17th-century Masseria Lamacoppa, sleeping 11, is a new addition to Think Puglia's villa portfolio. Set in 70 acres of protected forest and olive groves with courtyards with Moroccan lemon trees, the traditional thick stone wall exterior belies the high vaulted ceilings and Italian art adorning the walls within. The original stables have been converted into a candle-lit dining room. Within the lawned garden lies a vast swimming pool and jacuzzi. There is also a Turkish bath, gym and massage table. A private chapel is available for mass on Sunday as is a car to ferry guests around the grounds. 

 Think Sicily is offering big savings. Book a week's break, departing 28 August, and high season prices drop with discounts of up to £426 on a vast selection of villas. Try Il Gabbiano, a three bedroom villa with a dramatic hillside setting and private beach access in Cefalu.

House on a rock - Perched atop a rocky outcrop in Cefalu, a meival town on Sicily's northern coast, Il Gabbiano is a three-bedroom property with 360-degree views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Whether you're kicking back in the living room, with its wood beam, sofas and huge picture window, or on one of the three terraces, you can't escape them. Follow the private path down to two sandy coves, or head to the longer beach in the centre of Cefalu. 

 Belquis House is a gem. As I opened the double gates into a courtyard at the end of a narrow track, my first impression was of cushions – long, flat ones to lie on, squashy ones on benches carved from the smooth walls, and soft ones lying plumped in a white hammock strung between the arches of the terrace... as the sun was starting to slink behind the walls, I realised how perfectly peaceful it was...I could hear nothing... I padded around the house and garden, stopping to sniff the lemon blossom and take in the view of assorted hump-backed islands... Everything was beautiful.

Not far from Capo Passero, the southernmost point of Sicily (and Italy), Casa delle Sirene is right on the beach of Porto Ulisse.The house offers all the necessary ingredients for an "epic" holiday in a little corner of paradise. The interiors, sleeping 4, are welcoming, furnished with style and a relaxing preponderancee of white, which contrast with the green of the garden and the blue of the sea, framed by the many windows...

Puglia is known for its Adriatic beaches, unspoiled villages, and distinctive conical-roofed buildings called trulli. While the area has a way to go on the hotel front, Think Puglia—a new division of Think Sicily, longtime specialists in Sicilian-villa rentals—has just debuted its small but impressive portfolio of luxury properties in the area. The most unusual is this estate (Trullo Cappaiaro) created within a series of trulli...

17 All-Star Villa Agencies - Think Sicily: Best for - Exclusives; regional expertise; special excursions... The group's 80 listings are pure fantasy, and Think Sicily's strict standards ensure every villa is up to snuff... Standout: Don Arcangelo all'Olmo, a 12-bedroom manor in the countryside between the sea and Mount Etna...

Sicilian whirlpools: You could fall in love with Poggio Pigio for the name alone. This villa, near Cefalu, definitely offers more. It’s nicely off the beaten track with a pool and great mountain and sea views. Near the hilltop village of Pollina, it’s a 15-minute drive from beaches and costs from €1,550 (£1,400) to hire for a week this month, €2,640 (£2,400) in summer.

Go between now and April 1, and the luxury-villa company Think Sicily (020 7377 8518, thinksicily.com) has an excellent off-peak, couples-only deal in Cefalu, on the north coast — La Corte, a townhouse tucked away behind the cathedral, with views across red tiled roofs to the Tyrrhenian Sea, costs £990 per week, down from the normal price of £2,080, for stays before Easter.

 Mount Etna: where to watch the fireworks.

Don Arcangelo all’Olmo, Carruba
Restored country house with stunning gardens and vistas. A setting in which one could easily slip into the life of Lampedusa’s aristocratic Leopard . Sleeps 16 or 24...

Badia, near Acrieale and Riposto
Enormous restored 18th-century winery and estate, with super-sized living area and pool in the cellar. Sleeps 10...

Il Palmento dei Castagni, Sant’Alfio
Elevated 500 metres up the volcanic slopes, a restored winery that retains rustic features and is just round the corner from the vineyard owned by Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall. Sleeps 8. 

 Mount Etna: a gastronimc journey around Sicily's ancient mountain of fire...where to watch the fireworks... discovering heavenly villas and vineyards en route.

Later that evening, still on a high from the heli-trip, I shared an aperitivo with Marchesa Marina di San Giuliano, the aristocratic owner of my temporary home on the east coast of the island, the Don Arcangelo all’Olmo estate, near Carruba . L’Olmo, as it is affectionately known, is a restored Sicilian casale brought to life with warm Mexican colours and softened by antique furnishing and acres of oriental kilims. Sitting out in the estate’s scented Mediterranean garden, enjoying wafts of cool air from the pool, I asked Marina whether she felt nervous about living so close to an active volcano...

