Property Description

Sea-view Sicilian Property For Sale in Gratteri

Standing at the heart of the beautiful hillside municipality of Gratteri in the Madonie National Park, Casa Nuccia is a four storey, three-plus bedroom town house with great bones and a prestigious location. With sea-view balconies, and tons of potential, it represents a fantastic gateway into the life and culture of a traditional Sicilian community.

There is some work to be done in order to fully realise the potential of this sea-view Sicilian property for sale, but once restored to its full glory, it would be a lovely family home, guesthouse, or even pair of independent split-level apartments.

The Property

The sturdy stone construction and arched doorway of the palazzo-style Casa Nuccia reveals that the terraced house once belonged to an aristocratic family. You still can see traces of their wealth in the form of the decorative motif above the front door, and the wrought-iron handrail which leads up the internal staircase. An observant eye will notice that this has been crafted without welding, but rather with interlocking pieces – a sure sign of quality. Even the position, on the left hand side of Corso Umberto, was a sign of prestige – richer families enjoyed the sea view as well as that along the Corso.

Casa Nuccia is served by two separate entrances one to the front and one to the rear, onto a parallel street. The gradient on which the town stands means, however, that this rear door is on the second floor of the property!

The ground floor consists of a small entrance hallway, opening onto what was formerly a stable space. An old trough is filled by fresh water. The space needs to be renovated and decorated. A staircase in similar condition leads to the first floor, we find a small internal room with no natural light, once again in need of some work. it would most obviously serve as a storage space, unless an extractor fan were installed, turning it into a second bathroom. To the front of the property, however, is a very bright and spacious room with a balcony onto the main street.

Climbing a wider and better-maintained staircase, you reach the second floor. Another long room with a balcony is the twin of the one beneath it, and again there is a smaller room to the rear, although this time we are above ground level, and it is naturally light from a window onto the street. On this side the exterior is plastered.

Finally, the top floor comprises a kitchen with a balcony (to the rear), a bathroom with a shower, and a spacious reception room leading to a balcony which is now high enough above the main Corso to offer a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north. The roof overhead is in good condition, with characterful exposed timbers, and the windows are recent and double-glazed, in aluminium.

The property is connected to all standard civic infrastructure, and an additional gas meter has been installed. There is an air conditioning unit in the large room on the top floor, and a storage space under the peak of the sloping roof, reached by a small permanent staircase.

Surroundings

One of the most traditional and picturesque villages of the Madonie National park, Gratteri was our joint pick (with Pollina, 15km to the east) for the best investment opportunity in Sicily just a couple of years ago. Since then we have helped more than two dozens families take advantage of the area’s beautiful scenery and character (not to mention some very inviting tax breaks for new residents!).

To get a quick flavour of the traditional hilltop town, take a look at this video…

Casa Nuccia is found right on the central avenue of the town, Corso Umberto, right next to a welcoming bar (the perfect spot for a cappuccino and croissant in the morning). Within striking distance are a couple of delicious local restaurants, convenience stores, a pharmacy and walk-in clinic, and everything else you might need on a day-to-day basis.

Leaving Gratteri behind, the region is perfect for a long ramble or hike (the ruined Abbey of St George makes a wonderful walk), and the particularly ambitious will enjoy taking on the numerous peaks of the Madonie by bicycle.

If you prefer to explore the area by car, the Madonie is filled with treasures, both natural and man-made – the latter particularly of the edible variety! Down the hill towards the sea you will come to the nearest town, Lascari. Here the long unspoilt stretch of Mediterranean coast is filled with wide, spacious beaches. Its natural charm and brisk sea breezes have made this area a favourite destination for lovers of water sports. Wide and windy, the Spiaggia Salinelle is particularly popular with wind- and kitesurfers. A fascinating virtual museum, the MuVi Museum of Collective Memory, was set up in 2013 with the aim of digitally preserving the region’s fascinating social history.

Of course, just a few kilometres east lies the fabulous beach town of Cefalù. Tourists flock to its pristine beach and timeless Norman old town, not only from overseas but from Sicily’s bustling capital city, Palermo. This lies around an hour away from Gratteri, and its Falcone-Borsellino International Airport will probably be the first port of call for you and your guests on arrival in Sicily.

Potential

The majority of Casa Nuccia is in excellent condition and ready for immediate habitation, but there are some obvious exceptions. Chief amongst these is the former stable space on the ground floor, which is in need of a complete renovation. The storage room on the first floor and staircase which connects the two is also unfinished.

However, from here on up the property is in excellent shape. The floors are solid, although the tiles only date from the 1950s rather than being the traditional local majolica. Perhaps this could be a medium or long-term goal.

Other than the air conditioner on the top floor there is currently no heating apparatus inside the house, although the sturdy stone exterior does provide excellent temperature control, keeping out the worst extremes of summer heat and winter cold.

If you are interested in this sea-view Sicilian property, for sale at a very reasonable price, we can certainly help you make plans. Whether for the immediate work that would need to be done on the lower rooms, or more ambitious later developments, we have expertise and contacts you can trust. Our friendly international team has been project managing the restoration and reconstruction of Sicilian houses for years, and our work has attracted some thoroughly ringing endorsements. Please give us a call or send an email if you would like to talk through any plans you may have for this charming, well-positioned house.