Property Description

In a Timeless Fishing Village; your Perfect Apartment by the Sea in Sicily

On the ground floor of a very typical Sicilian apartment block, Casa Concetta is a 105m2 apartment with two bedrooms and a beautifully crafted contemporary interior. While the front side of the property opens onto a cosy shared courtyard, its little deck veranda to the rear has a great view of the nearby rocky outcrop of Monte Catalfamo.

Although the building in which is stands is itself still very new, the current owners have decided to renovate their apartment before sale, leaving it in absolutely perfect condition. We love the decorative touches throughout, but the bathrooms are our personal favourite. With high quality workmanship and well-chosen materials, you can’t fail to be charmed by this cosy home on Sicily’s north coast.

Just metres from the sea in the idyllic little fishing village of Sant’Elia, Casa Concetta is found on the peninsula known as Capo Zafferano, historic site of the summer retreats of nearby Palermo’s aristocracy, and still a sought-after spot for professionals and families looking to escape the city’s humidity in the summer months. However, the area is also very much a year-round community, with the quiet streets and picturesque scenery of the maritime community gently harmonising to a timeless Sicilian rhythm.

If you’ve been hunting for a tasteful apartment by the sea in Sicily, this might just be the last listing you ever need to open.

The Property

A shared stairwell leads you into Casa Concetta, where you find yourself in a spacious and well-lit living room. In one corner of this is a kitchen area, not currently fitted but with all of the connections you would need to put your own touches on this neat canvas. Under foot, the wooden boards lend a homely quality, even in the absence of furnishings. A wooden French window opens onto the veranda, and helps keep the space airy and bright. The mountain view, though only half of the expansive landscape you can take in from your little terrace, is already beautiful.

This living area connects directly onto a bathroom and a pair of bedrooms, one of which boasts its own en-suite. Both of these, as we hinted above, are really superbly finished, with olive green tiling and a wood-clad tub. The master bedroom has its own doorway directly out onto the terrace.

All windows and shutters are made of wood, and the windows are double-glazed and efficient. While all rooms have been plumbed for connection to a central heating network, whether you decide to install one would be a matter for your own choice – perhaps depending on the use you have in mind for Casa Concetta. This will also inform your choice of boiler, which is an expense you’ll need to budget for: of course the cost will vary depending on whether you need it only for hot water or for heating as well.

Underneath the property is a shared parking garage, with a space dedicated for your use. Unlike many shared garages in this part of the world there is actually plenty of room to park any kind of vehicle, even an SUV or a luxury saloon. You are welcome to buy that Fiat 500 if you really want to blend in with the locals, but it won’t be necessitated by practical concerns!

Casa Concetta is perfectly suited to couples looking for a retirement home in the sun, as there are no accessibility issues beyond a couple of steps leading into the house. The neighbourhood is welcoming and peaceful, and the neighbours are very friendly. Having sold a very similar property in this area for a similar sum we can attest that the asking price is very fair for such a well-built apartment by the sea in Sicily.

Surroundings

Sant’Elia is a wonderful little fishing village that’s pretty much exactly what you’d picture when you imagine a small Mediterranean harbour town. The sea is crystal clear and the village’s beach, ‘Caletta di Sant’ Elia’ – although off the main tourist trail of northern Sicily – is a gem. Some pictures of this can be seen in the album above. You’ll find that the small drive from the main roads that cross this stretch of coast keep this space wonderfully preserved for local users, but it is an excellent spot to spend a sunny afternoon.

The FAI – Italian Foundation for Monuments and Environment Protection – have listed it as a protected bathing spot, and the warm currents of the Tyrrhenian Sea mean that you can swim here well into October or even beyond. Best of all, it’s just three minutes away from the front door of Casa Concetta.

The colourful fishing boats bobbing around on the turquoise water or pulled up onto the sandy shore are evidence of the small-scale local fishing industry, with bigger craft docking at the nearby marina of Porticello. If you’re looking to combine a peaceful home with a bit of time on the water, whether powered by sail or motor, this is an excellent spot to find an affordable mooring.

There are a couple of beach bars to make sure that a day in the sun doesn’t have to be interrupted by trips back home, and the region also has a supermarket, as well as many small shops, a couple of pharmacies, bars and quite a few restaurants for all budgets.

A little further afield, the medium sized market town of Bagheria has all the amenities of a bigger community, including a hospital and several schools. There is a growing community of expats who have made their homes here, including many of our satisfied clients.

The vibrant and continually evolving city of Palermo, Italy’s fifth largest and its Capital of Culture just five year ago, is twenty minutes away by car. The green hills of the Madonie Natural Park begin to rise up from the coast a similar distance away to the east. With the two biggest motorways on the island intersecting just along the coast towards Cefalù, you will be able to reach all of our legendary cities, monuments and geographical landmarks in a few hours of driving.

Potential

A beautiful apartment with state-of-the-art stylings, this is a really trouble-free way to buy property in the south of Italy. To find the engineering and taste of a newly built northern European home nestled amidst the charm and traditional way of life you’ll find in a small Mediterranean fishing village really does feel like having your cake and eating it!

As we mentioned above, one of the fixtures yet to be completed is the boiler. However, the seller – whose handiwork is evident throughout the first rate renovation work – proposes their services to buy and install a complete heating and cooling system. Their suggestion to us was that with the boiler, radiators and air conditioning they would be able to take care of everything for a fee no higher than € 5,000. Honestly, unless you’re a dab hand at DIY with a good grasp of Italian, we think that’s an offer worthy of serious consideration!

Obviously an apartment by the sea in Sicily has the potential to be leased as a holiday home, and if you are considering this as an eventual use for your new property in Sicily, be sure to ask us about the support packages we offer for promoting and managing rental properties. With the help of our sister company, Solemar Sicilia, we can put at your disposal decades of experience in the tourist industry in Sicily.