Vrijstaande woning in Gratteri

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

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