Wellness Retreat in Sicily with Views of Mount Etna
A peaceful wellness retreat in Sicily with panoramic 360° views of Mount Etna, the Alcantara Valley and surrounding mountains.
Vista Alcantara is a privately owned mountain wellness retreat in Sicily overlooking Mount Etna, the Alcantara Valley and surrounding mountains with breathtaking 360° panoramic views. Set within almost 15,000 square metres of peaceful natural land, the retreat offers privacy, tranquillity and space to relax, reconnect and unwind away from the stress of everyday life. Designed for wellness stays, retreats and restorative escapes, Vista Alcantara combines nature, silence and authentic Sicilian beauty in a unique mountain-top setting.
The property is a labour of love, built brick by brick by Carmelo Conti, a hard working man whose lifelong dream was to live on the top of a mountain. He envisioned a place where he could cultivate abundant gardens and plant trees, preserving a piece of Earth’s natural beauty for future generations. He feared people would one day neglect the land, so he made it his mission to care for a corner of it, ensuring its vitality endures. In order to make this dream a reality, he spent may years living and working abroad; working his way through the ranks from bottle washer to waiter to international hotel manager and restaurant owner.
360° Mountain and Volcano Views
The view over Motta Camastra from the front terrace.
A winter view over Francavilla di Sicilia and surrounding mountains from the front terrace.
A winter view over Montagna Grande from the back terrace.
Holistic Spa Treatments in Sicily
Wellness Retreats & Private Events in Sicily
Given the uniqueness of our location, the tranquility and the breathtaking views, Vista Alcantara is ideal for all kinds of retreats. Whether it’s Yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi, Buddhist, Vipassana or any type of spiritual retreat, photography, writing, painting, drawing, rambling, hiking, trekking or even music composing, we think you’ll find the right conditions here to suit your group’s needs.
We also welcome small private events like weddings, anniversaries, renewal of vows, engagements and special occasions.
“WHICH RETREAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU?” GUIDE
Choose TRANSFORM YOUR MIND if:
You feel mentally or emotionally stuck, want clarity around beliefs and patterns, and/or you’re ready for awareness-based change.
Choose DIGITAL DETOX & SILENCE if:
You feel overstimulated or overwhelmed, crave stillness and simplicity, and/or want to reconnect without distraction.
Choose HOLISTIC WELLNESS if:
You need rest, nourishment, and balance, want gentle support rather than deep processing, and/or your body and nervous system feel depleted.
Choose V2V METHOD – FROM VICTIM TO VICTORY™ if:
You’re ready for deep, embodied transformation, recognise repeating emotional or behavioural patterns, you want conscious choice to replace reaction
There is no “better” retreat,
only the one that meets you where you are.
After the successful 2025 retreat, Breathwork Experience is back by demand.
The Story of Vista Alcantara
Vista Alcantara began as one man’s dream to create a peaceful sanctuary on a wild mountain overlooking Mount Etna and the Alcantara Valley.
In the late 1990s, Carmelo Conti began transforming the rugged mountain terrain entirely by hand. At that time, there were no roads, no access and no flat land. Over the course of decades of hard work and dedication, the mountain was levelled, roads were built, gardens were planted and the retreat slowly began to take shape.
As the years passed, fruit trees flourished, an olive grove and vineyard were established and the property evolved into the peaceful mountain retreat it is today.
In 2023, the property passed into the hands of the next generation and began a new chapter of restoration and renewal. Sadly, Carmelo passed away on 19th March 2024 — Father’s Day in Sicily — after only seeing a few photographs of the early renovations from his hospital bed.
For many years, his dream was to share this special corner of Sicily with others. Today, Vista Alcantara continues that legacy by welcoming guests from around the world to experience the peace, beauty and healing atmosphere he spent a lifetime creating.
Ancient Stone Structures on the Mountain
This seemingly unremarkable rock is, in fact, a prehistoric altar recently dated to around 3000 B.C. The rock bears strange carvings and mysterious holes, which suggest it may have once been used for sacrificial rituals. The arrangement of the holes indicates they were possibly designed to bind someone—or something—to the altar. Notably, a carved ridge on the top appears to serve as a channel, perhaps for the flow of liquids during ancient rites.
Beyond its intriguing features, the altar’s position is remarkable for its alignment with the sun during the spring equinox. At dawn, sunlight strikes the altar and illuminates a specific part of an adjacent mountain, signalling the arrival of spring. At sunset, light passes through a hole, carved out of a nearby rock in front of our property, (photo below,) shining directly onto the altar and illuminating the opposite side of the mountain.
