House for sale - Gratteri (Italy)

Casa Viola - GratteriA historic little home in the heart of one of our favourite Sicilian villages, Casa Viola in Gratteri is a real winner at the affordable asking price.Intelligently used space on four floorsThe cosy little town house in fact offers 95m2 of living space, with a simple floor plan that sees one main room and one secondary space on each level. Starting from the bottom, we find two double bedrooms on the lowest two storeys of the property, each of which is actually set below the street level but open at the far side thanks to the steep hillside on which the house has been built. On both of these floors is a bathroom with a shower, one an en-suite and the other accessed off the little landing.The ground floor proper has a hallway with plenty of space for storing coats, shoes and so forth. Around the corner is a living room with a miniature balcony. Finally, the top level is home to the kitchen-diner, with bench seating in a nook under the window and all the fittings you would expect. We've saved the best for last though – the square terrace lets natural light flood into the kitchen and gives you an unbelievably nice option for outdoor dining, with a panoramic view that takes in practically the whole of Gratteri and much of the green surrounding countryside. It's a real treat that everyone is certain to love.Traditional, warm and welcomingThe current owners of Casa Viola have put real effort into the presentation of the home, and you will find it in very good condition. There is no need whatsoever to renovate or invest anything beyond the purchase price. We particularly like the blue and white ceramic tiles which have been used throughout, and which give the property a really distinctive identity. You'll find them underfoot in the entrance, all the rooms and on the upper staircase, and they've also been used to fully tile the two bathrooms.Other charming and distinctively Sicilian features include the exposed roof timbers on the ceilings of the bedrooms and kitchen. Up here you will also surely be charmed by the built-in brick oven, right in the middle of the room. It's not something you'll use every day - and as you can see there is also an alcove that's perfect for a more modern oven – but it does make a great centrepiece and on special occasions you can prepare your food in the historic style of the region.Natural wonders in all directionsGratteri is a scenic spot in the middle of the Madonie Park, with wonderful views and enticing driving roads and hiking trails in all directions. If you like your outdoor time a little more sedate, it's just seven kilometres to the north coast, where you'll find golden sandy beaches in all directions. A particular highlight is the iconic beach town of Cefalù, which you can reach in half an hour.For a full description of the property please visit our website Want to know more?

Casa Maurizio - GratteriA two-bedroom home on three storeys, Casa Maurizio in the idyllic Madonie Park village of Gratteri is available at an enticing price.80mq of beautifully maximised living spaceThe floor plan of Casa Maurizio is a simple one, with a versatile living room on the ground floor and two bedrooms above. You'll find a bathroom with a shower on both the ground and top levels, and there is also a handy loft space above the stairwell off the second bedroom. The second floor also offers a small balcony, from which you can enjoy views over the nearby rooftops to the green hills and rocky mountains of the Madonie.We found the ground floor especially welcoming, with the single space having been laid out to accommodate a cosy lounge area, a dining table and a Sicilian-style built-in kitchen. This is simple but effective, with a gas hob, sink, marble worktop and fridge freezer. The food preparation area is especially well-lit, with natural light from a street-view window.Beautiful Renovation Work on Show and Behind the ScenesThe property was entirely renovated by the current owners, both structurally and cosmetically, and the work is top class. Hidden away out of sight are the insulation on the wooden roof and the flue system which carries heat from the open fireplace on the ground floor up throughout the entire house. The fascia has been completely refreshed, with modern wooden windows and external shutters.Perhaps our favourite element of the work is in the interior design choices, though. The living room is a mix of warm yellow plaster and exposed stone, balancing historic charm with sunny tones. Above your head the original wooden timbers of the ceiling are perfectly showcases, and underfoot a dark ceramic tile perfectly picks up on those natural shades. The stairs and first floor bedroom have a charming local tile pattern.A natural park steeped in tradition and filled with dazzling viewsThe village of Gratteri is home to around a thousand people, of which over twenty families have bought their homes through our agency. We are always delighted to recommend the charming hilltop hamlet for its panoramic views and welcoming locals.It's found about 700m above sea level, and convenient for exploring the whole of the Madonie Park. Within twenty minutes you can be down at sea level, on the beaches of the island's north coast which include the unforgettable seafront of Cefalù, only a 25 minute drive away.For a full description of the property please visit our website Want to know more?

