Property Description

Fabulous Sunny Terrace Tops this Two-bedroom Sea View Apartment in Porticello

This split level apartment is found just metres from the quayside in the traditional Sicilian fishing village of Porticello. Although only twenty minutes from central Palermo this is a world away from the frenetic energy of the island’s capital, a small community unaffected by mass tourism, still living by the traditional rhythms of Sicilian culture and the sea.

If you want to move somewhere that looks and feels totally different to the north of Europe, but don’t want to sacrifice the convenience of a big city and a nearby airport, this is a great offer at an attractive price. You would also be neighbours of our own agency, just around the corner from the green piazza where Casa Lidia is found – so you know that when we talk about how great Porticello is we really believe it!

The 90m2 home is found on the second and third floors of an end-terrace building built in a typical palazzo style. It shares the structure with only one other apartment, which is kept as a holiday home and seldom used by its owners, so effectively has the premises to itself.

The top floor terrace overlooks the harbour of Porticello and the Gulf of Termini Imerese beyond. It’s a great sea view and catches sunshine in the morning. Just imagine waking up to have coffee overlooking the bay, with the sounds of the fishermen and other locals drifting up from the quay below.

It’s in good condition and you could move in right away. Let’s take a closer look…

The Property

A flight of stairs leads directly into the apartment, bringing you onto to a little landing where you can continue up to the second floor or pass straight through to the first bedroom. This is about 16m2, with plenty of natural light thanks to a full-length window opening onto a great balcony that faces north but catches a little bit of morning sun. You also have a partial sea view away to your right, between the buildings. With a walk-in closet adding an extra 6m2, this would make a great master bedroom.

The next two rooms open directly off the first, a dressing room and second bedroom split by another doorway. If you consider them a single space however it offers a roomy 3 x 7m. There are windows to the north, east and south. If you don’t need the extra storage space it’s easy to imagine one of these areas used as a home office, or maybe a playroom.

Upstairs the kitchen has room for a breakfast table and a door straight onto the terrace. There is a little larder to the rear of the property. A living room measures about 3 x 4m, and also connects to the terrace. This offers a fantastic lateral sea view and is more than big enough for plenty of people to eat outdoors. Lastly, the bathroom has been very nicely fitted with smart grey tiles and a box shower.
The windows and doors are aluminium, and almost all of them are double glazed. The house is regularly connected to the municipal supplies for electricity, sewage and water. This is heated by a small electric boiler.

Surroundings

The location of Casa Lidia, just metres from the seafront and within walking distance of all kinds of great shops, restaurants and amenities is one of its greatest strengths. This is the heart of a friendly and walkable community, and when we say that the sea is a stone’s throw away, in this case it’s literally true.

The marina is a hub of activity, both recreational and commercial, and you can buy fish literally fresh off the boat at the market barely a hundred metres from your front door. There is even a lovely little patch of beach five minutes’ walk away.

A fifteen minute walk or a couple of minutes by car or bike will take you to Santa Flavia, where you can get trains into the vibrant, fascinating city of Palermo or east along the coast towards Cefalù. The nearest big town is Bagheria, just a little further inland. Don’t miss our deep dive into the entire Capo Zafferano peninsula and its beaches, towns and landmarks.

As a final bonus, right next door to Casa Lidia is a popular guesthouse run by friends of ours. If you ever have more visitors than your new home can host at once, you’re covered in style!

Potential

Casa Lidia is absolutely ready to be lived in, and indeed was a family home until just a couple of months ago. You’ll probably want to do a bit of redecorating – white paint would make the stairs and second floor seem a little bigger and match the first. At the moment there is no air conditioning or heating, but three modern units that produce both hot and cold air could be installed for an investment of just a couple of thousand Euro, solving this problem at a stroke.

We think that if we were buying the property we would probably add a door directly from the landing into the second bedroom, to avoid having to pass through the first one. The little storeroom off that first bedroom would make a neat en-suite bathroom, too.

If you are interested in a bit more space, the owners of the first floor (the ones who aren’t there very often) have told us that they might be interested in selling in the future.

The only issue that will need to be fixed is not with the bricks and mortar themselves, but with the plans of the building. The official records show the terrace stretching the full width of the building, and as you will note there is a kitchen extension covering some of that space. At some point you will want to update the official record. We can put you in touch with the best local legal professionals if you want to get an exact quote for this procedure.