This ancient altar, along with our palmento, (photo below,) —also dating back to 3000 B.C.—has recently garnered attention, being featured in a book written by a local geologist and astronomer who are also passionate about sacred geometry. A palmento is where mosto was traditionally made using one’s feet to stamp on the grapes. However, since ours dates back to 3000 B.C. and the art of making wine wasn’t around in those days, we think it was used as part of a sacred sacrificial ritual. Apparently, ours is one of the oldest and most intact in this region.
Mountain Retreat Accommodation in Sicily
Vista Alcantara Villa Valview is accessible via a private and secluded lane that leads to a big solid steel gate. Inside the gate, to the left, is a parking area near an unfinished structure. To the right, there is an incline that leads up to the house, and straight on there is a path that leads to the swimming pool area, the raised bed garden, the fruit trees and the beautiful natural surrounding land. It also leads to our prehistoric altar.
The house itself is built on two floors. On the ground floor, there’s a kitchen with a large external terrace and views over Montagna Grande; famous for its trekking and the surrounding mountains. On that same floor, there are also two double bedrooms, one triple room, two bathrooms, a spacious entrance come hallway and a large lounge come dining area.
Between the lounge and the dining area, there is a marble staircase that leads to the first floor. On this floor, there is a double room with a sofa bed, 1 twin room and 1 Twin/Double room with a sofa bed.
The Lemon Room
The Lemon Room is on the first floor and can accommodate a maximum of three guests with its three single beds. Alternatively, the single beds can be joined to create a double bed. This room has a little private terrace with a small table and chairs. It overlooks Mount Etna and the Alcantara Valley all the way down to the sea. The side window has a view over the pool and the valley. It has a private external bathroom.
The Green Room
The Green Room is on the first floor and can accommodate a maximum of three guests with its two single beds and a single sofa bed. Alternatively, the single beds can be joined to create a double bed. This room has a little private terrace with a small table and chairs. It overlooks Montagna Grande. The side window has a view over the pool and the valley all the way down to the sea. It has a private external bathroom.
Double/Twin
This room is on the first floor and has two single beds that can be used as such or can be joined and used as a double room. It has a little private terrace with chairs and a little table. It overlooks Mount Etna and the Alcantara Valley. It has a private external bathroom.
NTK
The NTK room is on the ground floor and is the smallest room in the house. It has a double bed and sleeps maximum two people. It is close to the kitchen, so it can be a little noisy from time to time. It has a window with a view down to the sea. It shares a bathroom with the Enna room.
Enna
This room is on the ground floor and has two single beds that can be used as such or can be joined and used as a double room. It has a window that overlooks one of the outside terraces and has a spectacular view over Mount Etna and the Alcantara Valley. It shares a bathroom with the NTK room.
Please Note:
Due to our mountain-top location and taking into account necessary safety precautions relevant to our terrain, we are unable to accommodate toddlers. This is simply because we wouldn’t like to see any end up in a heap at the bottom of the mountain. Toddlers do have a tendency to be curious and run off in the bat of an eyelid and no matter how careful we are, every one of us gets distracted at times. So, we feel it’s better to be safe than sorry.
On the flip side of the coin, we whole-heartedly welcome your fur babies. With almost 15000 m2 of land, there is plenty of space for them to run freely and live their best holiday life!!!
How to Reach Vista Alcantara
The nearest airport to us is Catania Fontanarossa. If you’re planning on driving here, we recommend renting a car at the airport. There are plenty of companies to choose from. Google Maps will indicate the best way to get to us.
If you’re not driving, there are two other options to get here. The first is to get a bus from Catania airport to Catania train station. Then, take a train to Taormina / Giardini-Naxos. From there, we can either pick you up for a small fee or you can get a bus to Motta Camastra and we can pick you up from the bus terminal there.
The second option is to get a coach from Catania airport to Recanati in Giardini-Naxos. From there, we can either pick you up for a small fee or you can get a bus to Motta Camastra and we can pick you up from the bus terminal there.
There are direct flights from most European cities and a number of low cost airlines fly here. However, some only operate seasonally. If necessary, Rome, Milan and Naples are good options for connecting flights to Catania.
Vista Alcantara, Contrada Canale Grottapaglia, 98030 Motta Camastra, Sicily – Tel. +39 3701235713 – Email: info@vistaalcantara.com