Salt air drifts up from the beach at Torre Muzza while, just a short drive up the hill, the wind carries the scent of woodsmoke through centuries-old stone streets in Motta d’Affermo. Two homes, two totally different rhythms of life, and both of them ours to show you today.
Picture standing at a bedroom window in a house that has stood for hundreds of years, looking out past the rooftops of one medieval town, then another, until your eyes land on a strip of blue Mediterranean shimmering in the distance. Now picture the opposite kind of morning, one where you step onto a balcony, hear the waves breaking a hundred meters away, and walk to the beach in your flip flops before breakfast. Both of these mornings are on the table in this post, and by the end you might find yourself torn the same way we were filming it.
Casa Noto, A Medieval Stone Home with Sea Views in Motta d’Affermo
We are in our own comune (municipality) today, up in the hilltop village of Motta d’Affermo, standing in front of a home called Casa Noto. It sits on one level of the street, with another level of the house dropping down to the street below, which is a common layout in these old hill towns.
The home belonged to an elderly woman who has since passed away, and it has been closed up for several years. That means it is a little dusty and full of sheets draped over furniture, but underneath all of that, this place is a genuine hidden gem.
The Entrance and Reception Hall with No Stairs and No Compromise
Walking in at street level with no stairs to climb is rare in a medieval village, and it makes a real difference day to day. The reception area here is huge for a home this old, and it does not feel like it belongs to any single room.
Ceilings run about 9 feet high, and the stone walls, some plastered and some left bare, give the whole space a solid, timeless weight. Every door in this house, bedroom, bathroom, all solid wood with beautiful obscure glass, and honestly we would not change a single one.
The Balcony View Over a Thousand-Year-Old Castle
The first bedroom has smaller windows, which is typical of medieval construction meant to hold in heat, but do not let the window size fool you. Look out from here and you can see the town of Tusa in the distance, then further back the medieval town of Pollina, and beyond that a sliver of Mediterranean sea view.
The second bedroom, currently set up as a sitting room, is much larger and opens onto its own balcony. This is where the view really opens up. You get the sea in the distance, and if you look carefully at the center of the frame, you can pick out the remains of a Norman castle roughly 1,000 years old, sitting on the medieval town of Pettineo.
Standing on that balcony with the whole panorama of Tusa, Pollina, and Pettineo laid out in front of you, plus a genuine ancient castle ruin in the mix, is not something you find in most home tours. It is the kind of view that makes you stop talking mid sentence.
The Ground Floor’s Kitchen, Laundry, and Hidden Bonus Bathroom
Down on the ground floor is the kitchen and eating area, currently heated by a wood burning stove, which is honestly not so different from how this house was heated 500 years ago. The kitchen has all its appliances except a refrigerator, and there is bonus space built into a hutch nook that could easily be enlarged.
There is a laundry sink back here as well, tucked under the stairs alongside sheets and storage. We also found a genuine bonus discovery in the dark under the stairs, a toilet with a small spigot for a sink, and a sewer line already run to it. That is more than enough to build out a small second bathroom with a shower.
Storage, Thick Stone Walls, and Room to Grow
The stone walls throughout this house measure roughly 3 and a half feet thick, which tells you everything about how these homes were built to last. There is also a separate storage area off the stairs, about six square meters (roughly 65 square feet), plenty for stashing tools, bikes, or seasonal gear.
The ground floor also has its own separate ingress and egress onto the street below, which is a real bonus if you ever wanted to rent out a portion of the home separately.
Franco’s Home in Torre Muzza, A Modern Escape Steps from the Beach
Down the hill and right on the coast, we are in Torre Muzza today, in a building constructed in 1980 that is in like-new condition. This particular apartment belongs to our friend Franco, who owns Franco’s Bar, the place we love going for aperitivo (pre-dinner drinks).
This home is a different standard entirely from a lot of the cheap fixer-uppers we typically feature. The floors throughout were custom made in Catania, and every tile in this home was chosen and laid specifically for this apartment.
The Custom Floors and Craftsmanship of a Higher Standard
Walking through, you notice the flooring immediately, it is genuinely beautiful and clearly custom work, not a standard tile job. The first bedroom has a Venetian plaster treatment on the wall and an equally striking ceiling.
The entire home is heated and cooled by a central heat pump system, which is rare to find here outside of new high-end construction. If your budget is a bit higher than the typical cheap Sicilian fixer-upper, this is exactly the kind of comfortable, contemporary standard that might change your mind about what is possible here.
