Pura Vida Barocca and Pura Vida Iblea are the result of a passion for travel and knowledge of new places in the world, which merges with that for our wonderful island called Sicily.
Having traveled the world far and wide and developed an interest in the knowledge of cultures completely different from ours, we decided to open this structure that will be able to make known to many people, coming from lands near and far, a little bit of our world, of our tastes, of our traditions and of our wonderful panoramas.
The name of the structure is a tribute to Costa Rica, a country where the term "pura vida" is used, as well as a greeting, also as a wish for a simple and peaceful life, free from stress and constraints, in which everyone does what he loves and spends every day peacefully. To this end we have added the terms "baroque" to recall the architectural style that characterizes our land and that manages to transform every single village into a glimpse of art and culture and "iblea" to recall the original name of our territory.
Inside our structure the names of the 3 rooms are also a tribute to some of the most beautiful countries we have visited in recent years:
Ko Lipe, the beautiful unspoilt island of southern Thailand on the border with Malaysia, has captured our hearts for its beautiful white sand beaches and its emerald green sea. At Ko Lipe there are no means of transport, with the exception of tuk-tuks used for taxis for tourists, for which you walk only on foot, always surrounded by a spectacular landscape worthy of a real paradise on earth. The lances, typical boats of the place, and the friendly local people, blend harmoniously with the surrounding landscape, creating a perfect balance between the works built by man and nature.
Palawan, the least civilized island in the Philippine archipelago, has impressed us with its integrity and purity. The weather here seems to have stopped at the last century: children running barefoot on the street, bullock carts, people who grow rice without the use of any advanced technology. All surrounded by clear, untouched waters and beaches full of coconut palms. People are simple and poor: in the smaller villages they still live in wooden huts and the fish is sold on the street not above the refrigerated counter, but above wooden banquets surmounted by rudimentary fans that serve to drive away the flies.
Manhattan, the beating heart of New York, which represents America and Western culture, the world where everything is possible and everyone can realize their dreams, has impressed us with its grandeur and majesty. Nothing is on a human scale, but everything is built to amaze and fascinate. Flying over Manhattan with a helicopter was one of the most beautiful experiences because just looking at it from above you can understand the grandeur and majesty of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, symbols of an increasingly modern and advanced civilization.
La Fortuna, a small village in Costa Rica surrounded by jungle, is a very special place thanks to the simplicity, serenity and calmness of the lifestyle of its inhabitants, which takes the name of "pura vida". Here there is no rush or stress and they do their job with love and passion.
All this represents, in our opinion, a great lesson for the rest of the Western world in which, unfortunately, everything is based on speed, productivity and rapid profit.
Inside the Pura Vida Iblea structure, the names of the 2 rooms represent a tribute to two fruits symbol of Sicily:
Fico d'India, a colorful and juicy fruit that comes from a rigid and thorny plant. It is able to represent a metaphor of life: those who manage to face the difficulties of life with courage and determination - which would be represented by the thorns of this plant - in the end get happiness and success - which would be represented by the succulent fruits.
Carruba, a fruit with a strange elongated shape that makes it unmistakable. Its warm brown color fits in perfectly with the arid Sicilian summer campaigns and its digestive, astringent and anti-haemorrhagic properties make it unique in its kind.
Over the years we have combined the passion for travel to another of our great passion: the bike. This passion has led us to cross the whole of Italy on two wheels, starting from our Ragusa - the southernmost province of Italy - and making stops in Calabria, Puglia, Umbria, Trentino and Valle d'Aosta, and then trespassing, passing through the beautiful winding streets of the Alps, in Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland.
We hope to convey to our guests this passion for travel, with the hope that they can also fall in love with Sicily, and in particular the province of Ragusa.