridge with freezer, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, iron+board, television, wifi, central heating, room fans, cot, high chair

Accessibility

Island life on Pantelleria is not particularly well suited to less mobile guests

Outside

Villa Grande is strategically positioned to enjoy sea views from almost every angle. As the main house on a private estate within the newly established national park, the property is surrounded by lush gardens and orchards. A dining terrace with a table that seats 12 (and can extend to accommodate 22) is shaded by a vine and has exquisite sea views. Guests can also relax on loungers, rattan chairs or an outdoor sofa, or on the sun terrace next to the 12mx6m pool and hibiscus garden. This unique pool is lined with antique majolica tiles and is notable for its joyous yellow squiggly pattern! Guests can wander through the grounds of the estate, discovering different gardens and orchards. A Moorish walled garden protects lemon trees and date palms from the island’s strong winds, while the dry-stone walls that protect the vineyards and olive groves have been carefully restored. The winds are so strong that the vines are grown flush with the ground to help protect them. Figs, peaches, pomegranates and medlars fill the orchards and native Mediterranean planting offers up rosemary, strawberry trees, capers, myrtle and holm oaks. There’s even a garden of succulents. The care and attention that has gone into the grounds of the estate is evident and reflects the quiet luxury found inside the house.

Notes

We rarely feel the need to say if members of our team have been on holiday in a certain property. However, this house is particularly special and over a two-week stay we fell head-over-heels in love with the property, the estate and the island itself. Villa Grande can be rented with Villa Cappero which accommodates a further four guests.

Availability & Pricing

Rates

Special offer

15% discount on all remaining available weeks in July and September 2025

weekly prices

from 1 January 2025 to 12 April 2025	€ 4500
from 12 April 2025 to 7 June 2025	€ 7100
from 7 June 2025 to 28 June 2025	€ 8700
from 28 June 2025 to 30 August 2025	€ 9900
from 30 August 2025 to 20 September 2025	€ 8700
from 20 September 2025 to 18 October 2025	€ 7100
from 18 October 2025 to 31 December 2025	€ 4500

Water, gas, electricity and final cleaning: EUR 300
Deposit: 30% upon booking, balance 30 working days before arrival.

Tourist tax: 1 to 3 Euro per day, per adult for the first 7 days. Children under 14 are not subject to this tax. To be paid in cash up on arrival.

CIN: IT081014B5W7HQHEBS

Sustainability

For every booking we make on this property, we will plant a tree through our charitable partner, Trees for All.

Arrival & Departure

Saturdays (depending on other bookings) arrival as of 4 PM and departure latest 10 AM. Other arrival and departure days on request.

Leisure & Activities

Activities

Much of the beauty of Pantelleria is its down-to-earth soulfulness. The island itself is an extra-terrestrial landscape of black volcanic rock which has its own unique beauty, matched by that of the sea that surrounds it. The only sandy beach is inland at the Lago di Venere, which is a natural-spa-experience must, but don’t dismiss the rocky shoreline with its great slabs of basalt. Join a dive instructor and discover the striking marine life or just stay on top of the water and enjoy its incredible clarity with a snorkel and mask.

You can rent a boat with or without a skipper in Scauri (5km) or Pantelleria Centro (19km) where you can join a boat tour round the island, stopping in stunning coves for a swim and enjoying a delicious lunch onboard. The most spectacular stretch of coast runs from Scauri to the Arco dell’Elefante where the house is.

The facilities that normally populate Italy’s coastline, such as loungers, umbrellas and bars, are notable for their absence on Pantelleria. This is an active choice by the Panteschi who are keen to preserve the island’s landscape and shoreline and to prevent mass tourism. The upshot is that the guests who do venture here are rewarded with incredible unspoilt scenery that they are able to enjoy without interruption which, in itself, is a rare form of luxury.

Restaurants and bars tend to be small, local and good, while the fresh produce and island vineyards keep guests happily wined and dined. Tours and cooking classes are available and let us know if you would like to have a chef on hand to cook for you. The estate sometimes offers retreats, such as yoga and creative writing.

Specials

We would be delighted to help you plan the details of your stay at Villa Grande in advance. The following are available on request: private chef, regional cooking classes, driver, boat rental or boat tours, massage therapist, yoga instructor and tourist guide.

