Property Description

Beautifully Renovated Holiday Cottage Near Noto, With 7,200m2 Land and Beaches Just Around the Corner

A gorgeous little holiday cottage near Noto in Southern Sicily, with a beautifully-kept garden and a 7,200m2 plot of land, Villa Arcabaleno is a dream come true. It’s ideal for a couple or lone traveller who want to get away to the sun for regular visits, and a great source of passive income for the times when you can’t be there in person.

The one bedroom home is perfectly set up for romantic getaways in nature, with beautiful outdoor spaces including a paved terrace, covered veranda and outdoor barbecue oven. You will also love the Sicilian character of the grounds, with a grove of 50 mature olive trees, the paddock once used to keep sheep and the chicken coop.

At the southern tip of a beautiful nature reserve it offers complete tranquillity, with a lovely beach just a five minute drive away. The region is one of the sunniest in all of Europe.

Both inside and out, the property has been diligently restored and maintained by a German couple, who visit when they can and rent it out the rest of the year. Commitments back home mean that they’ve reluctantly decided to put it on the market, but the future owner can really look forward to taking over a home and garden which have been really loved.

For complete convenience, it is even available to buy with all furniture, as seen in our photos. All you will need to do is book your flights!

The Property

The neatly-plastered single storey villa is the result of a renovation of an old cottage, with a small modern extension. The old structure is still evident in the chunky walls, which offer great natural insulation as well as historic character. About 65m2 in total, it has a kitchen-diner, a living room with a sleeping area and a bathroom. There is also a little storeroom.

The wooden ceiling beams are exposed, giving the interior a rustic charm, but the 3.30m height makes sure you never feel cramped. Despite appearances, the roof is in fact recently redone and well insulated. Underfoot, the floor is tiled in terracotta ceramics and easy to keep clean. The windows are double-glazed, with new external blackout shutters in aluminium. There is air conditioning system to keep you cool in the long Sicilian summer and a pellet stove heats the whole home efficiently in winter.

The furnishing is simple but cosy, with armchairs, a small writing desk and a couple of small bookshelves alongside the lovely pair of contrasting wooden dressers, table and chairs in the kitchen. This has been installed in the traditional Sicilian style, with the cupboards and sink made out of brick and finished with tiles, colourful green doors and a durable worktop. There is a gas hob underneath an unobtrusive but efficient extractor fan.

Outside you’ll find a lovely wooden dining suite sun loungers and patio furniture in wrought iron. There is a washing machine in the bathroom

The fine-grained plaster was redone eight years ago, and the roof as recently as. 2023.  The exterior areas, including the permanent roof over the veranda, the natural stone tiles of the terrace, the driveway gate and entrance gates all date from 2022. It’s all sympathetically chosen and done to very high quality.

The large terrace extends to about 200m2, of which 25m2 is covered veranda. You’ll find a garden shed to store the outdoor furniture in winter, as well as your gardening equipment and supplies for the stone barbecue.

The highlight of the garden are two beautiful old almond trees (Pizzuta d’Avola) which have stood here for over 150 years. They still bear plentiful nuts, which can be harvested in August and September. So, too can several young citrus trees, a carob, two figs, a pomengranate and several prickly pears. There is a bed of cacti and succulents, with ficus, rubber tree, cypresses, aloe vera, agaves, a small mulberry tree and ornamental plants. The chefs amongst you will love the herb bed with rosemary, oregano, sage and lavender. Wild fennel grows abundantly all over the property

Water supply is guaranteed and free, thanks to a nine-metre deep ancient stone well, complete with an antique laundry stone, and also the more modern 60-metre deep borehole in the garden.

The property is protected by video surveillance, and served by a reliable WLAN connection.

Surroundings

The natural park of the Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari stretches from the end of the lane on which Villa Arcobaleno stands, up ten kilometres of beautiful coastline to the town of Lido di Noto. Along the way it takes in 3,700 acres of diverse unspoilt habitats, including the beautiful beach of Calamosche, one of Sicily’s greatest. Your nearest beach is even closer, 800m away as the crow flies and only 3km by road.

The nearest community is San Lorenzo, just two minutes away by car. A seafront district populated by holiday homes, it really comes to life in the summer months. At this time you’ll find a convenient little grocery shop with a good assortment of products open in San Lorenzo. The train station is open all year round.

Marzamemi is a fashionable fishing village on the Ionian Sea, just 4 km away. A little further is Pachino – a lively market town that offers everything you need on a day-to-day basis. You’ll find all kind of food shops, clothes, supermarkets, hardware shops and pharmacies.

To the south is the promontory of Portopalo di Capo Passero, a coastline so glamorous that even Mick Jagger bought a house here a few years ago. Inland, the baroque pearl of Noto is only 18 km away, and Siracusa about 30km.

The nearest airport, Catania Fontanarossa, is only an hour’s drive away.

Potential

You won’t need to invest anything beyond the purchase price – remember that even the furniture is included. On the contrary, this property actually generates income. It has enjoyed a 9.6 rating on Booking.com and strong performance on other portals, as you would expect from A holiday cottage near Noto and so many other attractions. The owners have even been delighted to see returning guests in its second year of operation. They are very happy to provide all of the relevant information and give you the benefit of their experience on request.

The estate includes a meadow of about 3,500m2, which is currently leased to a German woman who lives locally. The price is a very generous €500 per year, but there is no long-term agreement if you would like to move on from this.

In late summer the owners have invited friends to help with their olive harvest, which in 2024 produced 100 litres of premium quality olive oil. They sell it back home in Germany for upwards of €20 euro/litre, although of course there is also a local market, and you may find that holidaymakers are keen to buy souvenirs to take home too.