Property Description

30,000 m2 estate with Beautiful Villa in Ragusa, with a Second Home Ready to be Renovated

A secluded, characterful property with a huge 30,000m2 plot of land, Casa Maria Concetta will be adored by nature lovers, and anyone who wants their very own refuge from the fast pace of northern European life. A little slice of dolce vita and Sicilian traditions.

With 150m2 of internal space split between the main home and the storage unit in the downstairs basement, you will be taking on a property which is flexible and in a very good condition. Fully renovated in 2009, it is ready to be moved into immediately after the purchase is complete.

Indeed, it is only on the market because increasing work commitments mean that the present owners, who are Maltese, are able to visit only for three or four weeks every summer. For this reason they are prepared to accept offers including the furniture as seen in our photography and virtual tour.

The estate also benefits from a second property, currently completely ruined but with a huge footprint of 180m2. Have you ever dreamt of renovating a property in Sicily? There could hardly be a better way to take on the challenge than by living in comfort in your own house on the land, while working on the restoration project. You would be completely free from time constraints and able to get the very best possible return on your investment.

The asking price is very reasonable for such a beautiful villa in Ragusa’s countryside, and the potential offered by the second building makes this one of the most exciting properties in our portfolio for an ambitious buyer.

The Property

Casa Maria Concetta is an asymmetrical property, with a two-storey, stone built half and a more contemporary single floor slightly up the slope, with a smooth plastered finish.

On the lower, partially subterranean floor of the older section is a large storeroom. In rudimentary condition it nonetheless offers plenty of space for tools, outdoor furniture and bikes of all kinds.

The main home has two entrances – one to the side and the other to the rear. Each of these takes you into a long, spacious and bright large living room with an integrated kitchen. Running the entire breadth of the building, in the current configuration it has one end devoted to a comfortable lounge space, with a sofa suite arranged around the widescreen TV, and then a dining table big enough to seat six.

At the far end is a pellet burning stove capable of heating the room, and on the internal wall is the modern and tastefully designed kitchen with sink, oven, fridge freezer and plenty of cupboard space. You will also find a bathroom-cum utility room with a box shower, a large sink and a washing machine.

The floor in the main living area (and indeed throughout Casa Maria Concetta) is a simple off-white tile, and the gently sloping ceiling overhead showcases the wooden timbers of the roof, to give the house something of the feeling of a cabin or  rustic space. The lighting design is very contemporary, however, as is the kitchen, so the sensation here is almost Scandinavian, beautifully cool in the hot Sicilian summers. In truth, because the current owners are here so infrequently, the huge room is a  little under-furnished at the moment. You could easily create an office or workspace, and by adding some dressers or bookcases and putting some art or decorations on the wall it would quickly feel more homely without ever seeming cramped.

A flight of four marble steps leads you up into the upper floor of the original house, above the storage space. You come to a landing where an ante-room has made a beautiful use of the original stone wall. This is a feature too of the bedrooms. The perfect use for this space has yet to be found – it might be ideal for housing overflow wardrobes from the bedroom, or could be a little office or perhaps a playroom.

A twin and a master bedroom, each with good storage space, are separated by a family bathroom finished in a very smart blue and white tile.

On a plot measuring more than seven acres it goes without saying that there is a lot of space outside the home. Separated from the road by a wide driveway, there is plenty of parking for up to four cars. In the immediate vicinity of the main building is a large covered veranda and an open patio.

There are also already many olive and carob trees and fruit trees on the estate, and if you’re planning on living here all year round, there would be a wonderful temptation to add a vegetable garden. You could even raise livestock here.

Fully fenced for security, the property also includes a large storage shed, not yet renovated, which could either be used for tools and equipment in its current state, or converted into an outbuilding. The large parcel of land included in the sale stretches over an entire hillside. The ruin for renovation is uphill, with wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.

Everything is in order in this beautiful villa in Ragusa, which has been tastefully furnished. The house is solid and completely free of damp or structural issues. The double glazed windows and all doors are in excellent condition.

Casa Maria Concetta is served by the municipal electrical and water networks, although drainage is into an Imhoff septic tank.

Surroundings

The villa lies just to the north of the south-eastern Sicilian city of Ragusa. Although surrounded by hills, olive groves and pasture, it is in fact less than 30 km from the beautiful beaches of Marina di Modica and Pozzallo.

The road which leads to the villa is in excellent condition, fully asphalted right up until the final hundred metres. This last little stretch is unpaved, but the ground is flat and the track would be easily passable in any kind of vehicle.

The centre of Ragusa is about half an hour away by car, but just 4km up the road is  the village of San Giacomo. This friendly little community is home to a supermarket, a butcher’s shop, a greengrocer’s, a pizzeria, bar and a church.

This region of Sicily is home to some fabulous baroque architecture, in the towns of Ragusa, Modica, Noto, Catania and the surrounding countryside. Protected as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 2002, the architectural and artistic treasures of the area attract visitors and scholars from all over Europe and far beyond.

The nearest airport is just 16km to the west at Comiso, although flights to and from this small terminal are rather limited. A more versatile option is Catania Fontanarossa, about 80 minutes’ drive away.

Potential

While there is no work at all to be done on Casa Maria Concetta, other than adding your own personal touches to make it feel completely like home, the enormous potential is of course in the abandoned shell of a building up the hill. This would make a double investment, both in the existing home to live in and the possible sale of the new structure to be built.

While there is no real way to accurately estimate the cost involved in such a project, due to the enormous variance in designs, building materials and scale possible, a very rough budget might be around €1200 per square metre of construction.

Of course, the priority is to assemble the best possible team of professionals and craftspeople. Here the Property in Sicily team would be delighted to make your lives easier in any way possible. We have extensive experience in the project management of construction projects undertaken by delighted international buyers in Sicily. As part of our unbeatable range of after-sales support, we can guide you right through the process of planning and realising your dreams for your new investment.

Whatever future you see for Casa Maria Concetta, its beautiful land and exciting renovation project, we will make sure it goes as smoothly as you could ever hope. Talk to us about your ideas today.