Property Description

Luxury Sea-view Villa Overlooking Beautiful Mondello Beach, with Four Bedrooms and Jaw-dropping Terraces

A hugely exciting new addition to our Prestige Homes collection, Villa Odile is a magnificent luxury sea-view villa in the hills above the beach of Mondello, just outside Palermo. 140m above the sun-soaked beach, just a five minute drive away, it offers fabulous views of green hills and blue sea and has just undergone a full renovation, leaving it as good as new.

Perched on the steep hillside, Villa Odile is a huge detached property with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and twin kitchens. You will find fantastic sea-view terraces and wrap-around balconies on each of its three levels, including a garden space which is afforded total privacy by the gradient of the land and the positioning of the property. The views are never better than in the early morning, when the east-facing home is flooded with golden light from the sun rising over the bay.

Mondello beach, the two kilometre stretch of golden sand below, has long been a magnet for the residents of Sicily’s largest city in the sultry summer months, but in truth it is still a fabulous place to spend a day at the seaside well into the northern European autumn. You can bathe very comfortably almost up to Christmas, and by October you will be able to find a section of beach all to yourself.

The work on Villa Odile has been completed to a very high standard with beautiful finishings and lovely design. It is important to note that some minor bits of decoration will be left to the buyer, in order that they can customise the aesthetic as they choose. This is your chance to buy a luxury sea-view villa that you can make absolutely your own.

The Property

The home is built down the hillside, so that only the ground floor and the first are visible from the street side. The middle level is on the same footprint, and each has a deep balcony along the whole of the southern and eastern sides.

The two semi-subterranean levels are ready to function as a completely separate apartment, with each of the two units having its own kitchen, two bedrooms apiece and bathroom facilities. All that would need to be created would be a second entrance, to the left of the current front door. This certainly makes the villa an attractive proposition for two parts of the same family to buy together.

The ground floor is built around a huge open living space with windows on three sides. At the far end is a kitchen, ready for an island-style suite of fixtures to be installed, and a utility room. The focus is on the corner of large windows which lead you to the balcony and the view of the town and surrounding mountains, which is absolutely perfect.

The first floor is reached up a broad flight of stairs where some of the masonry has been left uncovered to give a rustic touch. At the top of this, a little landing opens onto two large bedrooms and a bathroom with a box shower. The bedrooms each connect to the huge terrace, three metres deep and bathed in sun right throughout the day. The ceiling of the first bedroom is very gently pitched under the roof, while the other has a double exposition and a small supporting column.

Going downstairs, the first floor below ground is almost identical to the one directly above. The same open living space focuses around with windows opening onto an identical balcony. Here the fittings for a kitchenette have been installed in one corner of the living space, and behind this are  pair of bedrooms, one with an en-suite bathroom and balcony access and a second family bathroom. The living room also connects to the balcony through two sets of patio doors.

On the lowest level of the property, the second below ground, a garden space has been created between the pillars that support the house. Some of this has been dedicated to the utilities of the building, with a water tank and the systems for electricity and drainage, but another section is completely open. From here the view of the gulf below is every bit as good as it is above. At present this is unfinished, but it will be delivered with a smooth concrete pavement.

The house is connected to all municipal infrastructure, including water, drainage and power. Additional electricity is generated by a 6 kilowatt photovoltaic system, although you will need a mains connection too, as this is an on-demand generator, without storage capacity. A pair of boilers powered by LPG cylinders will allow each of the two potential apartments to work autonomously. Radiators and air conditioning have been installed in all rooms. A large masonry water cistern will give you a reserve water supply.

Surroundings

Villa Odile stands on the southern slope of a huge rocky outcrop which leads up to a peak at 500m above sea level, then descends down a cliff face to the Capo Gallo nature reserve below, on the far side from Mondello. Needless to say, the views throughout this green hillside are fabulous.

This district is called Pizzosella, and it is home to many of the town’s largest and most glamorous villas. Unfortunately, in the past this neighbourhood had a rather unsavoury reputation, and a lot of the property here was built to poor standards of design and legality. You will be relieved to note our legal advisors have analysed the paperwork on this property in minute detail and you can rest assured that everything is 100% in order. Also, as one of the front line properties at the foot of the hill, you don’t have the uglier properties in your sight line at all.

The community on the hill is private, with a gate below where you will find a concierge on duty 24 hours a day. A small condominium fee is well worth the peace of mind this brings, especially if you are not planning to move full time to Villa Odile.

The beach can be reached in seven minutes, or the nature reserve in fifteen through the little town of Sferracavallo. Palermo itself is an easy drive in the other direction, twenty minutes along the road that flanks the huge park of Monte Pellegrino, where you will find the city’s football stadium and some of its best sports facilities, including a nine hold golf course.

You can find out everything you need to know about Sicily’s largest and most important city in our complete guide to Palermo, which covers everything from its ancient origins to the opportunities this rapidly modernising city has for business and leisure. Suffice to say that from its world-renowned opera house and international-class luxury boutiques to the street art and street food culture of its historic market districts, there is something here for absolutely everyone.

The city’s recently renovated Falcone-Borsellino international airport is just twenty minutes away.

Potential

There will only be decorative and finishing touches to put on the luxury sea-view villa. You will need to decide what to do about the outdoor space – we think it would make a spectacular wellness centre, with a jacuzzi tub, a sauna and outdoor gym. Even the most committed couch potato wouldn’t be able to resist working off the arancine and cannoli in a spot that picturesque and inspiring!

If you need any help with getting those last bits of work done, or the mechanics of moving to Sicily and getting settled into your new home, talk to us about the wide range of after-sale services we offer, from project management to language lessons.