Property Description

Traditional Two-bedroom Sicilian Cottage For Sale, Overlooking a Huge Country Estate in the Island’s Northern Hills

Immersed in beautiful green countryside, with an estate that covers 19,000m2, Casa Filippo is a chance to find inner and outer peace in complete privacy and isolation. The heritage of this old farm building is instantly visible in the unplastered stone exterior and the sloping shed roof, but a total renovation in 2020 has left it a modern and comfortable two-bedroom home.

With a partial view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, 11km to the north and the splendour of not one but two natural parks on either side, the house is 700m above sea level and enjoys a comfortable climate even at the height of the Mediterranean summer. To the West are the mountains of the Madonie, with their famous fortified towns and sensational driving roads, and to the east are the Nebrodi hills, a largely untouched wilderness with spectacular mountain lakes and trekking paths.

The vendor offers the lovely Sicilian cottage for sale as seen, including fittings and furniture, save for a few personal effects. This would make it a beautifully convenient way to buy a house in Sicily, whether you plan to move here full time, or split life between countries, perhaps while taking advantage of the island’s enticing tax regime.

The Property

With 155m2 of indoor space, the single storey property is rectangular in shape, measuring roughly 7x 21m. It’s antique, rural character has been fully preserved on the outside, with no revisionist additions like fully glazed walls, but indoors the decoration is clean and modern. Cosy and almost completely silent, it’s ideal for lovers of history, countryside and cosy nights in.

The light wood-colored floors and evenly plastered walls give it a Nordic, minimalist and elegant atmosphere. The exposed ceiling timbers are a light shade of pine, making the most of the natural light. The open central space includes a living room and kitchen, with one bedroom and a bathroom at each end. This all makes for a fluid and connected home, perfect for a family that likes to stay together and share space, even when they’re engaged in different activities.

The smart modern kitchen is fitted with an oven and a microwave, both by Candy, and a five ring gas hob sits underneath a large, efficient extractor fan. There is ample cupboard and work space, a fridge freezer and a double sink.

While one end of the long living room draws warmth from the kitchen, the other is focused around a fireplace finished with a marble surround. The fireplace can be fuelled with normal wood but also with leather or biomass and obviously produces hot water to feed the convection heaters that shoot hot air. To the side of the fireplace is the engine with the pellet tank, which can be filled easily and affordably. The hillside views from this cosy lounge area are fabulous, too.

The bathrooms have been decorated with a local majolica patterned tile, and by the time of the sale the second one will be finished like the first, with the the shower cubicle fitted and the mirror mounted. The bedrooms are extremely roomy, with all the space you need to install large wardrobes and chests of drawers or dressing tables.

The flat patio faces north, but is open to the west and east too. Spacious enough to eat, park cars and play games, it’s been finished with a flat concrete bed. It’s terrace rises dramatically over the sloping estate, creating the best possible view. A small covered veranda provides shade even when the sun is directly overhead.

The huge 4.7 acre estate is home to 260 olive trees and 250 grape vines (a mix of Shiraz and Mascalese), all planted about 5 years ago. They are still a little too young to produce oil or wine, but in the future will give you the chance to create a lovely little agricultural business. You’ll also find a vegetable garden with automatic irrigation system and many fruit trees, including cherries, apples, pomegranates and figs.

The final 300 metres of driveway needs to be redone, but the owner is willing to fix it before the sale. Even in its present state you can navigate it easily all year round, unless you happen to be driving an actual supercar. The gate is automatic and the entire property is fenced.

Returning to the house, the window frames are double-glazed and the doors in heat-retaining aluminium door. You can easily warm the whole interior from that fireplace, and while it doesn’t have air conditioning, at this altitude it’s not a priority.

Fresh water comes from a spring on the property, which has been legally registered. Even in periods of drought the spring produces more than 5 litres per minute, and twin cisterns hold 7,000 litres of water, giving you water security even in periods of drought. Two cesspools cater for the safe disposal of waste water.

Surroundings

To reach this remote hillside spot, you leave the E90 coastal motorway at Santo Stefano di Camastra, and follow a beautiful scenic state road 20 km essentially right to the end of the driveway of the Sicilian cottage for sale .

The nearest town is Mistretta, ten minutes’ drive away. The little community of 4000 residents will cater for all your day-to-day needs. To get to the sea, head back down to Santo Stefano di Camastra, a spot famous as a centre for beautiful ceramics. This will take you half an hour.

Attractions in the area include the Fiumara d’Arte outdoor sculpture park, a collection of vast monuments that dot the surrounding hills running down towards Castel di Tusa. A nearby labyrinth is the closest of these. Europe’s tallest swing can be found 12km to the west at San Mauro Castelverde. Historic Castelbuono and the beautiful seafront of Cefalù are only a little further on, each an hour’s drive away. Take a look at our guide to the Nebrodi Park region for more local highlights.

The airports at Palermo and Catania are each a two hour drive.

Potential

Internally the house does not require any work, and could be lived in from day one. Externally, if you wish, you could lay a paved patio to match the character of the stone cottage, and perhaps redo the close fencing with something in similar style.The veranda has the connections necessary to install an outdoor kitchen, and this would be our first move. The view is too good not to capitalise on!

It costs around €25-30,000 to construct a swimming pool in this area, and space would certainly not be an issue. Above-ground options are available for far lower sums.

Considering the private, renewable water supply, installing solar panels and a storage battery could give you complete energy independence, and bills at almost zero.

Contact our friendly multilingual team with any queries about this beautiful Sicilian cottage for sale.