Surroundings

Location

Click for detailed map

Surroundings

Villa Grande lies in the southwest corner of Pantelleria on a private estate within the island’s newly established national park. Easily accessed at three points along the coast road, the nearest village is Rekhale, just 2km away, while Scauri, a small harbour, is 5km away. The island is small – it takes 30 minutes to drive top to bottom by moped - and as such is easy to explore. The airport is just 17km away and once there, you can hire a small vehicle (a Cinquecento or dune buggy) or moped, or we can arrange for a driver. Pantelleria has a unique beauty that seems to draw guests back time and again. A volcanic island, the landscape is otherworldly and in places steam seeps from cracks in the earth making natural saunas and fumaroles, while hot springs dot the ocean floor. Head to the Lago di Venere or Specchio di Venere (Mirror of Venus Lake) which is the island’s free, natural, open-air spa. A thermal spring lake, the water is warm not hot, sulphurous but not smelly and the thermal mud is said to have healing properties. The Laghetto delle Ondine (Little Lake of Little Waves) has rockpools to swim in, while the Balata dei Turchi is a dark-green-and-blue-striped rockface at the southern tip of the island with rocks to lie on and swim off. Or try La Nika which has a similar vibe with its underwater thermal springs bubbling up out of the sea. Don’t expect sandy beaches. The island is a geographer or vulcanologist’s dream, the dark volcanic rock having literally burst out of the ocean. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s closer to Tunisia’s East coast than it is to Sicily and, as a result, there are Arabic influences everywhere, including in both the architecture and the food.

Travel

We strongly advise our guests to arrive by air. The island has a small airport [PNL](link to Pantelleria airport) that is well served by an increasing number of flights from numerous Italian cities, including but not exclusive to Rome, Venice, Naples, Palermo, Perugia and Pisa, as well as Ibiza and Malta. For guests coming from Northern Europe, it’s an easy hop and offers the perfect opportunity to add a relaxing week on Pantelleria to a holiday elsewhere in Italy, such as Umbria or Sicily!

Pantelleria is exposed and can therefore be very windy. This means that ferries are often subject to cancellations and delays. If this happens, we are unable to reimburse you or postpone your stay. For this reason, we always recommend flying.

It’s important to note too that there are no taxis at the airport. Visitors get around the island in small rental vehicles – generally Cinquecentos and dune buggies - or by moped or e-bike. We can, of course, arrange a driver. Please remember to book your transport as soon as you book your holiday. Do get in touch if you would like help with your travel logistics.

Distances

Rekhale (2km); Scauri (5km); airport (17km); main village – Pantelleria Centro (22km).

Your villa and Covid-19

To prevent any possible spread of Covid-19 and to enable you to enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday, all our villas are cleaned to the highest standard possible, and according to the latest Italian health and safety regulations.

Perfect hygiene: to ensure an exceptional level of hygiene in all our villas, we’ve worked with our owners to create a Covid-19 villa management protocol. Based on recommendations from the World Health Organisation, and in compliance with current Italian national law, this protocol goes above and beyond our usual rigorous cleaning standards.

Prior to arrival, your villa will have been fully sanitised, including all surfaces, objects, kitchen items, curtains, sofas, throws, pillows, toys, and in and around the pool. You are welcome to ask for a detailed list of the entire cleaning procedure we do after each departure and before welcoming new guests to the property.

The owner of this house has complied with the following standards:

To ensure the necessary information concerning social distancing and the use of masks is available to all guests
To guarantee availability of and accessibility to hand hygiene systems with hydro-alcoholic solutions and soaps in all inside areas of, and pertaining to, the villa
To guarantee cleaning and disinfection of all areas according to national authority guidelines. Further information is available on request
For the swimming pool: to guarantee the efficacy of the water treatments, while respecting legal limits (the parameter for free active chlorine in the pool is between 1.0 – 1.5 mg/l; combined chlorine ≤ 0.40 mg/l; pH 6.5 – 7.5 or equivalent oxygen)
For air conditioning systems: to guarantee the air re-circulation function is switched off and, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, with the plant in off-mode, to clean the air filters of the heating/cooling plants that use heat pumps, fan coils and convectors, at the end of each stay