Siri

In 2017, I visited Sicily for the first time with my favorite boat, the VEGA, for the winter in the Marina di Cala del Sole in Licata. My first impression of this little town was very sobering, and I wondered how I would survive the winter there. Since I've been dancing Argentine tango for over 10 years, I spontaneously looked for a dance school nearby, and sure enough, there was one in Licata! This saved my evenings, and I got to know and love the country and its people. Friendships were formed that last to this day.

But then things moved on for me again. I sailed across the Atlantic twice, spent two winters in the Caribbean, and, despite the most beautiful places in the world, actually longed for Sicily. I asked myself "why" for a long time. But why do we feel attracted to something, why do we even fall in love with it? In my case, it was probably the imperfection that defined beauty for me. The morbid cities, but of course also the changing landscape, the fantastic sandy beaches, the delicious food, the wine, gelato, and, of course, the incredible hospitality and helpfulness of the Sicilians. But I also learned to appreciate the advantages of Europe, not only the provision of services, but also how uncomplicated it is for a Northern European to acquire land, as a woman, and then to live. The Italian way of life also suits me very well; I can simply do more with a "domani" than with a "maybe."

But was it Sicily in general, or was it actually Licata that attracted me so? I found that out pretty quickly when I sailed around it on the VEGA. There was always something wrong—cliffs, too much tourism, too rocky beaches, etc. And after many conversations with my son, I discovered it was indeed Licata! This sleepy little town with only 37,000 inhabitants, completely untouristy and with a morbid charm of the last century. But what was life like here? Not just as a tourist. I looked for an apartment, felt my way around, and cautiously began looking for a house.

Half a year and several house viewings later, this wonderful "Villa Patrizia," named after the deceased daughter of the then owner, Salvatore, suddenly popped up in my internet search. I drove there and looked at it from the outside. Something couldn't be right, this price for this villa, right on the sea?! I told the VEGA owner about it, and he promptly made an appointment with the real estate agent. As soon as we entered the property, we were overwhelmed by what a house, this amazing garden, and then the interior. It was perfect!

So perfect that it was almost irrational.

On the lower floor, there are three apartments, two of which are available for rent and one for volunteers and the common room. On the upper floor, there's a large kitchen-living room with three adjoining bedrooms and two bathrooms. There's also a small house on the property, which turned out to be a wonderful family home. The garden was perfect for my son to realize his permaculture ideas, and the palm trees were even planted at the right distance to accommodate hammocks. From both terraces, you can overlook the sea, host dance evenings, and watch the sunset over the ocean in winter.

It still overwhelms me, every day!

So my dream came true!
The VELA VEGA the PermaKulturHostel