Property Description

Luxury Villa in Sicily’s South with Private Pool, Minutes from the Beach

A luxurious and beautifully built luxury villa in Sicily, in the very sunniest corner of Europe, Villa La Torre stands on the southwestern slope of a gentle hill in the municipality of Ribera in the traditional heart of southern Sicily.

Less than 800 metres as the crow flies from the beautiful sand and shingle beach of Seccagrande, it is conveniently close to the main state highway which follows Sicily’s Mediterranean coast from Trapani to Syracusa, allowing you to reach unforgettable tourist attractions like the temples of Agrigento, the UNESCO-protected baroque villages of the Val de Noto and the wineries of Marsala in an easy day trip.

Of course, with the large private swimming pool, the 2000m2 of landscaped grounds and gardens, the beautifully finished covered veranda and the comfort of this spacious four bedroom property to enjoy, you might never want to leave the comfort of home at all!

This spacious and colourful family villa – perfect for summer use but also more than suitable as a year round base if you are considering a permanent relocation to Sicily – radiates a sense of peace, balance and tranquillity.

Fully renovated in 2017, Villa La Torre has been kept in perfect kitchen by its proud and conscientious owners, and there is no need to do anything after buying the property except furnish the place and make yourselves at home.

The Property

The interior of Villa La Torre measures 140m2, plus some extra space in a loft conversion under the sloping roof, where you will find a bedroom, walk-in closet and bathroom. Around a third of this upstairs space is not actually classed as ‘living space’, due to the very reduced ceiling height. The rest of the interior space – with one small exception – is on the ground floor.

This has two entrances, one through the kitchen and the other into the spacious living room. This long, bright space has a pair of full-length windows facing out towards the pool, and the gleaming white walls put you in mind of a Greek resort like Santorini. From the outside, however, the deep terracotta walls and wood-roofed porticoes are quite unmistakably Italian.

Three of the villa’s four double bedrooms open off this space, including a long one to the west with an en-suite bathroom. There are another pair of bathrooms on this level, too – each with its own spacious walk-in shower. These are finished with simple white tiles, as is the kitchen. Underfoot the easy-clean ceramics have a light magnolia motif.

The only other space – that exception we mentioned above – is Villa La Torre’s most unique feature and the one from which it takes its name. A tall, pavilion-roofed tower protrudes a full extra storey above the upstairs bedroom. Accessed by the same spiral staircase which leads you to the loft, this is the kind of space which one would never think to design in a new construction but which makes the property truly distinctive.

Glazed on all four sides, this little tower room offers an amazing 360 degree panorama of the surrounding countryside, mostly green fields and treetops with the occasional roof in sight until your view reaches the sea in the distance. In truth, the space is not big enough to be more than a viewing platform, but the greenhouse-like glazing means that you could add a few tropical plants and a comfortable chair and spend long afternoons up here reading or enjoying the warmth, especially in the cooler but still sunny months of winter and spring.

Outdoors, the patio area of this lovely luxury villa in Sicily is finished with a permanent barbecue in marble. There is ample parking on the brickwork driveway and an inviting array of cacti, olive trees and local foliage to keep the little estate colourful and enticing all year round.

The pool has been beautifully maintained, and the water purification system uses salt rather than any irritating chemicals. Measuring 6 by 12 metres it is long enough to swim lengths, but small enough to be affordable. There is an outdoor shower for bathers to use, and a large storeroom in which the technical equipment for the pool is housed. This also makes a handy shed for your garden tools.

The entire estate is enclosed by a stone wall, making it a secure and wonderfully private property. At the end of its little street, Villa La Torre is not overlooked by any other houses, and the position of the state road means that it will stay this way. The villa is also fitted with a video surveillance system comprising 10 cameras distributed both indoors and out, allowing you peace of mind whether you are living there or not. The gate is controlled by a video intercom.

Taking a look at the utility situation, we can note that all of the bedrooms and the living room are fitted with heat pumps which work both for heating and cooling, guaranteeing a pleasant living space all year round. The window frames are all double-glazed and energy efficient. Hot water is provided through a solar heating system, while a conventional boiler is also present in case of emergencies. The garden has an automatic irrigation system.

The villa is connected to the municipal water mains, but as this supply is not continuous, the previous owner has also created an underground cistern. Holding up to 20,000 litres, this again means that you are autonomous even in periods of low rainfall. An Imhoff septic tank holds waste water, and this is in good condition with a full service history.

There is no connection to the gas main, though the kitchen is powered by a cannister. These are cheap to replace and refill, making them a great option if the villa is not to be continuously occupied.

Surroundings

The walk down to the beach at Seccagrande is about fifteen minutes, and the hill is not so steep that you’ll automatically be jumping in the car to avoid a painful homeward trek. While there are a few shops, restaurants and bars in this little locality, it mainly comes alive in the summer months, the nearby town of Ribera will be your most frequent port of call for day-to-day life. You’ll find supermarkets, grocers, pharmacies and surgeries in this little town of about 15,000 people.

Agrigento is a forty minute drive along the coast, while the lovely Arabian town of Mazara del Vallo is an hour in the other direction. The airports at Trapani and Sicily’s vibrant capital city, Palermo, are each reachable in an hour and a half.

Potential

Sailing through our structural survey, Villa La Torre is in five star condition, with no work needed either internally or externally. The renovation work in 2017 was carried out using high quality materials, all from the surrounding area. The beautiful Sicilian flooring throughout the house under the portico is a lovely example of this, as are the clay roof tiles, the sturdy timbers shading the terrace and the colourful majolica pieces highlighting its various seating areas.

A combination of the swimming pool, coastal location and seclusion makes Villa La Torre an ideal choice for vacation rentals, and the owner will see a very good return in this market, especially from April to October. If you are interested in this kind of investment in the Sicilian tourist market, please talk to us about the ways in which we can help. Our sister company, Solemar Sicilia, has many years of experience helping discerning holidaymakers find their perfect vacation properties. We can offer marketing reach, booking management services and even help with check-ins and cleaning.

Whether you imagine this luxury villa in Sicily to be your new home, holiday escape or next investment, get in touch with our friendly multilingual team today.