Property Description

This 7,000m South Coast Plot is the Perfect Place to Build Your Own Villa in Sicily, Overlooking Ancient Greek Temples and Moments from the Beach

This long strip of land, just a kilometre inland from the sandy beaches of Selinunte on the island’s south coast, is the perfect spot to build your own villa in Sicily. If you put up a two-storey home you will even be able to enjoy uninterrupted sea views from the upstairs windows, balconies and roof terrace.

In a peaceful residential area, it measures 25m wide by 280m long, running west-east in parallel with the coastline. Its neighbours have planted fruit and olive trees in quiet gardens, making it a relaxing and peaceful spot.

History fans will be amazed by the vast archaeological park of Selinunte, right on your doorstep, with incredible exhibits open to the public. For wildlife lovers the beautiful beach of the Foce Belice Nature Reserve is only a little further down the road. Whether you plan to move permanently to the area or build a holiday home that also earns you money as a rental property, you and your guests will be enthralled at the rich combination of cultural and natural treasures the region has to offer.

The Property

At present the flat land is clear, save for grass and some trees. There are some very mature olives, at least 80 years old, and thirty pine trees near the boundary to the rear. A pair of twin access roads run along each edge of the property, while the front edge is enclosed by a chain link fence.

Close to that far end, 250m away from the road, is the the existing house. This is in extremely poor condition, with doubts over the quality of its foundations, and the only sensible course of action at this point would be to demolish it and build your own villa elsewhere on the land. Unfortunately there are not even many materials there which could be reused. Perhaps a couple of pieces of old wooden furniture could be restored, but that’s about it.

There is a well on the land, but this appears to be dry. One solution would be to bore deeper until you come to a supply, but a more practical one would be to simply connect to the municipal main, which runs along the road. It is connected for electricity.

Surroundings

The plot is located on the main entrance road that runs into the modern town of Selinunte from Southern Sicily’s main state highway, the SS115.

Just a five minute walk away, the Selinunte Archaeological Park is one of the largest and most important archaeological sites in the whole of Mediterranean Europe. Home to an entire ancient Greek city including streets, homes and temples, an aqueduct and a necropolis. Spanning a vast 270 hectares, it is an easy place in which to lose an entire day in the excitement of discovery and contemplation of the ancient past.

The beach is just one kilometre away, and the sandy dunes of the nature reserve are an absolute favourite of ours. Even in the height of summer you can find space to yourself, and the lush vegetation that begins right at the end of the dunes makes this a fabulous tranquil spot to spend a sunny afternoon.

The SS115 we mentioned earlier passes just seven minutes’ drive from what would be your front door. This makes regional travel exceptionally easy, and you can reach the nearby town of Castelvetrano in fifteen minutes. With about 30,000 residents it will be your most convenient option for bigger supermarkets and more specialist stores and services, including a hospital.

Nor is that the only town in the immediate vicinity. In 25 minutes you can reach Mazara del Vallo, 30 will bring you to Sciacca, 50 minutes to Marsala and one hour to the region’s historic capital, Trapani. As our complete guide to the Trapani region will tell you, this puts some of Sicily’s crown jewels a short drive away, including the ancient lagoon city of Mozia, the hilltop castle town of Erice and the Egadi islands. Travelling east, the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is only 80 minutes away.

You and your visitors will be happy to know that there are also two separate airports within an hour’s drive, in Trapani and Sicily’s capital city, Palermo respectively.

Potential

While the old house has a footprint of 90m2, the size of the plot means that you could add an additional 150m2 of living space, giving you a 120m2 villa on two floors. This could easily be a four-bedroom family home. You can also bear in mind the fact that open terraces aren’t even counted in these calculations, meaning that you can really let your imagination run wild.

An existing set of designs do exist for a villa, created by an architect we know, and these are available for purchase if you like what you see. The two-storey design allows for a direct view of the temples across the road, which would be a really special selling point. Talk to our team for more details of these.

If you’re working completely from scratch, €2,500 per square metre is a good budget to build your own villa in Sicily. On top of this you might want to allow €30,000 for a swimming pool and something similar to put in an outdoor kitchen, shady pergola and some landscaping. We would say that you could get a really spectacular new home for a total spend of €5-600,000, including the purchase price. This, we understand, is very much negotiable.

We have extensive experience managing construction projects, and have overseen the construction of homes for many clients who bought land in this fashion. If you’d like to know how our experienced team can keep your costs down and your build on schedule, our friendly international team would be delighted to discuss your options in detail.