• 7 Rooms

• 1 Bathroom

• 180 m²

Casa Franco – Five Hectares, Olive Groves and a Natural Spring, a Country House in the Nebrodi to Restore

Casa Franco is a large two-storey country house of around 180 m², in a five-hectare estate above Mistretta, on the western edge of the Nebrodi mountains. The plot includes a productive olive grove, numerous fruit trees and a natural spring that flows all year round. There are no urban sounds up here, just birdsong and open views across the surrounding hills.

A private drive curves from the gate to the front door between olives and ornamental planting, and by the final bend the outside world has fallen away completely. This is a country house in the Nebrodi with land enough to grow, harvest and roam, and the shops and services of Mistretta are only a few minutes away.

The house needs renovating before it can be lived in to contemporary standards, but it is far from a ruin. There is also flexibility, too. You could choose to just focus on on the essential works or a complete refurbishment that turns it into a modern country residence, and two further outbuildings on the land add scope for the years ahead.

Despite the rural setting, access is straightforward. Municipal asphalt roads run all the way to the gate, and the unpaved driveway is perfectly passable in an ordinary car. 

Casa Franco would suit a family planning a summer base in the hills with room for everyone, or a couple looking to retire to Sicily with olives of their own. Even allowing for the renovation costs, the overall investment is manageable. Everything you can see in our photographs is included in the sale.

The Property

From the driveway on, you feel immersed in Sicilian nature. The lane winds between olive trees, ornamental planting and Mediterranean scrub, its curves gradually revealing the house at the centre of the land. In front of the terrace a long bower is covered with vines that explode into colourful bloom every year. The house faces south-west, so the light stays with you late into the evening.

The 180 m² are divided across two floors with substantially the same footprint, generously sized rooms and ceilings of 2.75 metres which maintain a good sense of space and natural light. Entering on the ground floor, the kitchen is to your right, with a brick fireplace built into one corner. A large living area opens to your left, beyond which a further room could serve as a bedroom, a study or a dining room. All three of these spaces open directly onto the terrace, which makes everyday life flow naturally between inside and out.

Upstairs the arrangement is similar. A first bedroom is to the right of the staircase, and a large central room leads through to the room on the left-hand side, which can become a second bedroom. Several rooms open onto small balconies looking out over the hilly landscape.

The two outbuildings mentioned earlier have plenty of character of their own. The first is a stone construction a short distance from the main house, entirely to be restored but with an attractive rural appearance. The second, formerly used as a store, is positioned along the drive between the gate and the house, in a naturally separate spot.

The olive grove introduced above is extensive, and according to the sellers a favourable year can yield more than 300 litres of oil, a figure that naturally depends on pruning, maintenance and the season. Apricots, pears, persimmons and prickly pears grow alongside numerous ornamental trees and plants. For a country house in the Nebrodi, water security matters, and here it comes from the year-round spring, supported by a cistern of about 5,000 litres.

Surroundings

Although the estate stands at around 470 metres above sea level, it feels like a real mountain retreat. You're immersed in woodland but enjoy seemingly endless views out across the surrounding valleys. Even the coast is much closer than the setting suggests.

To reach the property you leave the coastal motorway between Palermo and Messina at Santo Stefano di Camastra, a town famous for its ceramics, and follow a well-kept scenic road that climbs around 15 kilometres into the hills. It's a 25 minute road from sea level to Casa Franco. Mistretta itself, just up the road as noted earlier, is built largely in stone and full of churches, fountains and historic palazzi, and is considered one of the best preserved old centres in this part of Sicily. Supermarkets, shops, pharmacies, bars and restaurants cover everything you need through the year.

The natural park, Sicily's largest protected area, is on your doorstep for walking and excursions. The Mistretta waterfalls, Lake Urio Quattrocchi and Serra Merio are all close by, with Lake Biviere, the Rocche del Crasto and the Catafurco waterfall deeper into the mountains. Westwards, the villages and peaks of the Madonie Natural Park make rewarding day trips.

The beaches and historic centre of Cefalù are about 45 minutes away, while Palermo, the island's bustling capital, is around an hour and a half. The airports of Palermo and Catania, your gateway to eastern Sicily, are roughly equidistant from the house, keeping European connections simple whichever way you fly.

Potential

With five hectares and three buildings, the potential runs in several directions, starting with the main house. If your priority is getting it liveable, the essential route mentioned in the Overview covers rewiring, new bathrooms and windows, checks of the plumbing, drains, roof and plasterwork, painting inside and out and a proper heating system. Winters are cooler here than on the coast, so insulation and heating deserve real attention. With simple finishes, you might spend around €50,000 to €90,000.

If you would rather do everything at once, a full refurbishment shaped around your own way of living runs to around €100,000 to €180,000 or more, with new systems, floors, finishes, an energy upgrade and a reworked layout. Upstairs, a partition wall and a short corridor would make the central room independent, giving you up to three bedrooms. Full renovations in Sicily are generally estimated at €500 to €950 per square metre, excluding the outbuildings, land works, extra water storage and professional fees. The ground floor is registered as three storerooms with a courtyard, so have a trusted surveyor confirm the paperwork before you commit to a design.

Casa Franco could be a family home, a country house in the Nebrodi for long summers together. The outbuildings open other doors, from an independent annexe for guests to a small rural tourism business built on walking, quiet, food and wine. Our sister company Solemar Sicilia manages holiday lettings for owners across the region.

We are proud to be the only agency in Sicily offering an after-sale project management service across all our listings. Our experienced renovations team can supervise every step of the work, from design to handover. Whatever you see in the future of this characterful villa, we would be delighted to help realise it on your behalf.