Property Description

Beautiful Three-bedroom Sea-view villa in Sicily, Thirty Minutes from Cefalù

7 km inland from the heart of Sicily’s north coast, on the road which connects Collesano in the Madonie Natural Park with the long sandy beaches of Lascari, Villa Rosario rises gently from the hillside to command an unbroken sea view.

The large, alpine-style family villa is built of stone, much of which has been left unplastered, putting the character of the rustic structure on full display. The long, slow slope of the roof and the strong horizontal lines that have been highlighted by the architect create that sense of a mountain escape, even as it gives you the perfect base for a beach holiday.

The property offers three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fabulous garden and a 2,000m2 plot of pasture and olive grove, just over the road from the residential plot.

Sold fully furnished, exactly as seen in our videos and photos, it is a fabulous solution for a family or group of friends who have been dreaming of buying their very own sea-view villa in Sicily.

With an asking price far below what you would pay for the same property just a couple of kilometres to the east in the district of Cefalù, Villa Rosario is in excellent condition, and wonderfully presented. The inclusion of the furniture makes this a purchase as practical as it is good value.

Just imagine the feeling of freedom that would come with a summer escape to the sun that could last as long as you can manage to stay away from work. Surrounded by all of your loved ones, dining under the stars in quintessentially Sicilian style along that long dining table, and drinking in the sunshine, sea views and atmosphere of complete freedom.

The Property

The main building offers 160m2 of internal space, divided evenly between the two floors. There is additional storage space in the form of a double garage (25m2) and a warehouse with an independent bathroom.

The villa itself is comprised of three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms and a kitchen. On the ground floor the centrepiece is the long living room, with plenty of light entering from windows on two sides, and an open fire at one end to keep the place cosy and welcoming in winter. This last has been finished with the same exposed stonework seen on the outside of the building. The furniture here includes a lounge suite with a sofa and two chairs, and a small dining table to seat four.

The kitchen is fabulous, with light wooden tones and simple white tiles continuing the chalet-like feel. It is fully equipped with a fridge-freezer, a fixed oven, gas hobs and an extractor fan, and here again is a small dining table with four chairs.

A ground floor double bedroom has some of the nicest furniture in the property, including a beautiful solid wooden bed, chest of drawers and a double-fronted wardrobe. It offers a garden view. Around the corner is a long thin bathroom with a shower, and twin sinks in front of a huge mirror that really helps create a sense of space.

The upper floor is reached via an external staircase from the patio to the side of the villa. Here you will find a second living room area, complete with a long L -shaped corner sofa. This would make a perfect playroom or could become a library or large office space. The view from the window, north towards the sea, is even better than the one from the veranda beneath. The fields slope gently down towards the sea in the middle distance, and the land in between is almost completely undeveloped until you reach the community that has grown up directly along the coast.

There are a pair of bedrooms at this level, each with a little box balcony that offers a lateral sea view. The smaller one to the rear is furnished with a double bed and wardrobe, while the large master to the front has the a pair of large cupboards, and a big window with same fabulous sea view as the upper lounge. A second bathroom is a similar shape to the one downstairs, with the same twin sinks and mirror, but a tub instead of a shower.

The whole villa has been beautifully finished and maintained. The floors are porcelain tiles throughout, and the walls smooth white plaster. The windows are aluminium with effective red shutters. The property draws electricity and water from the main municipal networks, and a private well takes care of the property’s irrigation needs. All of the installations are correctly certified and the documentation is in perfect order. Heating comes from gas-powered radiators, and you will find air conditioning in all of the rooms.

Outside, the long terrace area outside is amply big enough for the fantastic long table we mentioned before, and there is shade behind some portico-style archways under a covered veranda. If you need to create more shaded space a mechanically-controlled awning can extend to cover the whole patio. The garden beyond has been planted with olive, lemon, orange and fig trees. There is space for a nice lawn, and you could even install a swimming pool here if you wanted to.

Finally, the sale price of this charming sea-view villa in Sicily includes a patch of agricultural land 2000m2 in size. Here you will find a grove of 45 olive trees, taking advantage of the region’s excellent growing conditions to deliver a rich yield of excellent quality oil.

Surroundings

Villa Rosario stands by the side of the main road connecting Collesano to the north coast at Lascari. Around 10 minutes from Collesano, it lies in a quiet, rural area with gently sloping green hills, an abundance of olive trees and relatively few other properties. The road is well-maintained but not congested or noisy.

Collesano is a thriving small town, historically a centre of the ceramics industry famous for its majolica tiles. The trade declined in popularity over the twentieth century, but is enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to a few dedicated small businesses who produce the distinctive tile using traditional methods and are seeing a resurgence in its popularity.

The other claim to fame of the town is its place in motor racing history. A museum near the main piazza is dedicated to the Targa Florio rally, which has passed through Collesano since it became the world’s first ever motor race in 1906.

These days, the town is a wonderful mix of traditional Sicilian culture and cosmopolitan variety. Many new arrivals from the all over Europe and North America, including a large English-speaking contingent, have been drawn to the region by its picturesque views, proximity to sandy beaches and the excellent value of its real estate. A close-knit bunch, this group of international transplants to the island have regular formal and informal meet-ups, and will make the perfect welcome committee to help you settle into the town.

The location of Villa Rosario in the Madonie Natural Park, a beautiful landscape of gentle green hills which rise up further inland to become mountain peaks over 2,000m above sea level, means that the land is very well protected. You are guaranteed not to wake up one morning and find a housing estate taking foundation in the middle of your beautiful sea view.

Potential

The house is in perfect condition, and sailed through our primary survey with no renovation work showing as needing to be done. If we were to really stretch, we would suggest that a little painting would would make the exterior of the villa even more appealing.

Perhaps the biggest potential to improve the property lies in the possibility of adding a swimming pool. The usual cost for a really nice below-ground one in this area is around €30,000, although above-ground options might save you a considerable sum off this price.

The sleeping capacity (easily six, but rising to eight if you were to add a large double sofa bed in the upstairs living room) and location of Villa Rosario mean that if you don’t see it as the basis for a full-time move to Sicily, you would have no trouble whatsoever finding tenants for it as a vacation rental. In high season this could command a four-figure sum every week.

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of living part time in Villa Rosario and would like some expert assistance to manage the marketing, cleaning and logistics necessary to offer the property for rent in your absence, we offer a range of after-sale support packages. Our sister company, Solemar Sicilia, has many years of experience matching luxury vacation properties to high-end clients from the world over.

Alternatively, the heating and air conditioning make this lovely sea-view villa in Sicily a perfect candidate for year-round living. There are some dramatic tax advantages to relocating your legal residence to our beautiful island at this moment in time, and if you would like to discuss these, or any other aspect of life on the island with our friendly multilingual team, we will be delighted to hear from you!