Appartamento Massimiliano – Aspra

€ 180.000

Bagheria - 90011 - Via Andrea Doria, 18

#87014042

6 Rooms
1 Bathroom
116 m²
2nd

Two-Bedroom Apartment in Aspra, at the Heart of a Traditional Fishing Village on the Gulf of Palermo

Aspra is a traditionally Sicilian on a beautiful headland just ten kilometres east of Palermo. It has a small-town feel, a working seafront, good local shops and restaurants, and almost no mass tourism. Yet it is incredibly convenient for Sicily's largest city and capital. It's a twenty minute drive to the suburbs, and the train from nearby Bagheria will have you in the very centre of the metropolis in twenty minutes. Out here by the sea, however, there is peace and quiet, a serene pace of life and beautiful fresh air and clear water.

Appartamento Massimiliano is a two-bedroom apartment in a quiet part of this town. It's on the first floor of a small, colourful building of just four units, only 350 metres as the crow flies from the water's edge. The property is sold unfurnished, offering a clean canvas for the new owner to make their own.

With a generous kitchen-diner, a wraparound balcony that floods the place with sunshine and fresh sea air from the south and west, and views across green hillsides to a wide Sicilian sky, it is well suited to year-round living or as a comfortable holiday base with genuine rental potential. For anyone looking to buy a house in Sicily that works equally well as a home and an investment, this is a strong option at a mid-range price point.

The Property

The apartment occupies the whole first floor of the modern and well-maintained building. You can't miss the colourful facade and the long balconies that take full advantage of the corner terrace position. The communal areas are simple but well presented and the neighbours seem friendly.

The layout is practical and generous throughout, with a feeling of space and air that is immediately noticeable. You enter straight into the living room, where your gaze is drawn to the left by the French window that opens onto the balcony. This is a smaller space than the kitchen-diner, but it's nice to have the cosy area to relax or watch a little television.

The kitchen opens directly off the living room, and is the real heart of the home. It's a really spacious room with all the fittings you will need to add your own kitchen. We love the brightness that comes from the dual aspect windows and the fluidity lent by the direct access onto two sections of that lovely long balcony. You could even put a coffee table out there and enjoy breakfast in the sun. Indoors there is easily enough room here for a large family dining table as well as the food preparation area. The current owners have added both a dresser and chest of drawers – if you want to keep things informal you could probably even find space for a sofa.

A corridor leads from the internal end of the living room down into the sleeping area. Here you find the spacious master bedroom is spacious, and a second room that's big enough to be a guest bedroom but could also be a study if you plan to work from home here. The pair are served by a long bathroom with a shower cubicle and a small tub, as well as a utility room with plumbing for a washing machine. Lastly a practical cupboard will be especially useful if you plan to let the place out at any point.

The long balcony that wraps around the south and west sides of the building is our favourite feature. The master bedroom, living room and kitchen-diner all have direct access onto it, and from here the view takes in the deep green of the surrounding hillsides, offset by the huge blue sky and the colourful architecture of the neighbourhood. There is a hint of sea breeze, too, carried up from the waterfront around the corner.

The floors throughout are in marble tile with matching skirting boards, uniform and easy to maintain. Walls are painted white, keeping things cool and Mediterranean in feel, while wooden doors add a warmer tone. The aluminium window frames, though not brand new, are fully functional and in decent condition. The property is connected to a shared 30,000-litre cistern that supplies water to all four units in the building.

Surroundings

Aspra sits on a beautiful stretch of coastline east of Palermo, where the Gulf curves north around the rocky headland of Mongerbino, Monte Catalfano and Capo Zafferano. The village itself is a lively place all year round, with bakeries, butchers, restaurants, pharmacies and supermarkets all within a short walk. The seafront, with its picturesque little beaches, is just a few minutes on foot from the apartment.

The immediate surroundings are full of treasures to discover. Sant’Elia, with its turquoise coves and timeless atmosphere, is just around the headland. The ancient archaeological site of Solunto sits on the hillside above, and the vibrant fishing harbour of Porticello, with its daily market and excellent seafood restaurants, is a short drive or a pleasant walk away.

For day-to-day needs beyond what Aspra can offer, the larger town of Bagheria is a ten minute drive inland. Here you will find bigger shops, schools and a hospital. Bagheria’s train station, just 2km from the apartment, connects you to the centre of Palermo in around twenty minutes. In this quiet fishing village, though, you feel a million miles away from Sicily’s bustling capital city. Further along the coast, the resort town of Cefalù is about 45 minutes by car.

Palermo’s Falcone-Borsellino international airport is reachable in about 45 minutes by car, or by train with one change in the city.

Potential

The apartment is in good structural condition and could be lived in straight away. A fresh coat of paint on the walls would brighten things up nicely, and beyond that, the main scope for improvement lies in personalising the space to your taste: a modern induction kitchen, perhaps, or updated window frames in PVC or wood if you wanted to improve the energy efficiency.

As an investment, the position offers strong value. Unlike purely seasonal resort towns, Aspra is a working village with year-round demand for rentals, both residential and tourist. A two-bedroom apartment in Aspra with good outdoor space and proximity to the beach is well placed to perform in either market. If running a short-term rental in Sicily appeals to you, our sister company Solemar Sicilia can manage the entire process, from marketing to guest check-ins.

There will, of course, be a certain amount of work to do in furnishing the home and getting everything up and running. Our popular “Welcome to Sicily” relocation support service makes the transition easy, and our multilingual team would be happy to walk you through the options and connect you with the right professionals. It's a huge advantage to have our Porticello office just a few kilometres away – you can rely on great advice from experienced heads as you make this warm and welcoming apartment your new home.