Two Bedrooms and a Full Bath, Done Right
The second bedroom is even larger than the first and is currently set up for kids, with two beds inside, though the custom flooring here is just as striking. There is a full laundry room with storage tucked behind doors, plus a private rear balcony off the second bedroom.
The single bathroom is modern, clean, and genuinely up to date, which is not always the case when a Sicilian listing claims to be move-in ready. This one actually is. The kitchen is fully appointed with high quality cabinetry, and furnishings are included in the sale.
The Front Balcony, Where You Can Hear the Waves
Step out onto the front balcony and the sea is right there in front of you, not just a sliver of blue in the distance but the whole horizon. On a calm day you can still hear the waves rolling in, and the beach itself is about a hundred meters away.
Across the water you can spot Torre Muzza, the medieval watchtower this little seaside community takes its name from, one of many such towers that dot the north coast of Sicily. The balcony wraps the full face of the apartment, running along both bedrooms and the living room.
Torre Muzza itself is a tiny community of around 120 permanent residents, but it punches above its weight. There is a coffee bar right across the street, a fantastic pizzeria, and a full supermarket just a couple minutes away. Santo Stefano is five minutes in one direction, Castel di Tusa with its beachfront castle another five, and Cefalu and Capo d’Orlando are each about half an hour away.
Buying as a Foreigner and What We Learned About Reciprocity and the Codice Fiscale
We sat down again with John Dominico Dulio of the Dulio Law Firm to answer a viewer question about what it actually takes to buy property in Italy. The question was whether you need an Italian checking account, an Italian codice fiscale (tax identification number), or an Italian cell phone number to purchase a home here.
John Dominico explained that the first thing to check is reciprocity, meaning whether an Italian citizen would be legally allowed to buy property in your home country. For US citizens, reciprocity exists, so there are no restrictions on purchasing Italian real estate. He noted that some countries are different, Australia and New Zealand restrict foreign real estate investment, and Canada has restricted purchases in metropolitan areas since January 2023, though Canadians can still buy in municipalities under 10,000 residents.
Beyond reciprocity, the one essential requirement is the codice fiscale, which functions similarly to a US social security number and is required for any transaction with economic relevance in Italy, property purchases included. This can be arranged through your local Italian consulate, or a firm like Dulio Law can handle the application remotely on your behalf.
Importantly, John Dominico confirmed you do not need an Italian bank account or an Italian phone number to buy a home here. That is good news for anyone worried the process is more complicated than it actually is.
Property Highlights of Casa Noto and Franco’s Home in Torre Muzza
- Casa Noto: two-bedroom medieval stone home in the hilltop village of Motta d’Affermo
- Sea view stretching across the medieval towns of Tusa, Pollina, and Pettineo, with visible ruins of a roughly 1,000-year-old Norman castle
- Ceilings about 9 feet high, solid wood doors throughout, stone walls roughly 3.5 feet thick
- Separate street-level entrances for the upper and ground floors, ideal for potential separate use
- Ground floor kitchen with wood-burning stove, laundry sink, and a bonus partial bathroom ready to finish
- About six square meters (roughly 65 square feet) of dedicated storage space
- Franco’s Home in Torre Muzza: fully furnished, move-in ready modern apartment about 100 meters from the beach
- Custom flooring made in Catania, Venetian plaster detailing, central heat and air via heat pump
- Two large bedrooms, one full bathroom, full laundry room, and updated kitchen with high quality cabinetry
- Wraparound balcony facing the sea with views to the historic Torre Muzza watchtower
- Walkable to a coffee bar, pizzeria, and supermarket in the small community of Torre Muzza
- Watch the full property tour
- Featured in Episode 25
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.
Conclusion on Hilltop Charm or Seaside Bliss in Sicily
These two homes could not represent more different versions of the Sicilian dream. One puts you inside centuries of history, with a sea view that takes in three medieval towns and a Norman castle from your own balcony. The other drops you a hundred meters from the sand, with modern comforts and the sound of waves right outside your window.
Casa Noto asks for some vision and a bit of work, but the bones, the doors, the thick stone walls, are all genuinely special and largely intact. Franco’s home in Torre Muzza asks for nothing at all, it is furnished, updated, and ready for you to simply arrive and unpack.
Buying either one as a foreigner is more straightforward than most people assume, especially for US citizens, once you understand the reciprocity rules and get your codice fiscale sorted out. That part of the process really can move fast when you have the right people helping.
So which pulls at you more, the hilltop views over ancient towns, or the sound of the sea from your own front balcony? Either way, Sicily has a version of the dream waiting for you.
