Villa Guarnaschelli

Villa Don Mimì Guarnaschelli. The noble, luxurious Villa Guarnaschelli is located in the heart of Taormina, in the middle of a large old park, steps descending to the sea. The villa, originally called “Villa la Guardiola”, was visited by the most prominent Italian and British families. The villa is located in the very center of Taormina, a stone’s throw from the historic center and the funiculars. It is about 300 meters to the sea and to the Isola Bella beach.

The privileged location of the villa guarantees unique noise isolation from the tourist flow of Taormina. In the early 1900s, the mansion belonged to a young British noblewoman, a friend of King Edward VII of England. The king stopped at the villa several times, always in the same master bedroom, where he especially enjoyed the sunrise over the Isola Bella. In the 1940s, the villa was bought by Count Cini’s family from Venice. Count Cini entrusted the renovation of the villa to the great Italian architect Tomass Buzzi. In 1950, during the opening of the Casino of Taormina, the villa was bought by casino owner Don Mimì Guarnascelli.

At this time, the guests of the villa are divas and celebrities of that time – Marlene Dietrich, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Domenic Modugno and Louis Armstrong. For each guest, Don Mimi always reserved the same room so that they would feel at home here. Today, the villa’s bedrooms bear the names of their famous guests.

At the far end of the luxurious garden, the villa has another host structure – a small complex of 4 apartments with its own garden and entrances, also overlooking the Isola Bella, with 4 bedrooms for 8-12 people.

Maximum occupancy of the villa is 12 person in 6 bedrooms. Maximum accommodation villa + apartments  = 20-24 person. Minimum rental of the villa is 4 nights, rental cost is starting from €3,000 per night and from €15,900 per week depending on the season and the length of stay. Rental costs of apartments are starting from € 150 per night. Photos can be sent on request.

The villa provides the possibility of holding private events and weddings on its territory, subject to a minimum lease. The cost of a banquet is from 150 euros per person. Maximum privacy and exclusivity.

Given the situation with covid-19, the villa’s owners may provide private medical services in the villa (from simple tests to tests for Sars-cov-2). Verified staff follows all modern sanitary standards in accordance with Italian law. Services of grocery shopping and meals delivery from restaurants can be provided on request.

Taormina is currently one of the few cities in Italy where even a single case of a new type of coronavirus has not been detected.