Your hosts
Stéphanie's story, from Solki to Villa Rose
Villa Rose is named after the roses of Stéphanie's grandmother. This is how a childhood on the island of Sant'Antioco became a house open to travellers.
A childhood on the island
Stéphanie was born in Sant'Antioco. She went to school in the town, the ancient Solki founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC, and spent her teenage summers in Calasetta, between the sea and the alleys with their white-and-blue facades.
Based near Paris for over ten years for her work, she travels around Italy and Europe whenever she can. Cooking and pastry are her passions: spaghetti alle vongole, Sardinian-style aubergines, fregola, pardule and tiramisù are among her classics.
Her grandmother's roses
As a child, she spent whole afternoons in her grandparents' garden: the grapes of "sa pregua" eaten straight from the vine, the spring medlars that meant school was nearly over, and her grandmother's great magenta roses. When she restored the house, she planted a vegetable garden, an orchard and rose bushes in memory of that garden. That is where the name Villa Rose comes from.
A house restored to last
The house sits just behind Spiaggia Grande, next to Le Saline beach. Stéphanie restored it so that families and groups of friends could stay comfortably, using simple, durable materials: pale Orosei stone for the paths, chestnut beams and a marble staircase. The pizza oven in the summer kitchen was handmade by a craftsman in Palermo.
The villa runs partly on solar power, the garden is watered by an artesian well, and cleaning products are refilled rather than thrown away. On site, the Villa Rose team looks after the house, and after you, day to day.