Villa expert Think Sicily offers a range of Etna-based activities that include helicopter trips over Mount Etna (from €280pp) and the Aeolian Islands (from €450pp, based on five passengers sharing), 4x4 excursions to the higher slopes of Etna, and wine-tasting with a driver (020 7377 8518, www.thinksicily.com).

 Autumn in the Mediterranean... If it's a villa you're after, Think Sicily (020 7377 8518; thinksicily.com) has a wide range, including La Mora, on the edge of the Madonie Mountains.

 Travel challenge: a self-catering break in Sicily... La Riva, Taormina. Includes one home-cooked Sicilian meal, but not flights. "La Riva is right on Taormina's idyllic beach. With excellent sea-front restaurants on the doorstep and Taormina's delightful centre just a cable car ride away, its location is hard to beat," says thinkSicily's Huw Beaugie.

Food and Travel - Gourmet Traveller Palermo June 2009 part 1

Food and Travel - Gourmet Traveller Palermo June 2009 part 2

June's issue of the award-winning Food and Travel Magazine includes a Gourmet Traveller's guide to Palermo. Food and wine expert Marc Millon and photographer Roderick Field spent a few days with Max, Rossella and Huw of Think Sicily meeting their foodie friends and discovering all manner of Palermitan food, including a typical family lunch at sea-front Villa Favola.

May 2009 SAS in-flight magazine

Think Sicily - specialistes des vacances de reve en Sicile... les plus beaux palais et villa de sicile a louer. chambres d'hotes de charme, voyages a themes, Rossella, sicilienne et Huw, galloiu, one cree Think Sicily pour vous fair partager leur amour de la Sicile...

 En mai, juin, septembre ou octoibre, quand la temperature est juste delicieuse, il faut poser ses bagages a la Casa Archimede, un trois-pieces cuisine chic et charme avec terrasse sur la mer, su coeur d'Ortyge (Syracuse). ..une exclusive thinkSicily

11 Think Sicily villas featured in Dove, Italy's premiere travel magazine..." 

 Salina: the great slow food caper... Accommodation and travel advice can be arranged through Think Sicily (020 7377 8518, www.thinksicily.com). During the rest of the year the company offers island-hopping packages that include four nights on Salina and four nights on one of the Egadi islands, starting from £450 per person based on two sharing. Prices for “enriching add-ons”, such as drivers and guides, on request.

Tucked away down a country lane at the foothills of the Madonie Mountains, with views across the hills to the sea, La Mora is every bit the romantic, rustic hideaway. There's even a wooded picnic spot on the property....... The north coast of Sicily is known for its sandy beaches, and Cefalu is 20 minutes away. But make sure you get back to the decked poool in time for sunset - and an aperitif

 In a precious setting: the lowdown on Sicily... Huw Beaugie of Think Sicily, has let properties in Sicily for seven years. Available property includes a romantic hideaway for two on Sicily'sAeolian Islands and Don Arcangelo all'Olmo, a luxury villa sleeping 24 set between Mount Etna and the sea. The holiday season in Sicily lasts from April until the end of October,' says Beaugie.

 ...our stay at the quite idyllically situated villa Il Palmento dei Castagni, on the edge of the village of Saint Alfio... a beautiful resored winery on the foothills of Catania with sauna and outdoor pool. 30 minute drive from Catania. The villa contains the original wooden wine press and has original lava stonework and wood-beamed ceilings...

9th August, 2008                                                                                 Shine on... With its chic, restful decor and handy location - it's two minutes' walk from the beach and not much more by cablecar to the centre of Taormina - Orata - this one-bed Sicilian seaside apartment - Orata - is understandably popular. The balcony looks out over the bay of Isola Bella and Mount Etna and any number of picturesque villages and beaches are within easy reach - Think Sicily.

19th January, 2008                                                                                Glamourous romantic Getaways... for a less in-your-face Italian beach escape, head to the Egadi Islands, off the north-west coast of Sicily. Stay at Casa Favonia, a boutique hotel on Favignano. Go beach hopping around the islands coves, hire a boat and make sure you try the local speciality ice-cream in a brioche roll. There's not much in the way of nightlife, just sweet little harbourside restaurants and locally owned bars. That's amore! - from 165 Think Sicily ?

Letter of the week.

