Casa Davide – Solanto

€ 195.000

Santa Flavia - 90017 - Largo Cisterna 2

#86831100

4 Rooms
1 Bathroom
80 m²
Ground floor

Characterful Beach Apartment Outside Palermo in Historic Solanto, with Private Access to a Beach Just Metres Away

Tucked on a rugged peninsula, on a little piazza in the heart of one of Sicily's most storied little hamlets, Casa Davide offers an abundance of charm in a perfect coastal location. This is a chance to own a home where the Phoenicians first settled on the island, a Norman castle has stood watch over the sea since the twelfth century, and Bourbon royalty once kept a summer residence. The Borgo di Solanto, on the eastern coast of the Capo Zafferano peninsula, has roots stretching back millennia, and its array of gleaming white villas still carries an unmistakable air of old Sicilian aristocracy.

This is traditional Sicily at its very best. The fishing village is small, friendly and – despite its terrific history - untouched by mass tourism. Yet central Palermo is barely twenty minutes away by road or train, and nearby Santa Flavia and Bagheria offer an abundance of restaurants, supermarkets and services. For anyone hunting a beach apartment outside Palermo with genuine character, this is worthy of consideration, and the fact that it offers a direct access to the sea is the icing on the cake.

The two-bedroom home is big enough to support a full-time move to Sicily, but the position and ease of access from Palermo Airport suggests huge potential as a second home. You could be in through the front door barely an hour after your plane touches down at Falcone-Borsellino airport. So, too, could your guests, if you are interested in recouping some of your investment through the short-term rental market. With one of our offices only a couple of kilometres away, we would be perfectly positioned to offer advice on relocation, as well as property guardianship or rental management services that would take care of every detail, if you choose to take that route.

The Property

Casa Davide occupies the ground floor of a small condominium building, which comprised just three apartments on two storeys and three apartments. Directly on the town square of the Borgo di Solanto, it is just 50 metres from the sea's edge, and you can hear and smell the salt water through your open windows.

The apartment has a double entrance. The front one is completely independent, up a few steps, across a little front garden and then directly into the living room of the home. The rear entrance is shared, across another small fenced courtyard with some ornamental plants. Step-free access makes this a very handy spot for storing bicycles or a scooter.

The living room is large and bright, with pristine white walls and high ceilings magnifying the light that comes in through the glazed front doors. It's a very generously sized and versatile space with room to seat ten comfortably around a table. Period tiled floors and curved plaster lines give the apartment the character of a home that has been lived in and loved for well over a century. Off the living room at the front of the house is a separate, galley-style kitchen, compact but functional. The window that frames a beautiful view of the town square to enjoy while you cook. Like the front door this faces due east, making it especially warm and sunny first thing in the mornings.

The sleeping area is reached down a passageway. The first bedroom opens almost immediately to the left off this, with a small raised window into a lightwell and a second internal one into the guest bedroom. This is particularly interesting in design, with a vaulted archway raised over the bed. A window here faces onto the rear courtyard. The window here faces west onto the rear courtyard. Another unusual feature is a passageway that passes through the room at a mezzanine level, leading to the back door. It's an informal and familial arrangement, but we think it adds a bit more character to this charming little cottage.

Also on this mezzanine level is the bathroom, which has been recently renovated in smart grey tiles. It enjoys a very large walk-in shower, and everything here is in first-rate condition. The upper landing leads you straight to the back door.

The feature that really lifts this property is the exclusive right of way which leads directly down to the private lido below. In a region where beach access is often shared, disputed or inaccessible due to private owners, this is a fabulous selling point. You can walk from your front door to the water in seconds, and a modest annual membership fee to the lido operator gives you unlimited use of a fully equipped bathing area with refreshments, showers and all the other services you could need. This amenity transforms a good holiday home into a really special spot.

The property is fully connected to the municipal water, sewage and electricity supplies. Beneath the entrance courtyard lies an 18,000-litre underground cistern, which gives the building’s three units a hefty backstop in periods of short supply. Each residence is served by an independent pump, ensuring a constant water supply but that you only pay for what you use.

The seafront position provides a natural breeze, but an air conditioning unit in the living room gives an extra element of climate control. The solid wooden window frames are well maintained.

Surroundings

The Borgo di Solanto sits on the eastern flank of the headland of Capo Zafferano, overlooking the long, slow curve of the Gulf of Termini Imerese. The castle was built in the Norman period to defend the adjacent tuna fishery and later became a favoured retreat of Sicilian noble families and of the Bourbon king Ferdinand IV. Below it, the hamlet retains a quiet, timeless atmosphere.

Within two kilometres you can reach both Santa Flavia and Casteldaccia, where you will find supermarkets, pharmacies, medical services and everything required for daily life. Santa Flavia train station is less than two kilometres away and will take you into the centre of Palermo in twenty minutes. But out here on this side of the headland, looking across the gulf towards the mountains, you feel a million miles from Italy’s fifth largest city.

Head east along the coast and in about forty minutes you reach the medieval beach town of Cefalù, one of the island’s most popular destinations. Palermo’s international airport is around 45 minutes away by car. The SS113 coast road and the A19 motorway are both easily accessible, connecting you to almost anywhere on the the island in just a couple of hours.

Potential

Although the building is over a hundred years old, Casa Davide is entirely habitable and structurally sound. As you will have seen, the bathroom has already been modernised, and the apartment retains the charm of a period home. That said, some cosmetic restyling could zip it up even more. Some fresh paintwork, modern lighting and perhaps new kitchen fittings would go a long way. A light renovation on this scale could be managed on a budget of €10,000–15,000, depending on the scope of the work and the finishings chosen, but make a really impressive impact and give you the feeling of moving into a property at the top of its game.

As a charming two-bedroom beach apartment outside Palermo with private sea access and views of the gulf, the property is also an outstanding candidate for the short-term rental market. If you would like to explore this possibility, our sister company Solemar Sicilia offers a complete holiday rental management service, handling everything from marketing and guest communication to cleaning and maintenance, so that you can earn a return on your investment without any of the day-to-day work.

For buyers considering establishing their tax residence in Sicily, the financial incentives currently available could make this already competitive asking price even more attractive. Get in touch with us to discuss the options.