Property Description

Well Maintained Sea-view villa in Sicily, with Three Bedrooms and Beautiful Garden

A large detached family villa just metres from the beach, with views of the blue Tyrrhenian Sea from its landscaped gardens and raised terraces, Villa Patrizia is a glorious example of a sea-view villa in Sicily. In a neatly landscaped garden with centuries-old ancient olive trees you’ll never be lacking local character, but the warm sea air will make this a glorious vacation destination for as long as you own it.

A little to the east of Altavilla Milicia, between the Sicilian capital of Palermo and the world famous coastal town of Cefalù, the property stands on a quiet street in a charming area popular with holidaymakers. Many choose to escape the ancient and storied metropolis for the whole of the long Sicilian summer, while others have escaped the city entirely, preferring the convenient twenty minute commute to a life in the urban centre.

So close to Palermo but just a short walk or drive from family-friendly beach clubs, public beaches and seafront restaurants, the location is wonderfully convenient for work, rest and play. Whether Villa Patrizia is your future summer home, the base for a permanent relocation to Sicily or an investment in the island’s burgeoning tourist economy, it offers a wealth of potential and a hassle-free entry into the Mediterranean real estate market.

The Property

The spectacular villa rises two full storeys high above the neatly organised garden, which covers around 800m2 of lawn, flower beds and paving. The building itself has a habitable area of 160m2, plus a huge 80m2 garage and storage space on the ground floor. Built in the late 1990s, it was renovated at the beginning of this century.

Indoors you will find three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a huge open-plan reception room divided by a rounded arch into living and dining areas. A large glass-fronted fireplace sits in the division between both these spaces, allowing the whole ground floor of the property to be amply and efficiently heated. Villa Patrizia would make a wonderful home in any season of the year.

The neat terracotta tiles which cover the floor of the fabulously bright and airy living area continue onto the terrace that runs around the eastern and northern sides of the house, uniting the internal and external spaces in a simple but elegant fashion. This is reached by full length French windows, and framed from within by a stylish open staircase which curves up around the seafront panorama.

To the rear of this huge open space is a kitchen finished simply in white plaster and accentuated with pristine tiles. This is slightly on the small side, but there are cupboards, worktops and a powerful old oven with gas hobs. A covered west-facing terrace is reached through another patio door. Completing the ground floor is a double bedroom and a bathroom with shower.

At the top of the marble-tiled staircase is another large open living room, with windows under the eaves of the roof offering an even better vantage point from which to enjoy the sea view. Up here you’ll also find the other two bedrooms – a large master and a single. The former has an en-suite bathroom, and there is another of these on the landing with a splendid dark marble tub.

Underneath the house, the large storeroom is big enough to store all manner of vehicles, tools, garden furniture and so forth. Land use restrictions mean that it can’t be used as additional living space, but with so much of that on the upper floors the storage is an extremely useful addition.

Power is from the municipal grid and both hot water and radiators are connected to a biomass boiler, which also allows wood or pellets to be used for a clean and easily controllable burn. Air conditioning has been installed throughout. There is a private water connection, and mobile reception is strong, with internet download speeds of 50-60 megabytes measured on our most recent visit.

Surroundings

Although outside of Altavilla Milicia proper, Villa Patrizia is within a five minute drive of all the small shops you will need for daily life, including supermarkets, a bakery, an excellent fishmonger and a pharmacy. The local butchers have a ready supply of the locally-produced sausages which are a speciality of the town.

There is little traffic outside of the very height of summer, and plenty of readily-availably car parking in the district. You will find a raft of excellent beaches more or less on your doorstep. The mild Tyrrhenian climate and warm sea breeze mean that you can swim well into what would be considered winter further north.

The beautiful coastline is characterised by magnificent scenery, with hills sloping steeply up from sea level to the lower peaks of the nearby Madonie Natural Park. This is a coast rich in unforgettable beaches and untouched nature, its delicate biodiversity on full display in the Pizzo Cane and Pizzo Trigna nature reserve and the majestic Monte San Michele, famous for the Grotta Mazzamuto cave.

With the international airport of Palermo just a stone’s throw away, reachable by car or train, you are well connected to all of the continent’s major cities, and the whole of Sicily is within a few hours’ drive, making day trips to Agrigento, Trapani, or even Siracusa in the south-east perfectly possible. This is as good a spot as we could find for someone who wants to buy a house in Sicily to use as a holiday base, but far from impractical as a full-time home.

Potential

In recent years, this wonderful sea-view villa in Sicily has been listed as a holiday rental on AirBnB, although you would not guess so from the high standard of maintenance. If you see this as a smart way to recoup some of your outlay but are worried about the implications of managing lettings, you may be interested to know about our property management services. Our sister company, Solemar Sicilia, has been matching holidaymakers with their dream accommodation for two decades, and we offer a series of boutique service packages which can include everything from publicity to cleaning work and managing check-ins.

Our structural report found no issues at all, and the only reason for the sale is the owners’ wish to invest in property overseas. The asking price seems negotiable, and should you wish to make the process of moviing south as easy and cost-effective as it possibly can be, they are open to offers to sell it fully-furnished.