Property Description

Historic Sea-view Property in Sicily, with 200m2 of Internal Space and a Converted Annexe

Charming and unusual, this large sea-view property in Sicily’s north-eastern province of Messina is just two hundred metres from the sea on Sicily’s north coast would be a beautiful way for any family to purchase a piece of the island’s heritage. Its sea views and proximity to the water guarantee relaxation and a priceless connection to nature.

Casina Torremuzza is roughly a third of a beautiful, huge, old villa which was divided into three separate and ample homes by the heirs of the wealthy family who once lived here together. Offering nearly 200m2 of internal space, it is also sold with an 40m2 outbuilding which has been converted into a studio apartment. It would make a great holiday home, but it’s certainly big enough to support a permanent relocation to Sicily.

The immediate surroundings are green and quiet, with trains passing only infrequently along the railway which runs across the field opposite. Most of the time you can just savour the noise coming from the pebble beach and the Tyrrhenian Sea that washes up on it.

Most of the furniture is offered included in the sale, which will make the process of moving house so much easier. This includes some lovely old oak and hardwood pieces, including wardrobes, chests of drawers, tables and chairs.

The Property

The main house is split between two floors, with the division of the old villa meaning that the upper floor is a little larger than the ground one. This latter is mostly taken up by a beautiful long living room with an arched ceiling. Light comes from two windows and a doorway along one of the long sides, and a glazed front door at the northern end. There is a large brick fireplace and chimney to give heat and a focus to the space.

This leads into the only other room on this ground floor, a large family kitchen which is amply big enough to hold a breakfast table. It has been decorated in a traditional Sicilian style, with blue and white majolica tiles everywhere. In this form of kitchen the cupboards, worktops, sinks and even oven are all built into the same permanent structure, meaning you will always have plenty of storage space and a lovely unified design. Light comes from high windows on two sides and a glazed door out to the garden.

A marble staircase takes you up to the first floor, where six rooms are arranged in an interconnecting plan, as was the tradition in noble homes here in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These could be configured in many different ways, but at present there are four living rooms and two bedrooms. All enjoy some colourful majolica tiles, high vaulted ceilings and an abundance of natural light from French windows onto little Juliet balconies.

The living room and master bedroom on the north end of the property have superb sea views. With the water just a stone’s throw away and no obstructions, this is a beautiful opportunity to wake up and spend your days with the sights, sounds and scent of the sea.

Two bathrooms are present, each one modestly sized but finished with tiles. The loft has been converted into another bedroom under the sloping wooden roof. Finally, a garden-view terrace at the back overlooks the annexe, which comprises a single large living room and a bathroom, plus a little storage space on the front.

Outside, the surrounding garden is for common use with the other homes in the building. It’s rough but grassy and framed by some nice trees, hedgerows and a stone wall along the front boundary.

Surroundings

The property is technically in the district of Reitano, a small village of about six hundred inhabitants which is a ten minute drive inland. However, it is effectively a part of the little beach community of Torremuzza, where you can find a couple of small shops, a pizzeria and a handful of beach bars.

The nearest town, as such, is Santo Stefano di Camastra, which you can get to in five minutes by car. This is home to around four thousand residents, and as such offers a wider variety of supermarkets, restaurants and public facilities.

You’ll certainly want to know the beach situation if you’re investing in a sea-view property. In Sicily, frustratingly, the sea is often separated from homes by a train line, and this is the case here. However a convenient underpass nearby lets you reach the pebble beach visible from the house on foot in just a couple of minutes.

Travelling inland, you will soon find yourselves in the hills of the Nebrodi Natural Park, Sicily’s largest and one of it’s most biodiverse protected areas of natural beauty. Other nearby attractions include the fascinating Fiumara d’Arte outdoor sculpture museum, a series of impressive installations arranged across the surrounding countryside. The beauty and history of the Norman beach town Cefalù is just half an hour to the west, and the dramatic Gole di Tiberio gorge is a white-water rafting centre and canyon a similar distance away.

The nearest airport can be found around ninety minutes away in Sicily’s vibrant capital city, Palermo.

Potential

The property is in very good condition overall; it was built to last and it certainly has done that. There are some signs of age in the coved ceilings, but these appear to be only cosmetic. If, given the age of the property, you would like a full survey (something which is not usual practice in Sicily) we can help you find qualified, trustworthy professionals.

The antique wooden windows are losing a lot of heat, and will need to be restored or rebuilt at a  cost which we estimate will be around €15,000. The other unavoidable expenditure will be on the electrical  infrastructure, which does not meet modern standards and will need to be redone at a cost of around €10,000.
Beyond that, there are obvious cosmetic changes which would be at your discretion. We do suggest, given the property’s direct exposure to sea winds in winter and the heat of the Sicilian summer, that the €5-7,000 which would be needed to add a two-way heating and air conditioning system would be a wise investment. If you do it at the same time as the electrics then you can save on the cost of installing tubes and wiring.
If you would like any advice on how to approach renovation work in the region then we would be delighted to guide and even represent you through the entire process. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about this characterful sea-view home in Sicily.