Casa Giovanni – Modica

• 6 Rooms

• 2 Bathroom

• 103 m²

• Split-level

Casa Giovanni – Three Floors, Two Entrances and Balcony Views of the Duomo di San Giorgio from a Characterful Historic House in Modica Alta

Casa Giovanni is a wonderfully characterful historic house in Modica Alta, the upper part of one of the baroque towns of the Val di Noto. A perfect bolthole for city breaks in the sun, it stands completely immersed in the city's past, tucked among the lanes of the former Jewish quarter. Almost directly opposite the Duomo di San Giorgio, its top-floor balcony gives you a quintessentially Modican view, taking in the church towers and palazzi of the old town.
Despite ever-growing interest in Sicilian property from around the world, this view has been preserved for future generations. Along with seven neighbouring communities, Modica's late baroque cityscape was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.

Casa Giovanni was created with the merger of two separate dwellings, and it has retained the twin entrances. In a steep hilltop town like this one, that's especially helpful, with a two-storey discrepancy from the front to back of the home. 

There are convenient transport links and plenty within easy reach to see and do, but the area never feels touristy. A small airport at Comiso is only 20 km to the north, while Catania international airport, Italy's fifth busiest, is around an hour and a half away. We think it's a perfect option for a second home that can pay its own way through short-term letting.

It would be habitable straight after the purchase is complete, with working infrastructure and a small furnished kitchenette already in place. That's not to say that there isn't room to invest and improve it further, but we're talking details rather than a comprehensive renovation.

The Property

The main entrance, on Via Cartellone, is in the upper part of the property just below the neighbourhood viewpoint. A few steps bring you up to the living room and the connected kitchen. There's also a washroom with a WC. This is the brightest level of the house, and it opens onto that fabulous balcony. The Duomo is the obvious star, but there are all manner of smaller landmarks to spot across the terracotta rooftops of the picturesque Modica.

Overhead, the roof structure is in exposed timber and rises to about four and a half metres at the ridge. This keeps the whole floor feeling light and airy. On the lower levels, ceilings of 3.4m and arched doorways keep the space open and airy and make their rooms, each around 15m2, feel simultaneously cosy and slightly grand. Everything in view is extremely traditional Sicilian architecture.

An internal staircase leads down to the middle floor, home to a bedroom with a vaulted ceiling in recent plaster, a bathroom with shower and a small balcony of its own. 

The lowest level is a single open room, reached from the floor above or through its own independent entrance. At the far end, a plasterboard wall conceals what the owner reports to be a natural cavity in the rock – the true extent will need to be confirmed by a surveyor.

Like many historic buildings raised directly against the rock, the house shows some damp, mainly in the stairwell and on the lowest floor. In places the plaster is flaking and will need attention.

The floors and ceiling structures are in good condition overall. The wooden single-glazed windows can stay in service for now, and the electrical system, probably dating from the 1990s, remains usable. There is no central heating, though several air conditioning units are installed and their working order should be checked. The bathrooms are simple and dated but perfectly serviceable, and the kitchen comes furnished and in fair condition. Everything you can see in our photographs is included in the sale.

Directly across the lane, at number 33, a small storeroom in rustic condition completes the property. This houses the water cisterns and the pump that serve the house, and leaves room for general storage.

Surroundings

The neighbour around the house is one of the most atmospheric corners of Modica Alta. Stepped alleys and stone houses built shoulder to shoulder climb the slope in every direction. The poet Salvatore Quasimodo, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, was born in the palazzo next door, and his birthplace is now one of the best-known cultural sites in the city. Restaurants, cafes, workshops and the monuments of the historic centre are all within a short walk.

Directly behind the property, an elegant luxury guest house with a swimming pool has been created within the historic fabric of the quarter. Renovation sites are visible throughout the surrounding streets, with houses being brought back to life by Italian and international owners alike. We consider this to be among the areas of the city with the best prospects for growth in value over the coming years.

One thing to note is that owning a historic house in Modica Alta is going to mean doing without parking in front of your property. From below, the house is reached up the staircases that climb from the Duomo. From above, you can park near the belvedere and walk the last stretch. Anyone with limited mobility should weigh the steps carefully, but they are also what keeps the quarter so calm and noise to a wonderful minimum.

Everyday shops and supermarkets are a few minutes away by car in the lower town, along with the railway station. From there, direct trains reach Ragusa in around 20 minutes and Syracuse in well under two hours.

Modica itself is famous for its chocolate, and Ragusa Ibla, Scicli and the sandy beaches of the south coast are all close at hand. Beautiful mountain roads wind through the Hyblaean hills, a pleasure whether you drive or cycle them. Syracuse is about an hour and a quarter away by car, and Catania and the east coast are comfortably within day-trip range.

Potential

Casa Giovanni could absolutely be enjoyed exactly as it is, and the potential to zip it up lies in small improvements, not wholesale changes. Our priorities would be to review of the roof covering, where light traces of water infiltration are visible, and rebuilding the middle-floor balcony, whose ironwork has oxidised. Given the historic nature of the property, any reconstruction will obviously need to be in-keeping with what's already there. Tidying the facades and, in time, replacing the single-glazed windows would complete the picture.

As a first estimate, we would advise that the facades and balconies might call for around €15,000, with a further €5,000 to €6,000 for new double glazing. The figures will need to be confirmed through professional quotes. The damp patches mentioned earlier should be replastered with breathable materials suited to historic masonry, a normal part of renovating a house in Sicily. A surveyor should also assess the cavity behind the lower floor's rear wall. If it proves recoverable, it could become a wine cellar, a cool summer room or one of the most distinctive features of the property.

Thanks to the second entrance, the lower floor could work as an independent guest suite, a studio or a space for holiday lets. Presented and managed professionally, short lets could bring in an indicative €10,000 to €12,000 a year, with room for more. Our sister company Solemar Sicilia are specialists in the rental field and can give you first-class advice on getting started. Buying a historic house in Modica today also means buying into a quarter that is being restored on every side. The letting market should only benefit as that work continues.

If you would rather hand the works to someone else, our project management service can take care of the entire process, from gathering quotes and filing for permissions to supervising the labour itself. Please ask our friendly, English-speaking team for more details.