 Best for families... at villa Marina you can start your holiday on any day of the week ....at night you can watch incandescent fountains of lava on Stromboli from the safety of the terrace or your bedroom. This stylish house is on Salina, the prettiest and least known of the Aeolian Islands, close to beaches, shops and restaurants

Flying visit... stay at the sleek Terre di Vendicari, just outside the baroque town of Noto in the south east, the sunniest corner of the island... through Think Sicily.  

 Palermo...thriving markets and a bit of a buzz in the air...

...gorgeous hill-top Villa Saracena...

By the sea... Villa Solanto, near Solunto...steep terracotta steps lead down to a garden busy with bougainvillea, cacti and palms.... two suites...as well as pool and sea terrace 

Keep it simple ...in the Aeolian Islands ....with Think Sicily 

If it's a quiet, gentle honeymoon you're after, hiring a villa on an Aeolian Island could be just the thing...

I have wonderful memories of holidaying in Sicily... Think Sicily can find you wonderful castles, hotels and villas where you can tie the knot. 

Food scene: go (to Palermo) for its compelling atmoshphere... and a cuisine that combines Greek, Roman and Arabic influences... enjoy the unique experience of staying as guests of Count and Countess Federico in their ancient and opulent home 

23rd September, 2005                                                                          the best option is to rent a villa. Think Sicily (020 7377 8518, www.thinksicily.com) specialises in upmarket models...

Fast track to the slow life...exquisite self-catering villas... holiday homes near the beach and in the mountains... Think Sicily." 

Chambres avec vue...Don Arcangelo all’Olmo: mer et citronniers d’un côté, de l’autre l’Etna; table sous les glycines, piscine, pergola, verger d’agrumes et petite oliveraie. Ornée de meubles de famille…

Know your way around the Aeolian Islands... If you want to rent a house Think Sicily 

 N.B. New Boutique... Calling this rural retreat a b&b is a bit like describing Michelangelo as a painter and decorator... 

The glitz of Taormina... and the 'tagliatelle' of winding streets of Cefalu..... Where to stay: Think Sicily offers a range of villas. Villa Favola, which sleeps eight, is fully serviced  

Wineries and farm stays... Masseria Pernice, a beautiful quadrangle of a farm about 30 minutes from Palermo.... a pool and a big central dining room where the farm's own wine and local cheeses are a delicious highlight of every evening 

 Founded by a native Sicilian, Think Sicily has a tempting selection of villas to rent including the grand 17th Century country house Villa Armerina.

Cinema Paradiso: Location, Sicily, Starring Think Sicily

 Where to stay: the 12th Century Palazzo Federico in the centre of town is a superbly preserved castle... Travel tips: Book you holiday through Think Sicily. This specialist tour operator offers unbeatable local knowledge and expertise and allows visitors to experience the true Sicily, as well as neighbouring islands." 

 A villa with a view... Don Arcangelo all'Olmo, an exclusive villa between Mount Etna and the sea

The fashionable people... Think Sicily has a superb collection of villas, but few are as stunning as Villa Solanto on the north coast. It has two independent suites... a saltwater pool, outdoor hot tub and extraordinary views.

The 5 Best Luxury Hotel Hideaways

 The most active volcano... Think Sicily has an 11-day 'Aeolian Islands to Etna' walking holiday with two nights on Stromboli... 

 Romance got Think Sicily off the ground... 'We climbed to the top of a volcano... Stromboli, and spent a fantastic night watching eruptions light up the sky', said Huw..... They set up Think Sicily in November 2002, with an office in Brick Lane in the east end of London...... 'There were so many villas no one knew about, and all these aristocratic houses that we've pursuaded people to do up.....we give genuine local advice and are constantly on the lookout for new places.....

 Perfect weekend: Palermo......WHERE TO STAY..... a 12th Century monumnetal castle and B&B in an ancient palace (Palazzo Conte Federico)...hosted by a Count....Think Sicily...

 Royal treatment. The specialist operator Think Sicily has a wonderfully eclectic collection of palazzos, manor farms, villas, wine estates and castles on its books, many owned by the island's princes, dukes and barons.... ...The prince will take you on a personal tour of his working wine estate: Masseria Pernice, the family home of the Principi di Camporeale in western Sicily.... stay in one of the four apartments and use the whole property and pool..

Celebrity hangouts. The Aeolian Islands... Contact Think Sicily. 

The Aeolian Islands of Salina is blissfully unspoilt...

The Thinking Traveller organises tailor-made honeymoons to Sicily.

 Etna Venture. Few destination are more historically and archaeologically rich that Sicily, the Med's largest island. The Thinking Traveller, a new tour operator, is promising upmarket walking tours with large dollops of culture for its first programme. Accommodation will range from small family hotels and villas with private beaches to palazzos and wineries but stricrtly no large complexes...