Salt air drifts up from the Tyrrhenian coast and settles over the rooftops of Reitano, a hilltop town in northern Sicily where the streets are narrow, the stone is centuries old, and the view just keeps opening up the higher you climb. Stand at the doorway of Casa Augusto and look out past the balcony rail. You can pick out Alicudi and Filicudi, two of the Aeolian Islands, floating on the horizon, with a ridge of green mountains framing the other side of the scene.
Now picture that same view repeating itself on every single floor of the house, from the ancient stable at ground level all the way up to what could become a rooftop terrace. That is the quiet magic of this property. It is not polished, it is not move-in ready, and it costs just €25,000. But it hands you one of the rarest things in the Italian property market, an honest to goodness sea view from every level of a home you can actually afford.
This is a project home, and we want to be upfront about that from the start. It needs a new roof, some structural decisions, and a vision for what it could become. But for anyone who has been dreaming about buying property in Italy without a huge budget, Casa Augusto is worth a serious look.
Discovering Casa Augusto in Hilltop Reitano
Ciao, benvenuti (welcome) to Reitano, a quiet hill town just above Santo Stefano di Camastra. Santo Stefano is about five minutes away and is where you would handle your banking, pharmacy needs, grocery shopping, and the train station.
For anything more serious, like a hospital visit or a specialist appointment, you would head to nearby Mistretta, though Santo Stefano covers most day to day needs too. Reitano itself is small and traditional, the kind of place where a stone house has been added onto over generations rather than built all at once.
Casa Augusto sits right at the edge of the town’s historic centre. It is a two story stone home built directly on top of an ancient stable, which means that once renovated, you would actually be living across three distinct levels.
The Ground Floor, A Cavernous Stone Room Waiting for Its New Roof
Walk in off the street and you are technically on the ground floor, though because Reitano is built on a hillside, this level already sits up above the stable below. The ceiling here soars to around 6 meters (about 20 feet), giving the whole room a dramatic, airy feeling.
That height comes at a cost though. The roof will need to be fully replaced, with the old wood structure swapped out and the original terracotta tiles carefully saved and reset on top.
There is a small bathroom tucked to one side that we would honestly consider removing entirely, opening up space instead for a staircase down to the stable below. Step out the door here and you get your first taste of that view, along with a balcony that, in its current state, needs some care before anyone should walk out onto it.
The Compact Top Floor and Its Wood-Fired Kitchen Past
Head up the stairs to the top floor and you find a smaller, cozier room that would once have served as the kitchen. There is an old wood burning oven built into the wall and a fireplace beside it, both clearly original to the home.
Look up and you will notice the ceiling is framed in chestnut beams, with the plaster held in place by bamboo lath, a building technique that used locally grown Sicilian bamboo as a base layer centuries ago. This room is small on its own, maybe 150 square feet, but there is real potential here.
An architect we consulted on site confirmed you could poke a doorway through one wall and extend this floor by roughly 175 to 200 square feet, borrowing space from that tall ceiling below. There is also a small balcony off this floor, more generous than a typical Juliet balcony since you can actually step out onto it and look down over the street.
The Roof Terrace, Where That Postcard Sea View Comes Alive
Here is where the real opportunity lives. When that roof eventually comes off for replacement, you have the option to turn this upper level into an open air terrazzo (rooftop terrace) instead of enclosed living space.
Picture an evening aperitivo up here, glass in hand, with Alicudi and Filicudi sitting out on the water and the Sicilian mountains catching the last of the sunset light. From this height, the sea view stretches out completely unobstructed in a way that very few properties at this price point can offer.
The Medieval Cantina Hidden Beneath the House
Down at the base of the house is the oldest part of the structure, an ancient stone stable that predates the home built on top of it by centuries. The walls here lean slightly inward, a telltale sign of construction that is at least 500 years old, and at the base they measure about a meter and a half thick, or roughly 5 feet.
Inside, there are no windows, just a single door that could easily be swapped for glass to bring in natural light. This is where the previous generations stored their wine, and a few centuries old clay vessels still remain as a reminder of that history.
The floor is newer and in solid condition, with iron beams overhead that could support a dropped sheetrock ceiling with recessed lighting, while leaving the stone walls exposed for a striking, modern rustic finish. At roughly 325 square feet, this cantina (cellar) alone gives you a real head start on additional living space, whether as a studio, guest suite, or workshop.
The Private Garden Out Back
Step outside the cantina level facing north and northeast and you find a patch of land included in the sale, enough room for a small vegetable garden. It is a detail we hear from viewers constantly, the desire for a little outdoor space to grow your own tomatoes and herbs, and Casa Augusto delivers it.
Even from this lowest level, two floors below that future roof terrace, the sea view is still there. Clear out one dead tree from the sightline and you have an uninterrupted view of water and mountains from your own garden.
A Historic Stone Home with Sea Views on Every Level
What makes Casa Augusto stand out in the Italian property market right now is not size or polish. It is the fact that every single level, from the ancient stable to the future roof terrace, opens onto the same unobstructed sea view.
That is an extremely rare feature at this price point, and it is the reason we wanted to bring this one to your attention even though it is clearly a project home.
Property Highlights of Casa Augusto
- Location: inside the historic centre of Reitano, Sicily, minutes from Santo Stefano di Camastra
- Interior size: 71 square meters (about 764 square feet)
- 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom in current configuration
- Traditional two story stone construction built above a medieval stable
- Sea views of Alicudi and Filicudi, plus mountain views, from every level
- Renovation potential to expand into three full living levels, including the stable
- Option to convert the top floor into an open air roof terrace
- Private garden to the rear, suitable for a vegetable plot
- Connected to municipal water supply and sewer, no off grid infrastructure costs
- Needs a new roof and structural renovation, priced accordingly
- Take the full video tour of Casa Augusto
- Featured in Episode 72
- Asking price: €25,000
Please note: our property tours stay online long after filming, and homes like this tend to sell quickly, so this one may no longer be available. If it has already sold, we can still help you find something similar. Tell us your dream, and we’ll help make it real.
We invite you to read one buyer’s story about what it’s really like working with us throughout the buying process.
Your Sea View Home Awaits in Reitano
Casa Augusto is not a finished product, and we would never pretend otherwise. It needs a new roof, some vision, and a willingness to work through a renovation.
But what it offers in return is hard to find anywhere else in Italy at this price. A sea view from an ancient stable, a sea view from your future kitchen, a sea view from a rooftop terrace you have not even built yet.
For €25,000, that kind of view, paired with real Sicilian stone construction and a garden of your own, is the definition of an opportunity worth taking seriously.
If the idea of watching the sun set behind the Aeolian Islands from your own terrace speaks to you, this is exactly the kind of property that makes a move to Italy feel possible.
