Property Description

House to renovate in Sicily’s Palermo province

With plenty of character and a great chance to end up with a luxury holiday home for a bargain price, this two bedroom family home near Sicily’s north coast is laden with character and blessed with some fabulous rooftop views.

With the option to purchase a small garden in a small hilltop town where outdoor space is at a premium, if you have ever wanted the challenge of buying a house to renovate in Sicily, Casa Parini is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

The Property

On the corner of two quiet, terraced streets, this two bedroom home stands three stories tall. Built in a completely typical style, the simple fascia and deep, protruding balconies are great examples of the timeless design seen throughout the island.

The bedrooms are both large and the first particularly bright, enjoying a dual aspect and opening onto an ample balcony overlooking the sloping street (after which the house is named) and colourful rooftops outside.

On the top floor, a permanent wood-burning pizza oven is the highlight of the small kitchen underneath the sloping roof. Probably the nicest space in the whole property is a long dining room, whose full-length windows open onto a balcony with views over the entire town and the hills beyond. There is also another window, making sure the house’s primary living space never feels anything less than bright and spacious. On this level you will also find a bathroom with a small tub, although this will need to be replaced and updated.

On the ground floor is also a garage, which is currently used as a storeroom and workshop, but is big enough to take your car off the narrow streets of this charming Sicilian village.

Casa Parini’s construction is sturdy and built to last for centuries, although the exteriors obviously do need some work. The floors are relatively recent and good quality, but the roof will need to be replaced.

Outside, just a few metres down the road, a little triangle of garden land also belongs to the property. Holding a couple of local fruit trees and framed by a low drystone wall, it can be purchased for a small extra fee.

This garden is also listed as an option for buyers of Casa Parini 1’s sister property, Parini 2. This latter house needs even more comprehensive restoration work, but would be an enticing companion purchase to create a split guest house or simply save on shared renovation expenses.

Surroundings

At the foot of a sloping street which runs to the edge of the cobbled old town of Caccamo, Casa Parini 1 is just around the corner from the fabulous 14th century Church of the Santissima Anunziata.

Within walking distance of all of the bars, shops and restaurants in this little community of around seven thousand residents, it’s just a stone’s throw from the town hall, main piazza and the high street that winds through the town. There’s everything you need for day-to-day life, including pharmacies, fresh fruit and vegetables and plenty of social life.

Just a ten minute drive downhill is the coastal community of Termini Imerese, a larger market town with a train station, regional hospital and bigger supermarkets. Along this beautiful, relatively un-touristy stretch of Sicily’s Tyrrhenian coastline you will find the fabulous sandy beach and medieval town of Cefalú, the Baroque villas and leafy boulevards of Bagheria, and of course Palermo, the largest city on the island. Home to over a million people, this treasure trove of a city is a continually unfolding warren of street markets, cuisine of all kinds, and all kinds of live music and arts. Finally emerging as a resurgent city break destination, Palermo has well and truly stepped out of the long shadow of its sad twentieth century past.

To the east, rising up to an altitude of practically two thousand metres, are the hills and mountains of the Madonie Natural Park. This haven of biodiversity and stunning views is a paradise for lovers of the great outdoors. Whether you dream of hiking in the spring, paragliding in summer or even snowboarding in the winter, there will be endless possibilities to discover in one of Italy’s most dramatic national parklands.

Potential

There is obviously plenty of work to do to bring Casa Parini 1 up to the standard you’d want from a holiday home, never mind a permanent residence. As we mentioned earlier, all of the exterior will need work. The inter design, too, is certainly dated, although some touches (such as the decorative coving around the ceilings and the wood burning stove in the kitchen) could be revitalised and integrated into a modern refurbishment.

The roof is in need of repair and greater insulation – a fast-moving buyer will here be able to take advantage of the incredible ‘bonus’ system currently being operated by the Italian government. This allows sustainable home improvements (such as those which would improve the energy efficiency classification of a property, including the addition of insulation) to be heavily subsidised by the state. To find out more about the system and how it could help you renovate Casa Parini take a look at our deep dive into the Superbonus system.

The property will eventually need to have new windows and internal doors, but the marble on the floors and staircases is well worth preserving. The bathroom and kitchen will certainly need to be updated, and of course all of the decoration and furnishing could be upgraded.

On balance though, this is a mid-level undertaking, When buying a house to renovate in Sicily there are certainly many more dramatic construction projects you could take on. We believe that the entire project could be achieved to a high standard on a budget of about €70,000.

If you would like to take advantage of Property in Sicily’s years of experience as project managers, we would be delighted to help you make the very most of your investment in Casa Parini. As well as an extensive contact book filled with trusted local architects, designers and construction teams, you will have access to our local know-how to help you obtain all the permits and certifications in the fastest time possible.

Take a look at some of the testimonials and reviews provided by our many happy customers, or talk to one of our welcoming, multilingual team about your plans for Casa Parini today.