Agriturismo Casale del Principe

A Sicilian countryside retreat in a verdant valley just south of Monreale and Palermo

"Hotels are too cold. They give you a room and that's it," says Tamara Amadei, manager of this 18th-century Jesuit monastery–turned–agricultural estate that rises above a farmland of poppies, vineyards, and olive and fruit orchards just 15 minutes from the glittering cathedral in Monreale.

"An agriturismo provides a family experience," she continues, listing some of the activities offered, from cooking and ceramics courses to horseback rides and archery.

Geese chatter in a fountain by the stairs leading up into the ancient masseria (stone farmhouse), which has been expanded to house the agriturismo operations.

The restaurant serves hearty, country-style four-course dinners for €20 per person—including wine from a nearby vineyard—and the nine huge guest rooms are done in a simple, old-fashioned style.

Most have private terraces and panoramic views over the gorgeous Valle dello Jato, its fertile fields and pastures rising into the pine forests that lap at a surrounding ring of toothy mountains.

The area is laced with 21 nature trails laid out by Sicilian hiking clubs; the best winds to the ancient ruins of Jato, a hilltop city dating back to the 10th century BC.

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