San Calogero is located on that end of the Ibleo plateau that looks at the Etna and the sea, around a deep valley, dug for centuries in the white stone by the river bearing its name. The landscape, as well as that of the entire Iblea area, is characterized by a profound difference between the arid but panoramic planks - and the shaded and lush valleys.
The sloping area, less usable for agricultural purposes, is sometimes rocky and arid, sometimes softer and largely covered by a forest rich in Mediterranean essences, and is home to most archaeological remains.

In the past, talking about gardens in a land like Sicily meant essentially talking of citrus and orchards. The scarcity of surface water often made it impossible to cultivate ornamental plants especially around the houses rising on the heights. Already in 1768 in San Calogero there were citrus groves called gardens: one of these, lapped by the river on all its sides, was called the "archangel".
Among the citrus trees on the valley floor were roses and other ornamental plants that simply used the water that, carried by the saja (the traditional Arabian channels), irrigated citrus.

In the early twentieth century, with inanarrable fatigue, some ornamental plants were also housed around the house: fertile ground wagons were brought down from the bottom and some of the "phoenix canariensis" then began their slow growth along with the stupendous "recurved ninety" . Along with these, roses were implanted, including the old blush which, with its generosity, is still the queen of the garden.
What we see today is a far greater extension of a young garden, but it can be considered as a natural extension of what existed.

The Italian garden is behind the house's plant, reversing its voids and fillings somehow: it is a parterre that combines the English meadows of the driveways with flowered meadows of Mediterranean plants and ancient roses. The rest of the garden has a more informal pattern but the essences are always chosen among those, if not indigenous, traditionally present in Sicily.
So bitter berries and oranges grow among roses and officinalis; Laurels and myrtle trees, together with saje water and fountains, bring freshness and refreshment on summer days.

THE ESTATE

The former feudal estate of San Calogero is set in a valley modeled for centuries in the white limestone by the river named after the same saint. The fields in the valley , fertile and rich of spring water , were once the only ones to accommodate vegetable gardens and citrus groves

THE HORSE STUD FARM 'DI SAN CALOGERO'

The stud farm of jumping horses " San Calogero " was started in the early ' 900 on a basis of sicilian anglo-arabs horses that , in Sicily , used to be the hackney for excellence.