Living the serene life in Sicily

Susan Welsh meets a north-east couple who built their dream home in Sicily

When cold winter winds are howling, it’s a thought to step outside and walk the dog.

At that point, you may wish you were living in sunnier climes.

But even in the depth of winter, taking their five dogs for a stroll is never an issue for Fiona and Graeme Morison.

For their home is no longer in the north of Scotland but in sunny Sicily.

And it’s no home either...

Thanks to a mixture of imagination and hard work, what was once a derelict old farmhouse has been transformed into a luxurious home which they now share with guests as they offer B&B and run a spa from it.

“Graeme is born and bred Aberdeen and lived in the Rosehill area, while my folks live in Bucksburn,” said Fiona.

Graeme and Fiona have been together since they were 15.

S h e t r u s t s h i m completely so has always been happy to go along ordinary with his plans which has resulted in them living in some pretty far-flung places.

Graeme trained as a plumber but later worked in the oil industry.

“We left the north of Scotland 23 years ago, spending time in Thailand, China and Malaysia before moving to Kazakhstan,” said Fiona. “While there we began thinking about buying a property but weren’t sure where to go. One day Graeme suggested Sicily, which was strange as that very day I’d been drawn to a book about Sicily.”

With fate guiding them, they spent a week in Sicily and particularly liked Noto in the Syracuse area of the island.

“We found a derelict property, an old farmhouse in a beautiful spot, and thought we’d renovate it and make it a comfortable home for ourselves, although we’d never done anything like that before,” said Fiona.

Graeme had a vision.

“I had no vision whatsoever of what would be our 23rd home,” said Fiona.

But before they could get fully going, Graeme had to move back to Malaysia to work.

“He kindly left me in what was basically a chicken shed for two years,” joked Fiona.