Property Description

Two-bedroom Holiday Home with Roof Terrace in Sicily’s Northern Madonie Park

Palazzo Muffoletto is a classic Sicilian townhouse, built on four floors and topped with a little roof terrace and a wide balcony offering a spectacular view of the nearby village and countryside.

The two bedroom, two reception room family home also has a separate kitchen, bathroom and WC. A pair of spacious balconies are joined by the roughly 12m2 terrace, which opens directly off the top floor of the property.

Some work will be needed to make Palazzo Muffoletto the modern, comfortable home you would like it to be, but the total investment on purchase and restoration could easily stay below the €100,000 mark. When you hold this up against some of the more complicated rebuilding projects which you could undertake around the island (think of those famous ‘€1 house in Sicily’ promotions, for example, Muffoletto represents a terrific opportunity to get your own holiday home with roof terrace in Sicily for a very modest fee.

The Property

The palazzo has a simple floor plan, with a single large room on each of the first three floors. On the top storey, however, it explodes into bright and airy life, with a dining room, kitchen, bathroom, medium sized terrace and large balcony. From these last there are even small slivers of sea view, and the balcony off the dining room in particular offers a lovely panorama of the rooftops of Gratteri and the green rocky outcrop which overlooks the town.

The first and second floors, connected and leading up to the top landing by a pair of lovely open staircases and wrought iron bannisters, are almost identical. Each has a roomy bedroom with a beautiful patterned majolica floor tile underfoot and decorative moulded plaster ceilings.

The first difference is that the lower of the two has a false ‘Juliet’ balcony, while the one above has a full sized balcony large enough to sit on and take in the sunshine. The other is that on this floor there is a small en-suite toilet. The lower bedroom has a little closet in the same place.

On the ground floor, a reception room is currently a little under-used but offers some potential to be a small living space or study. The terracotta tiles and exposed hardwood ceiling beams give it the feeling of an old tavern or farmhouse, and light arrives from a window onto the street. There is a small well and a little utility room accessed through a low doorway to the rear.

The main bathroom is in good condition, with some smart, simple tiles in white and grey. The en-suite toilet could do with being modernised. There are some lovely solid wooden shutters and the ironwork on the banisters and balconies is really nice.

Surroundings

At Property in Sicily we know that our buyers come in all shapes and sizes. While some might dream of sunny beaches or the cosmopolitan experience found in one of the island’s great cities, many are drawn in by the traditional culture and special attitude to life found in the villages and small towns of the region. This last group will be enchanted by Gratteri.

A seemingly timeless community of approximately a thousand inhabitants, we have always championed the picturesque hilltop settlement as one of the best value places to find real estate in Sicily. The huge majority of residents have lived here for entire lifetimes, and in many cases houses have stayed in the same family’s hands for multiple generations.

In its cobbled streets and enchanting little piazzas, the conversation ebbs and flows with the ease of a little community entirely comfortable in its own place in the world. While our work has seen several recent arrivals add an international touch to the town, Gratteri is at heart still a big family. Everything you would need for daily life is within a short reach, from the pharmacy and mini-market to the friendly pizzeria and the small bars that serve almost like common rooms for the village’s residents.

Gratteri is one of the nicest little villages of the Madonie Natural Park, and some beautiful hiking and trekking paths lead directly away from its edges. The park is home to rare butterflies, birds of prey, wild boar and a tapestry of beautiful plant life. From the abundant wild fennel to the naturally-growing orchids, the Sicilian Fir tree to the olive groves that dot its hillsides, the park is a sanctuary for flora and fauna of all kinds.

If you love to cycle, horse ride or climb you will find a wealth of possibilities in the region. The ambitious among you might even want to try your hand at skiing on the Madonie’s upper slopes in winter, paragliding down to the beaches of Cefalù, Lascari and Campofelice, or kite-surfing in the clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The nearest beach is just six kilometres downhill at Lascari, while the ‘pearl of the Tyrrhenian’, Cefalù, is only a twenty minute drive away. With first class restaurants and a year-round social life, the perennially beautiful Norman town is a must-visit at any time of the year.

Palermo, the great capital city of Sicily and the fifth-largest in all of Italy, is an hour to the west by car. This fascinating, multi-faceted city can provide you with everything you need, from succulent street food to world class boutique shopping, opera and a stunning Arab-Norman cathedral.

The nearest airports to this charming holiday home with roof terrace are 80 minutes (Palermo) and 120 minutes (Catania) from your front door, meaning that you can always stay connected to your family and business ties in the north of the continent.

Potential

Palazzo Muffoletto is towards the low end of the ‘renovation project‘ scale. While there is certainly work to be done in order to bring this traditional style town house back to the condition in which it deserves to stand, there is relatively little which needs urgent attention.

The priority would be the amenities, where we estimate around €15,000 will need to be invested in new electrical and plumbing installations. A similar sum will need to be spent on taking care of the roof and adding some insulation at that level.

Depending on your preferences, you could consider opening up the kitchen and dining rooms to create a bigger, more fluid space for cooking and eating. The beauty of this single long room would be that it could open not only onto the balcony but also the roof terrace, where a bit of investment in sturdy all-weather furniture could create a beautiful space for outdoor dining when weather permits. Make sure you get the absolute best out of your new holiday home with roof terrace.

Beyond this, however, the spending can be entirely discretionary. Cosmetic improvements would certainly make the ground floor space a little brighter and fresher, enhance the aesthetics of the terrace and give the kitchen and third floor WC a more modern feel. However, these can be tackled without undermining the viability of the property as a home, especially if you want to take on the challenge yourself after moving in.

If you are planning only to spend some of your year living in Palazzo Muffoletto, using it as a holiday home or seasonal residence, then you can rely on Property in Sicily to be your eyes and ears on the ground, whether you are leaving renovation work to local professionals or letting it as a vacation rental.

If you need a project management service, our reputation in the field is hard-won and long-established.  We offer post-sale services designed to support everyone from full-time new arrivals in Sicily to landlords entering the tourist market.

For a comprehensive consultation or just some informal advice on reliable tradespeople or professionals, our welcoming international team is waiting for your call or email.