Property Description

Sea-view Property to Renovate in Sicily. Even Cheaper than a €1 House!

You’ve heard all about the famous “one Euro houses in Sicily”, but this is every bit as good a deal with none of the complicated strings attached. With a price tag of just €7,000, La Torre in the stunning Madonie town of Pollina is for sale at the price paid to the technician who sorted out the documentation on this old property. Nothing else to pay whatsoever!

With an absolutely breathtaking panorama of sea and green hills, a prime location close to the famous beach town of Cefalù and in an area where renovation costs are still at a very reasonable level, La Torre is a sensational opportunity for the adventurous purchaser. If you’ve ever dreamt of the magical challenge of renovating an historic property in Sicily, this could be the very best deal on the market.

Built in the first half of the twentieth century, La Torre dates back to an era when planning permission and legal formalities were a long way from the importance they have today. Archiving was of course all done by hand, and many pre-war properties simply don’t have any documentation. This poised quite a challenge for the municipality when the disused structure was put up for sale, but the fact that it has now been correctly registered and codified allows you to buy with confidence.

The Property

It’s important to be realistic about La Torre and the level of work required. At present it is not structurally safe to enter – this is why we have no footage from the interior! So obviously the first vital step will be to assemble a team of architects and engineers who can secure the building. However, it won’t need to be rebuilt from scratch, the external walls appear to be in good condition. It is the insides, floors and ceilings, staircases, utilities and decoration which will need to  be overhauled to bring the property up to date.

Of course, you will have at your disposal all the bricks and finishing features that can be salvaged. Repurposing these with a talented designer, you will be able to create a new La Torre which combines elements of its century-old history with all the comforts and style you’d expect from a newly built home.

The ground floor of the sea-view property to renovate in Sicily is a warehouse, storage space which could be used for bikes (not cars, for access reasons) or machinery. Above this, it lives up to its name, which translates into English as “the tower”! With four habitable floors above the garage, it rises above many of its neighbours, and the views from the top are absolutely stunning. Imagine a roof terrace with the best view in the entire natural park. This could be the renovated La Torre.

Each floor measures about 25m2, allowing more than enough space for a variety of different configurations. You could certainly fit in two double bedrooms and a single, a pair of bathrooms, and a generous kitchen-diner-living space. There are balconies on every floor which will of course need some care and attention, but which will eventually give you the chance to step straight out from your bedroom or living room into the fresh mountain air and take in both the gentle noises of the village below and the seemingly infinite stretch of blue sky overhead.

Surroundings

La Torre opens onto a tiny piazza, which is only reachable on foot – you won’t find this address on Google Maps! Of course, as well as the timeless atmosphere that comes from such a tucked-away location you will also enjoy terrific privacy and an almost otherworldly feeling of being almost literally ‘off the map’. If you dream of buying a house in Sicily to escape from the bustle and chaos of modern life, we can’t think of a finer spot to invest. Even the very best sea-view property to renovate in Sicily just doesn’t come with this level of view very often.

Directly opposite stands a house which was once the parish priest’s residence. This was recently purchased by the municipality of Pollina, who will renovate it in the coming years – when even the municipal authorities themselves are buying up real estate in your little courtyard you know that it’s the right place to be putting your money!

Access is obviously not ideal for anyone with limited mobility, but this is, honestly, true of most of Pollina, a hilltop community where limited space and wonderful views have led building work over many centuries to favour the vertical over the horizontal! It is possible to park your car around 50m away from the front door, where there is enough space to use as a base for construction vehicles during the renovation work.

Along with nearby Gratteri, another hidden gem of the Madonie Natural Park, we picked Pollina as one of our top investment tips in the whole of Sicily a few years ago, and since then it has only been thriving. Reversing the trends of depopulation and an ageing demographic under the guidance of a progressive local authority and some brilliant municipal investment, it is now home to a mix of local families and newer arrivals, many of whom we have ourselves helped to make this picturesque medieval town their home.

We have an entire page devoted to the benefits of Pollina and its often surprising mix of ancient and modern cultures. The amenities offered by the town include ultra fast fibre-optic broadband, smart recycling systems and a wonderfully dramatic outdoor amphitheatre, which hosts regular performances for all ages throughout the summer months. You’ll find that a few hundred metres of elevation above sea level not only guarantees mesmeric views but offers a really refreshing breeze to make Sicily’s intense summers significantly more pleasant.

Although a small town, of about 5,000 permanent residents, you will find grocery stores, a pharmacy, cafes and bars and a couple of good restaurants within walking distance of your new home in Sicily.

Potential

Obviously, a complete overhaul is going to be required before La Torre is ready to become a permanent base.

Besides being certified real estate agents, the friendly and very multilingual Property in Sicily team are very proud of our long track record in project management. We understand that when you’re buying property in a new country, you want a service that you can depend upon not just up to the exchange of contracts, but to the point at which your house truly feels like your home. For this reason we would be delighted to offer assistance with everything from finding trustworthy professionals to oversee the legal, architectural and design work necessary, to the interior design and decoration that fully polishes the stone. That’s the kind of long-term working relationship which has seen so many of our clients become close friends.

We would suggest that, in this area, a budget of €100-120k would allow you to totally renovate the entire property. For this kind of investment we can help you add new floors, roof, installations, stairs, windows, and the plastering inside and out.

If you’d seen a brand new property with this kind of view, twenty minutes from one of Sicily’s premier beach towns, for a price under €130,000, we’re willing to bet that your heads would have been turned very quickly indeed. Offering all that plus the knowledge that every finishing touch can be completely customised to suit your personal taste, La Torre is an amazing opportunty that will not stay on the market for long!