Property Description

Huge Country Estate with Guest House and Restaurant for Sale in Collesano near Cefalù on Sicily’s North Coast

A vast, 11-hectare tranche of land three kilometres outside Collesano in the western hills of the majestic Madonie Natural Park, Tenuta La Rocca is many things. It’s a remote and serene estate, a fully equipped restaurant with twin dining rooms, a seven-bedrooms guest house and even an old ruined property to restore that could eventually become a home for you and your family.

If you have planned to move South but been waiting for the right opportunity to be your own boss in the Mediterranean sunshine, and especially if you have experience or a keen interest in the hospitality sector, this might be the opportunity of a lifetime.

For the price of an unremarkable suburban house in a northern European city, you can buy this unique asset with the potential to bring joy to you, your visitors and clients for generations to come.

The restaurant is ready for immediate use, and while some other elements of the property will need some investment, if you wanted to live and work here from the outset that would be perfectly possible.

We eventually envisage a spectacular wedding and events value, taking advantage of the cool breeze and beautiful location to attract local business and the on-site accommodation to appeal to the international market for destination celebrations. Let’s give you the tour…

The Property

The main complex of this restaurant for sale in Collesano is a simple design with tall, straight lines and neatly plastered walls. Terracotta guttering and drainpipes on the main two-storey north wing of the building are a lovely nod to the traditions of the region. A gate leads you into a walled courtyard of 230m2, finished in a smooth concrete paving and with a centrepiece in ceramics and loose stone.

The restaurant and guest house wrap around this on three sides, offering a total of about 430m2 of indoor space plus a huge first floor terrace. The ground floor is mostly given to the restaurant served by a smart reception or office. You’ll find two separate dining rooms and a very nice conference room on either side of the fully equipped kitchens.

The larger dining room measures about 85m2. It’s served by a pair of immaculately finished bathrooms and a serving counter at one end of the room where you can showcase fresh chilled produce, opposite the entrance to the kitchen. There are durable terracotta tiles underfoot with a majolica motif by the door. Elegant lighting makes the most of the subtle purple accents, creating a space which is minimalist with sophisticated touches. Four exits keep the room fully compliant with building regulations for a high-capacity room. Two of these bring you back onto the courtyard with the others leading out to the car park. Windows along the long south-facing wall give plenty of warmth and natural light, and there are also both air conditioning and radiators installed.

The bathrooms are spacious and classy, with wooden tones and natural light. Each has a washroom which can be used independently of the toilet itself.

The smaller dining room is still large enough to serve 20-30 guests in comfort. There is unobtrusive recessed lighting and a feature wall in a simple mid-century striped pattern. The only limitation is that it doesn’t have direct access to a WC – diners will need to go out into the courtyard and back indoors again.

The kitchen is finished in white tile with professional quality stainless steel work and storage units. A built-in oven allows a pizza chef to work their magic. The space is divided into two smaller rooms, but in total measures almost 40m2, plus a staff WC and changing room. Bright LED strip lighting will help your culinary team work to the highest standards.

The conference room makes a grand impression, with a huge hardwood table seating 24 and some rustic shelves. It could be adapted for indoor celebrations, and with the accommodation on-site you also have the option to market the venue as a location for small corporate retreats.

There are seven bedrooms, two on the ground floor and five upstairs. These five still need to be finished and furnished, while the lower pair need to be completely remodelled. They’re served by four bathrooms and a little kitchen, while one of the bedrooms has a sunny west-facing private terrace.

The far larger L-shaped terrace extends over the dining rooms and kitchen. If you were to add some outdoor furniture it could become a really inviting relaxation and meeting space, 175m2 in size and with great views of the estate and surrounding mountains.  It would be possible to see the sea on the horizon were it not for a line of trees to the north-west, but these are on the property and you would have the option to open that view up.

There are two large barns on the estate. The first, measuring approximately 430m2, was used as a stable while the second, at 230m2, was used for crop storage. A couple of hundred metres to the south of these buildings is the ruin of the old house, which covers about 100m2. This will need to be fully renovated, and at present there is not even paved access road beyond the barns. The estate, however, continues for another few hundred metres to the south.

Everything is screened from the access road by a fence and a large gate. This leads you up the concrete driveway to the parking area around the restaurant.

Surroundings

The hill on which Tenuta La Rocca stands slopes downwards to the north-west. Here we are about 500m above sea level, just south of the town of Collesano. From the main square it takes about 10 minutes to reach the estate, mostly following the SP9 provincial road, which runs near the western edge of the Madonie Park towards Scillato, Sclafani Bagni and Caltavuturo. These hills, which become 2,000m high mountains a short distance to the east, are dotted with all kind of enchanting little fortified towns and villages, offering its own distinct heritage and cuisine. The superb Terrazza Costantino in Sclafani Bagni was awarded a Michelin star in 2020.

Collesano is a beautiful and surprisingly cosmopolitan little town of about four thousand residents, many of whom have family histories in the community that stretch back generations. A growing international community is close-knit and active, however, assuring you of a warm welcome from the moment you arrive in the area.

The nearest beach is half an hour away at Campofelice di Roccella. Reaching the stunning sands of Cefalù takes only ten minutes longer than that. Palermo is the closest city, about an hour to the west and you’ll find the closest airport there. The relative proximity to the A19 motorway means that the island’s second city Catania, in the shadow of Mount Etna on the east coast, is less than two hours away. This gives you a great second option for an international airport.

Potential

The work needed on the estate depends on the extent of your ambitions and budget. If you are planning on renovating the accommodation you may want to consult a designer, but if your dreams extend to renovating the old cottage you will want the help of a larger team including a surveyor and architect. It would, however, give you the perfect place to live and oversee the estate and restaurant. The region’s tax climate is very friendly to an entrepreneur who moves from overseas and generates their own income.

As well as weddings and corporate events, the previous owners of the popular restaurant for sale in Collesano did good business with set menus on feast days and public holidays, when Sicilian families love to gather in huge numbers. If you were to add some more family-friendly facilities like a play area or a swimming pool you would be a hugely tempting option, especially in the summer months when the estate’s position in the hills would make it a blessed escape from the heat and humidity at sea level.

The trees which stop you seeing the sea from the roof terrace belong to the estate, so if you cut them right back you could offer a sea-view terrace as an extension to the restaurant or just a facility for guests booking overnight stays.