Property Description

Beautiful Sea-view Villa in Sicily, with Two Incredible Panoramic Terraces

Perched at the top of a steep slope along a valley which runs down to the Tyrrhenian Sea, Casa Pietro is a property to fall in love with at first sight. Located in the municipality of Reitano in the province of Messina in the Nerbodi Natural Park, this is a charming and characterful stone cottage surrounded by greenery and with a beautiful view of the sea and the Aeolian Islands.

The incredible 180 degree panorama takes in a vast, jaw-dropping canvass of light green pasture, deeper green patches of woodland, neat rows of olive groves, deep blue sea and a sky overhead which is invariably its equal. Bathed in sunshine for over 300 days of the average year, this is the kind of vantage point which you can only dream of when you first start to consider buying property in Sicily.

While the views from the front driveway are already impressive, the huge veranda at the property’s rear is an unrivalled spot from which to drink in the spectacular Sicilian sunsets or invite your friends and family to an al-fresco dinner under the stars. Your new life in Sicily is brimming with beautiful promise.

From our point of view, the rustic stone sea view villa in Sicily’s green hills is an absolute stunner, and we don’t expect it to stay on the market for long. Already fully habitable, with a little refreshing of the décor and light restoration work Casa Pietro will be truly beautiful once more. Of course, whatever you do to the building the real attraction of this cottage will always be that priceless location, with the dazzling view of timeless hills, twinkling sea and the dramatic volcanic archipelago in the background.

The Property

Casa Pietro’s 80m2 of habitable space is split between a living room, a kitchen, a pair of bedrooms and another pair of bathrooms.

The way that the house has been built into the steep terrain means that the entry to the property, from the nearby state highway, is actually above the height of its roof. From the driveway it appears to be a bungalow, but in fact the true ‘ground’ floor is further down the hillside, accessible from an external staircase.

On the upper level is the ‘daytime’ area of the house. We find twin entrances at the front and rear, leading into the living room and kitchen respectively. The former has a large open fireplace, and a window looking out over the valley, while the kitchen has an impressive array of storage space for a smallish room. At this level there is also a bathroom with a shower.

Downstairs are a pair of smallish double bedrooms, and another bathroom, also with a shower. You’ll also find small storage rooms, one of which is currently used to store garden tools and the other for store suitcases and similar seasonal items.

Outside, that remarkable view is on full display from the driveway, a small terrace to the front of the house with a dining table, and the main terrace to the rear. This last is partially covered with a permanent canopy, and is also home to one of Casa Pietro’s nicest additions – the outdoor kitchen with fixed sink, pizza oven and gas hob. This, too, is afforded shade by a sturdy roof.

The property is fully fenced and in total the plot is almost 1,000m2. Beyond the house and terraces is a stretch of land dotted with fruit trees and Mediterranean foliage. Casa Pietro is served by the main electricity grid, and draws water from a private well and a 9,000 litre reserve cistern.

Surroundings

Casa Pietro can be reached by a very well-maintained state road, which leads you from the E90 motorway exit at Santo Stefano di Camastra up into the Mistretta hills in just a few minutes. As the road winds up between the surrounding hills, the sea views are really wondrous. As about 600m above sea level you reach the property – this elevation is certainly enough to make the sultry Sicilian summers a far more comfortable and breezy proposition.

As you drive this road you will pass through the little hamlet of Reitano. Further up, above the property, Casa Pietro is less than 3km from Mistretta, an ancient hilltop town of a few thousand inhabitants. Rich in history and tradition, the land was first settled by the Phoenicians, centuries before the birth of Christ.

Today’s Mistretta is a warren of cobbled streets and quaint piazzas, populated overwhelmingly by residents whose families have called the community home for generations. A quartet of museums, dedicated to the civic life, regional traditions, native fauna and religious history of the community will help you connect more deeply with the region – past, present and indeed future.

Although the house is surrounded by greenery and tranquillity, a car will bring you to it is only a few minutes by car from the main shopping facilities, where you can find grocery shops, shops, restaurants and bars.

The sea is less than fifteen minutes away by car, with beautiful beaches at Santo Stefano and Castel di Tusa, where a fabulous outdoor sculpture park makes a lovely backdrop to a ramble in the hills.

Taking the E90 east, you pass Milazzo – departure point for regular ferries to the Aeolian Islands – and eventually reach Messina, gateway to the toe of Italy’s famous peninsular boot. Heading west you reach the iconic beach town of Cefalù, whose Arab-Norman cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and whose two kilometre strip of golden sandy beach is one of the finest in Italy.

From here, the great city of Palermo is just over an hour away. Italy’s fifth largest metropolis is home to a thrilling and continuously evolving array of traditions, art, and fabulous culinary treats. Falcone-Borsellino International Airport can be reached in just over 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Potential

The property is currently occupied and certainly ready to be inhabited as soon as contracts have been exchanged. However, we feel that there is a lot of potential still to be unlocked by a bit of investment.

As well as the decoration, which is obviously a question of personal taste, we would certainly recommend installing double glazing – at present the windows are a mix of aluminium and wood, all of which are only singly glazed. There is also room to improve the bathrooms, kitchen suite and some of the spaces downstairs. The great advantage of the property, however, compared to many in this price range, is that there is no urgent need to spend money before moving in.

Whatever potential you see in this beautiful sea view villa in Sicily, our friendly, multi-lingual team are waiting to guide you through the process. Drop us a line today and let’s start making your Sicilian dream come true.