Property Description

Could this Three-bedroom Home in a Picturesque Mountain Village be One of the Best Value Homes in Sicily?

A large, recently renovated house in one of the most beautiful villages of the Madonie Natural Park, Casa Guzzio represents superb value for money. On the end of a terrace in the charming old town of Gratteri, it is within walking distance of all the local shops and amenities. There is even a partial sea view from the kitchen window.
Originally built by a wealthy family (the immediate clue is the wrought-iron initials over the main entrance), and currently the home of a local carpenter, it has been sturdily built and meticulously decorated inside and out. Both structurally and aesthetically it sailed through our survey.

With three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a huge living room and a kitchen-diner spread across three floors, there is no shortage of space. It would make a lovely family holiday home, a very relaxing base for a permanent move to Sicily, or a great investment in the region’s strong tourist economy. and the €50,000 asking price getting not only all of this but much of the furniture too, makes Casa Guzzio the kind of offer that not even the ‘homes for a Euro’ promotions can beat. We’re really looking at one of the best value homes in Sicily.

The Property

An unusual design quirk means that Casa Guzzio has three entrances. The steep slope on which Gratteri is built means that it’s not uncommon for homes to have one door on the lower street and one on the higher parallel road behind, but there are actually two doors on the lower via Ruggeri which both lead you into the three-storey home.

The first entrance is into a ground floor bedroom which is currently serving as a workshop for Antonio, the friendly seller. Once it has been cleared there will be plenty of room for bedroom furniture, or your could choose to make it a second living room or playroom. Antonio is including the shelves and table in the sale.

A half staircase at the back of the room connects to the second entrance, via a hallway with some lovely coloured glass. The curved ceilings and archways give an immediate sense of history and character – nothing is too modern or generic. The paintwork is in good condition.

At the rear is the second bedroom, compact but cheerfully decorated in blue, with an en-suite bathroom. The bed is included in the sale.

On the first floor a very large living room makes a fabulous impression. About 25 m2 with a high coved ceiling. With the French windows opening onto the street-side balcony the impression is a really grand one. A good amount of natural light makes its way in, for a room of this size with only a single exposition, and the elegant period light fitting takes care of the rest. A marble floor and lovely paint job in a noble red completes the dramatic effect. The comfortable sofas will stay if the buyer would like them. The balcony view is mostly of the street outside, but a bit of green hillside is in sight at the end of the street.

At the rear, the third bedroom is a about 15m2 with a window over the steps to the side of the property. Two arte povero wardrobes, two chests of drawers, and the bed can remain if you’d like. Finally the floor has a small bathroom, containing just a WC.

One further flight of marble stairs leads to the top floor kitchen-diner. Welcoming and bright, the dual exposition with windows to the south-east and south-west makes a real difference. You will definitely appreciate the direct sunlight that comes in in the afternoon. There is also the main bathroom, finished in white tile and with a shower.

The kitchen, also included in the sale, has an electric oven with a gas hob, a fridge freezer, five cupboards and drawers for storage and a washing machine. Everything bar the washing machine is housed in neat sky blue wooden kitchen suite. There aren’t huge expanses of worktop but with a kitchen table right there you won’t have a problem preparing your meals.  As a final bonus, there is even that tiny little bit of sea view on display from the west-facing window.

The windows are wooden and singly glazed, with and internal shutters to give a blackout. Hot water is from electric boilers. You are connected to municipal supplies for water, electricity and sewage.

Surroundings

Gratteri is a gem, an overlooked spot with a buyer-friendly market that we have long identified as one of our top recommendations for finding the best value homes in Sicily. Located 7km inland and 650m above sea level in the heart of the northern coast of Sicily, it commands some unbelievable views of the surrounding hillsides and the sea below.
The Madonie are a paradise for lovers of the great outdoors. You can hike, trek and ride to your heart’s content, enjoying a level of natural beauty and biodiversity which is unparalleled in southern Italy. Nor are the man-made treasures hiding in these hills any less impressive, with everything from the best panettone in the world to Europe’s highest swing.

Down at sea level, the fabulous history and golden sandy beach of Cefalù make it one of Italy’s most iconic tourist attractions, and the main road from there to the island’s great capital, Palermo, runs just a few kilometres from the road down from Gratteri. This will also bring you to the nearest airport in just 80 minutes.

The village is big enough to have its own shops, bars and cafes, while larger supermarkets and other facilities are in easy reach at Lascari and Campofelice, only 20 minutes’ drive down a beautiful scenic country road.

Potential

Very little work needs to be carried out on a property which you could certainly move into right away, if you wanted.

We would replace the French window and put double glazing in all of the windows, which you could do well on a budget of under €4,000. Having given the place a better insulation you might be happy to live with natural temperatures, but if you did want to install heating and air conditioning then you can now buy and connect high-end heat pumps that will keep you comfortable all year round for around a thousand euro apiece.

As a more ambitious project, but one that could be particularly useful if you see Casa Guzzio as holiday rentals, the ground floor is very well suited to being a self-contained apartment. If you closed off the connecting passageway from the first staircase and added a kitchen in that workshop space you would have two one-bedroom apartments, each one with a private entrance.

If you would like any advice on renovation work or the practicalities of moving to Sicily, be sure to check out out after-sale packages, which include the popular Welcome To Sicily option, where we take care of everything you need to get started here, or the extensive project management expertise of our friendly multilingual team.