Property Description

Luxury Sea-view Villa in Sicily with Over Five Acres of Land

A huge property in a vast, five acre sea-view estate, Villa Valeria is a four bedroom, two bathroom country house standing on the outskirts of the town of Caronia in the centre of Sicily’s north coast. It lies in the foothills of the Nebrodi park, 40km east of Cefalú and 100km west of Messina. Magnificent Mount Etna begins to loom about 40km to the south east.

With 260m2 of indoor space, plus a garage, garden and olive grove, this is a magnificent property with a broad appeal. It could make a luxurious guest house, or the perfect base for a family to begin an exciting new adventure in the simple, traditional world of the Sicilian countryside.

Villa Valeria’s sturdy, stone-built rural house is the impressive centrepiece of the land. Although in fact built as recently as 2009, its adherence to traditional Sicilian style and robust, seismically-safe construction give it a timeless quality. The walls are as much as 50cm thick, giving a quality of insulation that modern constructions can often only dream of. Cool in summer and warm in winter, this is a fabulously welcoming space.

The view from the house and throughout the land is astonishing, the Tyrrhenian Sea clearly visible in the middle distance, just a couple of kilometres away. A well gives an unlimited supply of mountain-fresh drinking water, and its verdant green olive grove has all the space you could dream of, for friends and family to explore.

This sea-view villa in Sicily listed for sale as seen, contents included. The vendor is also open to negotiations for all of the maintenance equipment on site, including a mini tractor on caterpillar tracks, a ploughing machine and – temptingly – a quad bike. All this means that Villa Valeria is one of the most practical opportunities that we’ve seen to own Sicilian real estate at this elevated end of the market.

The Property

A huge open space dominates the ground floor, with kitchen, dining room, living room and hallway all flowing seamlessly into one, with the supporting wall broken by a wide, Romanesque arch. The kitchen area is split, spreading to all four walls of one of the large spaces, with plenty of work surfaces and cupboards, and a double sink. This really integrates the cooking and dining experience with the rest of family life – you won’t find a better example of Sicilian values being reflected in the architecture! A tiled backsplash runs where needed, and a modern extractor fan will keep the space fresh and moisture-free.

Despite being so large, this is a warm space even in winter. A pellet stove provides a good source of warmth, and the walls are a sunny mix of yellows. The floor is an unobtrusive terracotta tile, but we think that a large feature rug would be the perfect accent to lend the space a decorative flourish and a touch of comfort.

The other side of the archway, where the front door stands and a wide staircase curves upwards, is an ample lobby that is at the moment slightly underfurnished. A large dresser, or perhaps an antique wardrobe for coats would fill it better and give it a little more personality. The doors are fabulous, however, sturdy hardwood that long precedes this deceptively modern property.

To the right of the hallway is a corridor that leads to a pair of double bedrooms, each with a fabulous sea view, and a beautifully-decorated bathroom in nautical turquoise and white, with a modern shower. Upstairs the floor plan of this wing of the house is identical, the only difference being that the bathroom at this level has an elegant free-standing bathtub. The high ceilings are brimming with character, exposed hardwood beams sloping down at a gentle gradient which never compromises standing room.

On this first floor the large open space currently feels a little cavernous, but with more furniture would become a stunning living room. The intelligent use of bookcases or a larger dining table would break it up and create different zones, or perhaps some clever lighting design could be employed to vary this versatile room. Light floods in on three sides, with the west-facing wall containing French windows leading out onto a terrace. This is an absolute treasure, a low, castellated wall defining a grand expanse of sunny glory and uninterrupted views of sea and hillside.

A compact spiral staircase allows easy access to a storage space in the loft.

Directly outside there is an ample ring of garden and patio, and strikingly, a well-maintained lawn (no everyday sight in this part of the world!) making intelligent use of a durable Mediterranean grass, and dotted with small local trees and shrubs. A curved trellis creates an enchanting green alleyway that gives the house a fairytale charm. There is a large garage and, obviously, almost unlimited off-road parking outside.

Surroundings

Standing in 22,000m2 of its own hillside land, there is absolute peace and quiet to this sea-view villa in Sicily. Around 170 olive trees dot the landscape, but other plant life is also found in abundance. There are a wealth of fruit trees, including various citruses plus pears, plums, hazelnuts, almonds and the unusual cane-apple, colloquially known as the ‘strawberry tree’ for its enticing red fruit. Corks and a couple of imposing oaks complete the register. Closer to ground there are wild mushrooms, including the delicious Amanita Caesarea, or ‘Caesar’s Mushroom’.

In the lea of the Nebrodi Park, a haven of natural delights, there is superb natural irrigation, including of course the private well we mentioned above. Animals commonly found in this region include foxes, hares and porcupines, while the indigenous Nebrodi black pig has engendered a proud culinary tradition of superb ham and salami.+

The nearest town is Caronia, a picturesque hilltop community with roots dating back to the fifth century BC. The modern town has, of course, all of the shops and amenities you would expect for a community of a little under five thousand. Further afield the equally beautiful Madonie natural park holds more natural treasures, and the island’s two biggest cities, Palermo and Catania,

Potential

There is really very little that needs to be done – or even could be done – to improve Villa Valeria. It is sold turnkey, with all contents, and is certainly ready for immediate occupation.

As a year-round home it would perhaps benefit from the addition of central heating, and it is ready for this, although you will find that the large pellet-burning stove and connected piping diffuses heat around the building with impressive efficiency.

Another development that could elevate the property to the very top level would be the construction of a swimming pool. Whilst permits would need to be applied for, we have helped with similar projects before and would be delighted to lend you the benefit of our local experience, including putting you in contact with everyone from lawyers and architects to construction workers and – eventually – a pool maintenance crew!!

There is a small ruined outbuilding on the land, which is properly registered and could be rebuilt. Once again, we would be here for you every step of the way.

The olive trees’ harvest creates around 200l of premium-quality organic olive oil. Pressed by a local producer, they can be sold for a handsome return.

This sea-view villa in Sicily is certainly large enough to have some rental applications. If you’re interested in making an investment in the tourist market our experienced team of holiday property managers would be delighted to help introduce you to our loyal client base.

If, on the other hand, you see Villa Valeria as your new year-round home, you can benefit from the incredibly generous tax discounts currently on offer to new arrivals in Sicily.

Why not pick up the phone and book a viewing, or a virtual viewing, today?

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