Property Description

Palazzo Peri – Renovate a Sicilian Palazzo – 800m2, Complete with Old Church and Courtyard!

Live the White Lotus Dream with Your Own Luxury Hotel or Apartments in the Hills of the Madonie

Every so often we find ourselves in front of a property which is so special, so completely unique, that it is hard to know where exactly to start describing it.

Palazzo Peri is one such challenge. Do we begin with the sixteen-room main house, with decorative tiles, fabulous ornate balconies and decorative stonework? Tempt you with the opportunity to renovate a Sicilian palazzo? Or should we lead with the fact that, included in the sale, is an entire eighteenth century church, complete with sacristy and courtyard? Do we highlight above all the fact that 800m2 of real estate is being sold for an asking price of under €500 per square metre? Wherever we start it seems absurd to relegate any one of these incredible realities to a later paragraph.

Let us say, with no fear of contradiction, that this huge prestige property is absolutely steeped in history, from the foundations to the antique fixed oven. The sturdy stone walls have stood for around 250 years and a recent structural report believes that there is no danger of them going anywhere soon. Newer details like the beautiful floor tiles of the upper floors and the vaulted ceilings on the second floor are all beautiful in their own way and there is no doubt that the buyer will be taking on an incredible legacy that goes well beyond bricks and mortar.

We can consider the palazzo in four main sections: The living area, the storerooms, the yard and the church. The living area, on three floors, comprises 14 rooms, mostly of extra large size. The former church is a huge rectangular space, with characteristically high roof, and a large anteroom to the rear, at one side. It opens both onto the street and the courtyard. The yard is a sloping grassy space, and the seven storerooms beyond have a huge capacity.

To be plain, Palazzo Peri is both a stunning opportunity and a significant challenge: it is not habitable at present, and a significant investment beyond the purchase price will be necessary to fully renovate this historic gem. However, the final result of this time and effort will be a stunning property. Later in this piece we’ll look at a few possibilities for its restoration, but first we’ll take a closer look at the complex as it stands now.

The Property

Believed to dating back to the second half of the 18th century, there is actually a possibility that it is slightly older as historical records are sparse. Palazzo Peri is a typical example of civil architecture from the Sicilian Baroque, with particular attention paid to the exterior decoration. Indeed, the interiors are strikingly simple and understated by comparison.

A notable exception to this is the flooring throughout the living area, which boasts a variety of over a dozen decorative tile patterns. The internal doors are sturdy and wooden; the external ones similarly so and will be able to be restored and reincorporated into the new design. Only the windows and shutters will need to be replaced.

The façade is dominated by huge stone cantonments which frame the front door of the building and also the windows on the first floor. Those on the second floor offer a less ostentatious design which nonetheless maintains a perfect unity with the lower levels. The first floor boasts a pair of rounded balconies with goose-breasted railings supported by beautiful carved stone corbels. T stonework is simpler indoors, with clean walls and solid staircases with neat marble floor tiles.

The second floor offers some beautiful views from almost every room. The main town church, with its distinctive medieval fortifications, is just a few metres away to the south, and the green hilltops of the fabulous Madonie Natural Park stand out against the deep blue sky and terracotta roof tiles of the surrounding buildings.

To the left of the living quarters, across a little courtyard, are the church and adjoining sacristy. These have a less florid design but fit perfectly into the complex, giving the architectural layout the harmony you would expect of a building designed by an aristocracy who were solidly connected to its land and people. There have been very few modifications or additions over the years.

The courtyard is a rectangular piece of sloping grass, which has been neither planted nor tended. A few choice additions of plants and decorative features here could transform it into a really lovely space, which catches plenty of direct sunlight in the middle of the day, as you renovate this Sicilian Palazzo and watch it transform into a thriving social space.

Surroundings

The welcoming and diverse town of Collesano began life first as a Muslim fortress on the Monte d’Oro, the so-called hill of gold, before this was Latinised to become Golisanum. Conquered by the Norman Count Roger in the eleventh century, it became the centre of a vast feudal lordship, with a strong military protection and economic interests extended from the sea to the heart of the Madonie mountains.

Indeed, modern Collesano still runs almost down to sea level, bordering the coastal towns of Campofelice di Roccella and Lascari to the north. In the east it touches another of our favourite real estate tips in the region, Gratteri.

Home to about four thousand residents, it caught our eye when we recently noticed a boom in international buyers in the town, who have formed a very welcoming and active community. Not that the local way of life is in any way under threat, many of Collesano’s residents coming from families who have called the town home for centuries. They still perform the ancient mystery plays of “la Cercha” and “la Casazza” to celebrate Holy Week, and festivities around the ‘Chiesa Madre’ bring the town to life.

More recent cultural developments have been the town’s prestige as a centre for beautiful handmade ceramics, and its place in motor sport folklore as the home of the legendary Targa Florio rally, the first of its kind to be staged anywhere in the world. The little village’s hairpin was a precursor to – and perhaps even the inspiration for – the famous corner in Monte Carlo.

You will find all of the shops, bars and restaurants you and your guests need for a relaxing daily routine within just a few moments’ walk from your impressive front door. This is the most historic and beautiful part of the town. As you move towards the northern edge, the architecture gets a bit modern, but in compensation the sea views are truly memorable.

A little further afield, the nearest sandy beach is just 20 minutes’ away, and the famous golden sands of Cefalù can be reached in only a little more time. The predominant city of Sicily, Palermo, is only an hour to the west, and if you prefer to take the train you can catch one just down the hill at sea level in Campofelice.

Potential

The palazzo could be used as a single, luxury living space. The type of buyer interested in it for this reason would likely be interested in it as a summer home, and it would easily accommodate any size of party or entertainment. As a statement home it would be in a class of its own.

An alternative would be to divide it into smaller apartments and sell some of these off to fund the purchase and renovation work. Given the prestige location and Collesano’s international appeal, it should be more than possible to hang onto a choice apartment oneself and still turn a profit.

A third use would be a boutique luxury hotel or guest house. If you enjoyed the Sicilian setting of HBO’s celebrated 2023 miniseries The White Lotus, the possibility of owning a similarly elite holiday spot with a distinguished clientele could be an enticing prospect. The old chapel could become a statement restaurant, a unique conference room, or perhaps a spa…?

When the town of Collesano was searching for a new site for the Targa Florio museum, the local attraction dedicated to the great motor sport race, this structure was amongst those considered for the project. It could certainly be possible to imagine some other kind of use for such a large and prestigious piece of real estate.

The survey conducted as part of that evaluation process found that there was no subsidence, and the foundations were in good condition. The report recommended that if the building were to be restored for residential use it would not be necessary to make any interventions on the floors and ceilings of the main house. However, they did caution that with the potential for unusually heavy loads inherent in a public building like a museum, it would be necessary to examine and potentially reinforce the structure somewhat, with a static verification of the floors and wall connections.

The report continued that the pitched roof would need to be strengthened, and that a review should be carried out to ensure the structure is able to withstand any potential earthquakes in the region. It should be noted that the Italian government has shown a willingness to help subsidise procedures which are designed to guarantee the safety of accommodation in the event of seismic shocks.

A last advantage of note to consider is the fact that we have helped oversee the restoration (and even full construction) of several properties in Collesano, and our project management team have an excellent working relationship with the municipality. Any research into the realities of what’s required to renovate a Sicilian palazzo of this age and prestige will tell you that the red tape can be a killer, but the local authorities have shown a real willingness to encourage external investment in their town, and that can be worth its weight in gold.

Talk to us about your dreams for Palazzo Peri today!