Casa Francesco – Sant’Agata

• 12 Rooms

• 3 Bathroom

• 200 m²

Casa Francesco – Two Independent Furnished Apartments in a Hillside Sea-view Villa in Sicily's Nebrodi Hills, Near Sant'Agata Militello

In the hills of Contrada San Basilio, one of the rural districts climbing from Sicily's north coast into the Nebrodi mountains, Casa Francesco is a sea-view villa in Sicily heartland. It stands in a small cluster of around ten homes, near the old San Basilio cross that stands out against the skyline of Sant'Agata Militello. From this commanding position the view opens out over the Tyrrhenian Sea, across to the volcanic Aeolian Islands. The town centre is only fifteen minutes away, down a scenic road that seems to give better views with every turn.

This part of the island has kept its traditional character rather than turning to mass tourism. You'll still hear the sounds of livestock grazing on the hillsides from time to time. That said, Sant'Agata Militello is a modern town with all the services you could need, and a beautiful seafront with a large marina. Ongoing work to expand this will add value to the whole coastline in the years ahead. A handful of neighbouring plots have already been bought by people planning to build their own homes on the same ridge.

Arranged over two completely independent units, each occupying one of the villa's floors, Casa Francesco offers roughly 170m2 of living space in total. So while it could certainly be a practical way for two families to buy a house together, it would also work for a single household, especially if you like to entertain guests. It's sold with all furniture included, so there is nothing to move in before you arrive. We think it could use a little smartening up, but you could do this in situ, there's no need to take on a full renovation.

The Property

A private drive climbs to the lower apartment, entered at its own ground level. A terrace and a small side garden wrap it on three sides. The entrance opens onto a living area to the right and a dining area to the left. Here a stone feature wall divides the living room from the first bedroom. From the dining room, a compact kitchen leads through to a central hallway. This serves two more bedrooms and a bathroom, though the rooms towards the back get less natural light from their rear-facing position.

This lower floor already has sound window frames, two air conditioning units, a pellet stove and a gas boiler with a hot-water cylinder. Its wastewater drains to an Imhoff septic tank. This is exactly half of the living space, so 85m2.

A little further along the drive, a ramp leads to the upper apartment. There is parking here and an outdoor canopy that is ideal for eating outside. A balcony wraps the whole floor, keeping the sea in view from every angle. Inside, a long, wood-fitted kitchen with generous storage opens into the dining area, a traditionally Sicilian heart to the home.

From here a hallway brings you into a living room, a bathroom with a bathtub, a large storeroom and two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms looks straight out over the sea. This floor, also 85m2 in size, is warmed by a wood stove and a powerful Daikin air conditioning unit, with hot water from an electric heater. The radiators are already installed and connected, though the diesel boiler that once powered them has been decommissioned. The roof was recently redone and no longer leaks, and its gentle slope would suit solar panels well.

Outside, the property includes around 500m2 of land, split between the two levels. Much of it is rocky and uneven, a scenic backdrop rather than landscaping opportunity, but easy to maintain and a natural buffer from the neighbouring homes.

Surroundings

Despite its private hillside position, Casa Francesco is close to everything you would need on a daily basis. With a population of about 12,000, Sant'Agata Militello has supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, schools and some great restaurants as well as the marina, all just a quarter of an hour away. Its train station runs direct routes to Cefalù in around forty-five minutes and on to Palermo in about ninety.

More of the coast is within easy reach by car. Capo d'Orlando, twenty-five to thirty minutes east, runs seasonal hydrofoils to the Aeolian Islands. The year-round ferry leaves from Milazzo, roughly an hour away. Cefalù, with its cathedral and long beach, is under an hour to the west along the coastal road. Behind the house, the Nebrodi mountains rise into beech and oak forest. Mount Etna appears on the horizon around 30km to the south, within range for a day trip into Catania and eastern Sicily.

For longer journeys, the A20 motorway that connects Palermo and Messina has a junction just fifteen minutes from the house. Both Palermo and Catania international airports are reachable in around two hours by car. For all its quiet, this is a sea-view villa in Sicily that stays within easy reach of the wider island.

Potential

Although it will be absolutely liveable from completion, this sea-view villa in Sicily leaves room to make it your own, and possibly even to extend it a little if you wanted. A simple programme of work would smarten it considerably. We would redo the rendering, finish the exterior facade and replace the rather dated window frames upstairs. There is also some water-damaged plasterwork to repaint and a new boiler to fit for the radiators. Based on current local rates, work of this kind would likely come to somewhere around 25,000 to 35,000 euros. 

Short-term letting is not a big market in this quiet part of the Nebrodi coast, but one of the two independent floors might still contribute towards their running costs as an occasional holiday let. If, on the other hand, you are planning a full-time move to Sicily, our Welcome to Sicily service helps with everything from residency to opening a bank account.

Should you take on any of the work above, our project management service can coordinate trusted local professionals who handle this kind of assessment. local tradespeople on your behalf. We are the only agency in Sicily to offer this across all of our properties, and the satisfaction of so many of our past clients is a source of great pride for us.