Property Description

Build Your Own Villa in Sicily, with Sea Views and Huge Hillside Estate

At the heart of Sicily’s northern coast, between the towns of Termini Imerese and Cefalù, Top Plot Collesano is really unique hillside plot spanning approximately 10,000 m2 of land. With surprisingly green hillsides rolling down to meet the deep blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, and one of Europe’s sunniest climates offering over two hundred and fifty completely rain free days every year, this is one of the most welcoming spots to build your own Tuscan-style villa anywhere in Europe.

There are many patches of hillside land for sale in Sicily, but to own the very summit of the slopes means something very special. 360 degree panoramas. Sun pouring straight in through your windows from sunrise to sunset. Complete privacy and the guarantee of a sea view that can never be interrupted. You’ll start to understand why we came to call it ‘Top Plot’!

There is no hill between you and the water on which any other building could ever be constructed. By acquiring this super exclusive land parcel, you aren’t just securing a gorgeous panorama for your lifetimes but for generations to come. And while we’re thinking about sustainability, keep reading to discover our proposal to make this a completely energy-independent home.

With the picture-perfect and ever-popular beach town of Cefalù just twenty minutes along the coast, you will not only have convenient access to some of Sicily’s finest sandy beach, but also a vacation rentals market that can guarantee you a very stable return on your investment, if you don’t plan on relocating to Sicily full time.

Let’s take a closer look at the land itself…

The Property

A roughly rectangular plot running east-west along the top of the hill, Top Plot Collesano is around two and a half acres of undeveloped pasture. With a geological foundation of hard rock, you will be able to rely on enormous stability in construction, without the need for additional stakes to anchor the new structure.

A wildfire passed through the region about a decade ago, which sadly removed any trees from the plot. However, on the southern section of the hill it would be possible to plant olive trees, citrus trees or vines. Obviously we would advise liaising with the fire authorities to take all possible precautions to protect the vineyard or orchard. The sea-facing slope to the north could theoretically be cultivated, but the steep incline means that you would first need to landscape and create terraces before planting.

The land use regulations provide for the construction of a house measuring around one hundred square metres, plus terraces, patio and of course your own private swimming pool, with that phenomenal sea view.

While this villa exists, for now, only in your imagination, many of our most satisfied clients have been those we have helped with renovation and build-from-scratch projects, taking them from the purchase of the land right through the design, planning, legal and construction phases. With the most comprehensive after-sales care packages to be found anywhere in Italian real estate, the dream to build your own villa in Sicily can become a magical reality.

Surroundings

Despite the tourist flows that converge on Cefalù, especially in the summer months, the region retains an unmistakable Sicilian character, and the traditional ways of life you’ll find in villages like Collesano has gone largely unchanged for many centuries. Most people still buy bread, meat or fish and fresh vegetables daily, from small independent bakeries, butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers. The family unit is of the highest importance, with mealtimes holding a particular symbolic importance. Large gatherings of family and friends will last late into the warm summer nights, and by day the bars are as much a social hub as they are a source of carefully-made coffee.

The majestic Madonie Natural Park, which rises up to the south of Collesano, is filled with ancient towns and villages, many of which still encircled by their medieval fortifications. Each one has its own proudly defended identity and traditions, with festivals, culinary specialities and even dialects that differ from one hilltop to the next.

We’ve identified a couple of these in the past as perfect locations to buy or build your own villa in Sicily, but Collesano would definitely make our shortlist too. You may not find the headline-grabbing temptations of the ‘1 euro houses in Sicily’ promotions, but the value for money in the long run can actually be better, as our deep dive into the schemes discusses. They can make for great TV, as Amanda Holden and Alan Carr recently demonstrated on the BBC, but if you want the perfect combination of natural beauty, seclusion and modern comfort, building your own villa is impossible to beat.

Top Plot Collesano is connected to the main provincial road by an access road which is paved, but which quite honestly could be in much better condition. However, it’s definitely navigable in any kind of vehicle.

About 200m to the south (so behind where your villa will be built, towards the mountains) there is a very similar hill on which a very friendly German family has built a similar villa. You can see first hand evidence of the potential to create a lovely home in this precise neighbourhood.

Potential

Before you get started on construction, you’re going to need to think about an internal road connecting the main road to the top of the hill, where the finished villa will stand. Eventually you may want to add outdoor parking spaces and other routes, but this is obviously an essential.

We mentioned earlier the plot’s amazing potential for true energy independence. If you were to install photovoltaic panels, water heating from solar power (somehow those 250 days of sunshine just managed to get even better!) and channels and storage tanks to collect rainwater, it’s possible to turn Top Plot Collesano into a completely autonomous home.

People will always ask us how much they need to spend in order to build a villa, and to an extent this question is the real estate version of ‘How long is a piece of string?’. Everyone has different tastes and wish-lists. But if you’re going to set out to build your own villa in Sicily, it’s fair to budget around €2-3,000 per square metre of construction. A good swimming pool will set you back around €30,000, and of course expenses like the road, energy installations and gardening will push things upwards a bit.

Bearing this in mind, a really good quality villa, making the most of this unique location, with an infinity pool, access road and gardens, will cost in the region of €350,000 to build. Even adding the purchase price into the equation, a look at our property directory will tell you that you simply can’t buy that kind of luxury real estate ready-made for these prices.

Now that’s really what we would call a TOP Plot!