Casa Carbonara – Cefalù

€ 240.000

Cefalù - 90015 - Contrada Timparossa Cefalù

#86868512

8 Rooms
2 Bathroom
195 m²
1st

Four Bedroom Sea-View Villa Outside Cefalù with Three Acres of Hillside Garden, Just Fifteen Minutes from the Famous Beach

A hillside villa immersed in greenery, just 3km inland from what is officially one of Italy’s most beautiful towns – Casa Carbonara offers 11,400m² of land with sensational views across the Tyrrhenian Sea from its perch 600m above sea level. This is a sea-view villa outside Cefalù with space, privacy and a countryside views that would be the envy of anywhere in Tuscany or Provence.

The detached four-bedroom house is a classic Sicilian design, simple but sturdy, and has been freshly painted inside. The plot is generously planted with productive olive trees and a range of other fruits, all completely enclosed by a brand new perimeter fence. A recently installed filtration system lets you take full advantage of the twin private wells that rise on the property to enjoy completely pure drinking water.

There is renovation work to be done – windows, bathrooms, heating and electrics all need updating – but the structure is sound, the roof is in good condition and the property’s certification is largely in order. For anyone looking for a large house near the famous beach town of Cefalù, Casa Carbonara offers plenty of space indoors and even more outdoors for the modest asking price.

The Property

To be specific, the two-storey, east-facing villa has a usable internal area of 195m². The ground floor centres around a long, roomy living room opening onto the terrace, off which opens an equally spacious kitchen with a utility room. A little hallway leads to a large guest bedroom and a bathroom.

A modern granite-marbled staircase leads up to a landing that opens onto three more bedrooms and a bathroom. All three of the upstairs bedrooms offer superb sea views, and would lend themselves well to the addition of a balcony.

The triangular plot runs roughly west to east, with the house positioned midway down the lower, northern side. At this altitude the views are stunning: the coastline stretches out for dozens of kilometres below you, and in clear weather the volcanic Aeolian islands are visible out in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The estate is widely planted with productive olive trees and a range of fruit trees, and a new fence now completely encloses the land. A gravel access road serves the property, and a fixed barbecue on the terrace is ready for long evenings outdoors under Sicilian skies.

The property is served by mains electricity and receives good 5G phone coverage. The wells give it complete hydrological independence, and the new filtration system is state of the art – there will never be a need to break your back carrying packs of bottles indoors from the supermarket. Sewage is handled by a septic tank on the estate. Both the electricity and water fittings are certified, although they could be modernised. The exterior is smoothly plastered and in fair condition, including the roof.

Surroundings

It's not, in fact, named after the legendary pasta dish. Casa Carbonara actually takes its name from the small hillside district of the municipality of Cefalù where it stands. A well-maintained state road leads up from the coast to the hilltop settlement of Gibilmanna, the ‘mountain of manna’ – a sweet, sap-like local delicacy once said to be the choice fodder of the gods. Contrada Carbonara is a district slightly north-east of this.

At 600m above sea level, the fresh sea breezes are as welcome as the panoramic views, keeping away the worst of the heat and humidity during the Sicilian summer. The property is in the foothills of the Madonie National Park, where picturesque medieval villages dot green hills filled with rare flora and fauna. The charming village of Gratteri is just twenty minutes away. Hilltop Pollina boasts a neoclassical amphitheatre with a mesmeric natural backdrop, while the largest town in the mountain range, Castelbuono, is famously home to one of Italy’s most lauded producers of panettone, and an annual summer music festival that attracts an illustrious international line-up.

The main road from sea level also leads up to Isnello, home to the GAL Hassin international astronomical observatory, which takes advantage of some of the darkest skies in southern Europe. It’s a wonderful spot for stargazing, and there is a fabulous restaurant in the village too.

The most famous attraction in the area is of course northern Sicily’s seafront jewel, the Arab-Norman fishing town of Cefalù. Its beautiful old town features a UNESCO World Heritage Site cathedral, and tourists and locals alike flock to the 2km strip of pristine sandy beach and clear blue sea.

Palermo, Sicily’s largest city, is just an hour away by car or train, with its Falcone-Borsellino international airport connecting to all major European destinations. The city is noted for a dizzying array of architecture, its famous outdoor markets and legendary street food. Out to sea, the volcanic Aeolian islands are a beautiful boat trip away, with unusual dark sandy beaches and landscapes constantly being reshaped by dramatic pyroclastic activity.

Potential

There is renovation work to be done on Casa Carbonara. The external doors and windows should be replaced for energy efficiency, and the bathrooms are on the small side and could do with being reconfigured. Almost all of the internal doors are missing. You will also want to address heat retention by adding roof insulation, and if you want a year-round home you will need a heating and cooling system – two-way heat pumps are the standard solution. New electrics and basic photovoltaic power generation would complete the picture.

We would estimate a budget of around €100,000 for this scope of work: new windows, a replastered exterior, updated bathrooms, a heat pump system, photovoltaic installation and a new electrical system. The terrace surrounding the building needs to be tiled, and the gravel access road could be improved – you will probably want to add a proper parking area.

Obviously, if you have more ambitious plans, the budget will rise accordingly. The two rooms on the ground floor could be opened up into a single large living space, but because the dividing wall is load-bearing this would add roughly €20,000 in structural work. A swimming pool is very much achievable on a plot of this size, with costs ranging from around €20,000 for a practical above-ground option to €40,000 for a more elegant reinforced concrete design. With a pool and those views, your sea-view villa outside Cefalù would be in a class of its own.

There are a few minor cadastral issues which will need attention, but nothing that a capable local lawyer couldn’t resolve without difficulty.

Whether you see this as a home for a permanent move to Sicily, a holiday retreat or an investment, once the renovation is complete you will have a sea-view villa outside Cefalù with three acres of garden at a total outlay that represents strong value for this area. Our sister company Solemar Sicilia offers a full property rental management service if you want the house to earn its keep when you’re not here.

If the prospect of managing a renovation from overseas feels daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Our project management team has been overseeing everything from cosmetic work to full-scale construction on behalf of international clients for many years. We handle recruitment of local tradespeople, contract negotiations, site supervision, quality control and regular progress updates, so that you always know exactly what’s happening without needing to be on site. The results our clients have achieved speak for themselves, and we’d welcome the chance to talk you through whatever you have in mind for Casa Carbonara.