Casa Mandrazze – Castelbuono

€ 280.000

Castelbuono - 90013 - Contrada Mandrazze

#87042680

14 Rooms
3 Bathroom
218 m²
1st

Two Detached Country Homes in the Madonie: Stone Farmhouse and Guest Cottage on 6,000m² Sea-view Estate Outside Castelbuono

This characterful stone farmhouse and a fully independent guest cottage share 6,000m² of green hillside land in the Contrada Mandrazze district, just south of Castelbuono in the Madonie Natural Park. Between them they offer five bedrooms, three bathrooms and of course two kitchens, besides two lovely terraces with views that reach north over olive groves to the sea.

The name Mandrazze comes from a Sicilian term for the grazing land where shepherds once tended their flocks, and while there are no longer sheep to be seen, this corner of Sicily's most beloved area of natural beauty retains that pastoral, unhurried quality. Around fifty olive trees and numerous other fruits dot the grounds, alongside areas of pine woodland and punctuated by dry stone walls so typical of the region.

Castelbuono is just over a kilometre away on foot, making this one of the rare countryside properties where you can walk into town for a coffee. The town is the largest in the Madonie, with year-round events, excellent restaurants and everything you need for daily life. The golden beaches near Cefalù are about 35 minutes away by car.

Both buildings need some renovation work, but the main house could be lived in from day one. The main house is certainly big enough to serve as a primary residence but there is clear potential for a venture into the tourist market, whether running a full-time B&B from the second building, or simply listing one or both for rent when you can't make use of them.

The Property

A gate leads you the short distance from a quiet country lane to the flat terrace which encircles the main house. From here the fruitful estate slopes gently downhill to the north, towards the coast. Two wells supplement the mains water supply to both houses and help irrigate the orchard, where those drystone walls mark old property boundaries. This is a country estate that has been built and maintained with care.

Considering that the pair of country homes in the Madonie has so much land, it is a very reassuring bonus that Case Mandrazze also has a connection to mains water and public drainage pipes, as well as electricity and even piped gas. This combination of full urban services in a countryside setting removes one of the most common complications of buying property in the Sicilian hills.

Let's look now at each of the buildings in turn.

The Main House

The larger building, and the first you reach, is a lovely farmhouse on two levels, built with sturdy, load-bearing, local stone. You enter at ground level into a generous hallway, with the kitchen opening through a wide arch to one side and the living room to the other. The effect is of a single flowing space, with tile floors and wooden doors, windows and shutters throughout. A working open fireplace occupies one wall of the living room. There is also a bathroom and a utility room on this floor. Views from the ground floor look out over the front terrace and down the hillside to the sea.

Upstairs, two bedrooms open off a large landing, both with sea views. The landing is spacious enough to serve as a second living room and would make a fantastic library, with French windows opening onto a great little balcony. There is a second bathroom and a storage room. The walls are currently lined with light wood cladding which, once removed, would open the rooms up considerably. A pellet stove with a flue system carries additional warmth to both floors.

The Guest House

The guest cottage is a single-storey building dating from the 1980s, with cream-rendered walls and a more modern feel. It has its own large terrace, shaded by olive trees and looking out over the countryside. Inside there is a living room with a pellet stove and space to install a kitchen, a bedroom with a deep mezzanine level, and a second bedroom with garden views. The electrical and plumbing systems here are newer than those in the main house, but a structural crack will need professional attention, most likely involving foundation consolidation.

Surroundings

The twin houses of Case Mandrazze lie at around 520 metres above sea level, roughly 10 kilometres inland from the Tyrrhenian coast. Its slightly elevated position above the town gives the main house those sea views, a feature that is genuinely uncommon in the Madonie interior.

Castelbuono is the largest and most important town in the park, home to just under nine thousand people and a year-round programme of cultural events. The Ypsigrock festival fills the medieval streets with indie music fans every August, while a jazz festival and traditional local celebrations punctuate the rest of the calendar. The Fiasconaro patisserie, whose panettone has become famous across Italy and beyond, has its premises and shop in the town centre. For anyone hoping to experience an authentic side of Sicilian community life, it would be hard to find a better base.

Shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, bars and restaurants are all within the town. Other Madonie villages worth exploring include Pollina, set on a dramatic rocky outcrop above the coast, and Collesano, a welcoming small town with a growing community of international residents.

The nearest beach is at Sant’Ambrogio, about 30 minutes downhill. Cefalù, with its Norman cathedral and sandy seafront, is roughly 35 minutes away. Sicily’s capital Palermo, the site of the nearest international airport, is about 90 minutes to the west.

Potential

The main house is liveable now, but the electrical and plumbing infrastructure is dated. A comprehensive update of all of this and a bit of redecoration, on an estimated budget of around €40,000–50,000, would bring everything up to a very comfortable and reliable modern standard. The internal partition walls are non-load-bearing, so the upstairs layout can be reconfigured without structural work if you want to add a walk-in closet or create a home office.

The guest cottage, on the other hand, needs some structural attention to address foundation movement. Although this sounds rather more dramatic, we actually estimate that the budget would only be around half of what the improvements we suggested making to the main house would cost. The good news is that here the infrastructure is newer, so once it has been stabilised only relatively straightforward finishing would be needed to create a self-contained home for guests or an appealing holiday rental.

A swimming pool could be installed on the grounds for roughly €20,000–25,000, and there is ample roof and garden space for solar panels or a photovoltaic pergola, which would reduce running costs while creating shaded outdoor areas.

With Castelbuono’s amenities within walking distance and a second independent dwelling on site, these country homes in the Madonie suit buyers relocating to Sicily who want countryside living without isolation, as well as extended families looking for a holiday base where everyone has their own space. If you plan to let either property when you’re away, Solemar Sicilia can manage and market the accommodation on your behalf.

Our project management service covers everything from coordinating tradespeople to overseeing a full renovation, and clients who have used it speak highly of the experience.