Casa Pinuccia - GratteriWith sea views and timeless charm, Casa Pinuccia would be perfect for a buyer who wants the thrill of restoring an old home in Sicily.THREE-storey home with bedroom,living room and kitchen Casa Pinuccia's layout is simple, with a 15m2 living room on the ground floor, a bedroom of the same size on the first floor and a kitchen and dining room on the second. Tucked away under the first staircase is a ground floor bathroom with a miniature tub and shower attachment. The living room opens straight onto the street through double doors which also let plenty of light into the cosy space.The first floor bedroom has the bonus of a sea-view balcony, and the dining room upstairs has the same. The room is only a little smaller than those below, despite the presence of the kitchen. We would actually love to see this floor opened up and turned into a single kitchen-diner. Doing this you could even put in a sofa and a couple of bookcases and allow yourselves to use the ground floor as a second bedroom. It would do justice to the sensational view from the balcony.A renovation challenge with a characterful coreThere is no getting away from the fact that a lot of work is going to be needed, not least on the wooden ceilings which have suffered from water damage. Beyond this Casa Pinuccia will need new windows, electrical wiring and plumbing to bring it up to modern safety codes. Additionally the fascia needs to be refreshed, and the elderly air conditioners replaced – we would suggest with two-way heat pumps.On the plus side of the ledger, the staircase was redone in concrete in the 1980s, finished with some lovely Sicilian marble and remains in great condition. The bathroom is from a similar era but the simple decoration has aged well and everything still works efficiently. The roof is also holiding up well. You'll love the decorative floor tiles throughout the home, and the fixed wood oven built right into the kitchen wall is a must-keep.Amazing hilltop location in sicily's favourite natural parkThe position of Casa Pinuccia is a huge selling point. Everything that surrounds Gratteri is beautiful green hillside, which stretches up to the towering peaks of the upper Madonie and down to the pristine Tyrrhenian Sea below. Although you could enjoy a different route around the fields, woodland and mountainsides of the region every day for a year, you'll also adore the fact that the nearest sandy beach is just 20 minutes away by car. The spectacular seafront of Norman Cefalu is only five minutes beyond that. And Palermo reachable in not much over an hour.For a full description of the property please visit our website Want to know more?

Casa Matteo - GratteriIn the small village of Gratteri, seven kilometres inland and 650m above sea level in the heart of the Madonie Natural Park, Casa Matteo is a must-see for buyers interested in renovating an historic .Magnificent views of the sea and mountainsThe steep terrain and the height of this terraced palazzo building combine to offer unobstructed sea views from the second and third floors. The former even has a balcony that offers you the chance to enjoy the fabulous coastal panorama in the open air.At the moment, the top floor kitchen only has a small window facing north towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, but we think that even a mid-budget renovation project would be able to create a terrace on this level that would give you a bird's eye view of an enormous swathe of northern Sicily.To the rear, Casa Matteo has a view of the surrounding village from the upper floors, which is as charming as the front is dramatic and memorable.Four storeys and over 150M2 of living spaceThe home is divided into six rooms, which could be configured in a variety of ways. Most of these are over 15m2, and the largest space, a second floor pair of rooms connected through a broad archway, offers over 40m2, plus the sea-view balcony at the front.We imagine the finished home with two bedrooms on the lower levels, a beautiful living room-cum-diner on the second floor and an unforgettable kitchen with full-wall glazing opening onto a roof terrace at the top of the property.A renovation challenge that offers a rich rewardAs you'll see from our virtual tour and photography, it is obviously going to be necessary to dedicate time and budget to the historic home. The exact budget will depend on your needs and tastes, as well as how much of the work you're in a position to take care of yourself. We estimate that the final investment will need to be in the region of €110,000 – really, a bargain for the chance to own a piece of Sicilian heritage that's been remodelled to your exact taste.Some features that we think it would be a shame not to incorporate into the final design include a staircase made from the rare and exceptionally durable Billiemi stone, two floors' worth of clay tiles and the antique bread oven which has been built into the kitchen. Take a tour and let your imagination start to work on this fascinating restoration project!For a full description of the property please visit our website Want to know more?