Guest User
January 31, 2023
Before a very informative tour of Casa Cuseni that our hosts regularly conduct, even before we saw the Henry Faulkner room that was reserved for us, word was spoken of a secret room that had not been opened in almost 100 years. As well, we were told by Maria that the name of the artist responsible for several paintings on the walls in our room would be revealed to us later, but no, not now! It is a real-life love story to be discovered there. And so, that was just the beginning of our 3 night stay in what is officially “the art museum of the city of Taormina”. Within this truly historic structure and enchanting garden environ, there are 5 or 6 lovely and spacious rooms for let, most of which have balconies that overlook the city, the sea and, oh, I almost forgot, the ever-smoking Mt Etna. The proprietors and all of the staff were so kind and considerate. It was by chance really, and with such joy and pride, that I was shown a video snippet of Andrea Bocelli, sitting at the piano in the library living room, rehearsing for his annual concert in the ancient Greek theatre down many steps in the heart of the city. He does have a pretty good voice…. If you do decide to book a stay at this most enchanting place, un museo in truth, read “A House in Sicily” written by Daphne Phelps, the niece of the original architect and owner, Robert Kitson, before you arrive. In it, she tells the fascinating story about her many years lived there and the many famous guests who came and who went, leaving parts of themselves behind. When I learned that Roald Dahl penned “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” while staying there, it became an obvious choice!