Property Description

 Two-bedroom Apartment in Catania, Close to the Stadium and the City’s Largest Park. Practical, Affordable and in Good Condition

In a residential area of Sicily’s second city, Catania, within easy walking distance of the centre and served by numerous shops and amenities, Appartamento Clelia is an affordable two-bedroom property on the third floor of a gated apartment complex.

This is a practical and well-maintained flat in a thriving city, within a short drive of some of Sicily’s most iconic landmarks. The dramatic silhouette of Mount Etna towers over Catania, the chic White Lotus holiday magnet of Taormina is just up the road to the north, and the beautiful baroque towns of Siracusa, Noto, Ragusa and Modica lie to the south. Closer to home, football fans will love the proximity to the town’s stadium, which you can actually see from the northern veranda.

It is well suited to a couple or small family who want to relocate to Sicily, perhaps to take advantage of the region’s welcoming tax climate for international newcomers. If there are only one or two of you it would be very easy to create an attractive home office in the spare bedroom or what is now the living room.

The Property

Measuring 80m2, Appartamento Clelia is efficiently designed around a central corridor, with a living room and a pair of verandas on either side, one of which is open and the other glazed. This also has the advantage of allowing light to pass right through the home, which feels airy and spacious – thanks also to the generous three metre ceilings.

The living room, currently more of a dining space, is about 20m2 with air conditioning from a 12,000 BTU unit mounted on the wall. It is lit on two sides, with a tall window to the north and a glazed door that brings you onto the open veranda. It’s from here that the Angelo Massimino Stadium can be seen.

The same veranda connects to one of the two bedrooms, a squarish room of about the same size as the living room. Here the white ceramic floor tiles of the common areas are replaced by a colourful pattern in red and green. The slightly larger master bedroom, on the opposite side of the building, has the same motif.

This latter bedroom, along with the kitchen and bathroom, is slightly brighter thanks to the southern aspect. It overlooks the central courtyard of the apartment complex, which is 40 metres across, meaning that you don’t feel overlooked.

On this side the veranda has been glazed in, giving you a lovely warm utility room with connection for a washing machine and a deep sink. In effect, this is an extension to the kitchen, which is narrow but long and well equipped. The bathroom also opens onto this veranda. It’s fully tiled in white, with a box shower.

The two-bedroom apartment in Catania is in a good condition overall and could certainly be used straight away if you wanted. The windows are wooden with external blackout shutters. Power is electric only, and the gas cooker is powered by a cylinder in the kitchen. Hot water is from a water heater, and there is currently no heating system.
The common areas of the property are well maintained by the condominium board in exchange for a small monthly fee of €30. Outside, the central courtyard has free parking for residents’ use.

Surroundings

The location, on via Giuseppe Fava in the north of central Catania, is great for shops, bars and restaurants, with a wide variety available in a short radius. You’ll find pharmacies, fishmonger, bakery, stable theatre, university, hospital and schools close at hand, including Catania’s biggest language school, International House, if you want to brush up on your Italian skills. Every Saturday there is a market in Piazza Spedini, right in front of your balcony.

A number of bus routes pass directly along via Fava, and there is a stop right outside the apartment complex. The nearest metro stop is just a ten minute walk away. The city’s largest park, the Parco della Susanna, is just five minutes to the west of the property. The arterial via Etnea, which leads directly to the cathedral at the heart of the city, is only a ten minute walk in the opposite direction. You can get there in half an hour on foot, or in ten minutes by bike or scooter. This is also the neighbourhood where you’ll find Catania’s famous Teatro Bellini, the Medieval Castello Ursini and the city’s waterfront.

Catania also has a sandy beach, to the south of the centre. A small cove three kilometres to the west of Appartamento Clelia is an interesting spot, with black stones an unmistakable product of the volcanic giant that overlooks the city. It’s worth saying that while Mount Enta is active on a daily basis, Catania is out of any kind of range that would be in danger from an eruption.

Taormina and Siracusa are each 40 minutes away by car, Noto one hour and Ragusa and Modica about 90 minutes. The Greek temples of Agrigento and the Sicilian capital Palermo are each around two hours.

Potential

The two-bedroom apartment in Catania is currently generating income, as it is let to students at a price of €400 per month. Obviously it would be your choice whether or not to continue with this arrangement.

In terms of potential investment, you might want to consider refreshing the electrical wiring, which would probably require about €5,000 but bring the property up to a more modern standard. You could put down a smart floating floor in parquet effect for around the same sum, and perhaps the kitchen could be somewhat modernised. However, the property is ready for immediate use if you just want to move in or renew the existing tenancy agreement.

If you would like any help with the process of moving south, ask us about our popular Welcome to Sicily package, which covers you for all of the practicalities, from registering your residency with the city council to getting the utilities transferred into your name and even a competitive SIM card for your mobile phone.