Property Description

Spacious Two-storey Family Villa Outside Palermo with Four Bedrooms, Stellar Views and 10,000m2 of Hilltop Land

Perched 400m above sea level on the south slope of a hill, Villa Carlo offers sensational views of the Sicilian countryside and sunshine right throughout the day. Built in 1993 and remodelled a decade later, it is modern and, while there are certainly aspects you might want to invest in, absolutely ready to be lived in right away.

The final house on its lane, this large family villa outside Palermo offers a paradise of complete seclusion for lovers of the great outdoors. If you want to buy a home in Sicily to escape the pressures of urban living Villa Carlo could hardly be more inspiring, sitting on a 10,000m2 estate – 7,000m2 of which is mountain land, maintained by the government. This is perfect rural isolation, just twenty minutes by car from Italy’s fifth-largest city. The entire hill rising behind the property is part of the sale.

The 163m2 of indoor space four bedrooms, with two full bathrooms and two additional WCs. The living room is especially large at around 40m2, and the kitchen is separate, though connected through a serving hatch. 55m2 of terraces have been framed by ornamental plants to make sure the immediate surroundings of the home are as beautiful as the views in the distance. On a calm day when the leaves of the trees are not rustling you can enjoy almost total silence.

The Property

A steep driveway leads up from a quiet but well laid country lane to the flattened terrace on which the villa has been built. Ample off-street parking is afforded shade throughout most of the day by a variety of mostly evergreen trees. A little corner of patio at the end of the drive has a fixed canopy and a maintenance shed – from here you will enjoy the first glimpse of those incredible, uninterrupted views down the valley.

The estate is almost entirely fenced off, but thanks to a firm friendship with the immediate neighbours, one boundary has been left open. Of course, one could close it off, but it’s nice to know that your closest neighbours are sociable and welcoming!

The villa itself has been built on two storeys, each of which has their own external access thanks to an external staircase leading up to the master bedroom. At ground level the front door brings you directly into that expansive L-shaped living room, with an open fireplace in one corner and more than enough space to surround it with all of the sofas you like, plus a dining area. The short end of the L creates a cosy little nook with a large window, which would be great as a space for working, reading or play. On the long side of the room is a door onto the deep, scenic patio.

The kitchen is compact but bright, with a walk-in larder and natural light coming from both sides thanks to that serving hatch. Next to this is a washroom, while on the far side of the living room you’ll find a single bedroom with a south-facing window, and a family bathroom with a shower.

The colourful staircase is finished with majolica tiles and a blue wrought iron handrail. At the top of this you reach a deep landing big enough for wardrobes or an armchair. On this level the roof slopes down to a minimum height of 170 cm, but the vast majority of the floor the ceiling comfortably clears 2 metres.

The master bedroom is colourful, echoing the yellow and blue scheme of the staircase, and well-sized, with an en-suite bathroom and French windows that bring you directly out onto the balcony terrace. Above the treeline, this position offers a view that has to be the pick of the entire bunch. Twin guest bedrooms are each big enough to accommodate double or bunk beds, keeping the versatile home more than suitable for a family of any age. An internal storeroom next to the master bedroom would make a great walk-in closet.

The basement has a single room, long and thin with windows right along one side and a WC. The current owners have turned it into a gym with a really inspiring view.

The house will be sold empty of all moveable furniture. There is the option to retain the kitchen cupboards and worktop, but this is a stopgap option that you would will probably want to upgrade. The bathroom fixtures will remain. The floors are in ceramic tile throughout.
Unusually for Sicily, Villa Carlo has a central heating system with radiators and a boiler in good working order, powered by an LPG tank above ground behind the villa. The only air conditioning, however, is the natural one provided by the light breeze thanks to the hillside location. The position is too remote for a connection to the public sewer, but there is an Imhoff tank, a form of septic tank which treats and processes the waste water. There is a connection to the water main, and a huge reserve cistern.

Surroundings

Although Villa Carlo feels completely removed from any kind of urban life, it is in fact surprisingly well connected. Just ten minutes away is the market town of Misilmeri, home to around 25,000 residents and all the shops and services you’ll need on a regular basis. Built around a Moorish fortress, the town’s name actually means the ‘castle of the Emir’.

Twenty minutes away are the slightly larger town of Bagheria, and the beaches and beautiful varied coastline of the Capo Zafferano peninsula. The nearest beach of all is at Ficarazzi, a deep stretch of sand and pebbles that’s often overlooked by tourists but a hit with the locals.

A similar drive to the west will bring you to the outskirts of Palermo, a thrilling and endlessly evolving city that we write about at length in this special article.

If you travel south the region quickly becomes very hilly. The lovely forest of la Ficuzza makes for a lovely hike, while the dramatic gorge of the Gole del Drago will also be a hit with any visitors. Before flatting into the plains of the Sicilian interior the landscape peaks at around 700m – less intimidating than the mountains of the Madonie or Nebrodi parks to the east if you want to cycle or hike.

Potential

At the moment Villa Carlo is a family home, and you could absolutely move straight in. However, if you want to maximise your investment there are certainly aspects which would give you a good return in terms of quality of life or resale value.

The windows are double glazed but old and a little worn. The bathrooms could certainly be modernised and as we mentioned before you will probably want to invest in a new kitchen.

The vendor began work on a swimming pool which would be one of the most beautiful spots imaginable to cool off on a hot summer’s day. The hole is already dug, and if you are able to complete this it would really be the perfect finishing touch to an already unique estate.

If you wanted an independent guest flat, you could easily create one where the gym is, thanks to the plumbing in place. It would be a small studio but with a great view.

In similar vein, the external staircase means that you could create a second apartment upstairs, although this would need the addition of a new kitchen and probably an extra bathroom.

We believe that an investment of around €60,000 could transform this lovely scenic property into an absolutely perfect family villa outside Palermo.