Salt air drifts up from the coastline far below and catches you the moment you step onto a crumbling rooftop terrace in Motta d’Affermo. From up here, the Mediterranean Sea stretches out in one direction, and two medieval hilltop villages rise up in the other. It is the kind of view that stops you mid sentence, the kind that makes you forget for a second that the house underneath your feet has been sealed shut since 2014.
That is exactly the property we are walking you through today. It is not polished, it is not staged, and it definitely is not move-in ready. But for €19,500, it comes with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, marble stairs, and a front row seat to one of the most breathtaking views on Sicily’s northern coast. If you have ever dreamed of owning a slice of la dolce vita (the sweet life) in an authentic Italian village without the crowds, this is worth a serious look.
A Forgotten Home Waiting to Be Reclaimed in Motta d’Affermo
We call this one Casa Giovanni, and it sits right on the main piazza (town square) of Motta d’Affermo, directly across from the comune (town hall). It is a mountaintop village of about 450 permanent residents, tucked above olive orchard covered hills on Sicily’s northern coast.
The house has not been opened since May of 2014. No air movement, no light, nothing. We have been in touch with the family who owns it, and they are ready to let it go to someone with the vision to bring it back.
This is the only house left on the piazza that still needs work. Every other building around it, including the palazzo next door that now houses a bed and breakfast, has already been restored. That alone tells you something about the upside here.
The Ground Floor and Its Garage Turned Private Studio
You enter through what used to be a garage with an automatic door, though it was more recently used as an office by the owner’s brother for agricultural business. His old copy machine is still sitting in there.
There is a half bath tucked into this level, along with two cisterns, one for potable municipal water and one for the diesel fuel that runs the home’s radiant heating system. With the garage door left up, this space is almost all glass, looking straight out onto the piazza and the comune.
You could keep it as a garage, or turn it into a self-contained lock-up studio apartment. Either way, it is flexible space that most homes this size do not offer.
The Second Floor’s Marble Stairs and Two Bedrooms Full of Character
Head up the marble steps, past the iron railing, and you land on the first proper living floor. The ceilings here still have their original plaster appliques, and the bones of the room are honestly beautiful under all the dust and old wallpaper.
One bedroom sits under a section of roof that has taken on some water damage, which we will get to. The second bedroom faces the piazza and is in much better shape, water damage free, with furniture from about 50 years ago still inside that could serve a rental nicely.
The Kitchen and Bathrooms Offer Simple Bones Ready for New Life
The salotto (living room) connects to a fully tiled kitchen, floor to ceiling, and honestly the tile work is not in poor taste at all. It just needs cleaning, electricity, and light.
There is a full bathroom off the kitchen with radiant heat as well. Both this bathroom and the kitchen show water staining that traces straight back to the roof problem above, which is the one real structural issue in this whole house.
Climbing to the Roof Terrace and That Sea View
Up on the top level, past a laundry room and a ripostiglio (storage closet), you reach what was once an open roof deck that a previous owner enclosed with obscured glass. The mayor’s son next door has the same kind of setup.
The roofing material up here does contain asbestos, so that abatement needs to be factored into any renovation budget. It is not nearly as costly to handle in Sicily as it would be in the US or Canada, but it is a real line item.
The Terrazzo Offers Sea Views Over Two Medieval Villages
Step out onto the terrazzo (rooftop terrace) behind the house and this is where the whole project sells itself. You are looking straight out at the sea, with the towns of Tusa and Pollina visible in the distance, two mountaintop medieval villages framed against the water.
This roof deck could easily become a little garden space with container planting, and there is already storage built into the structure along with a second cistern for collecting rainwater. Once the roof itself is replaced, this becomes the single best spot in the entire house to watch the sun go down over the Mediterranean.
Why This Is a Smart Investment in Motta d’Affermo
The roof only spans a small footprint, so replacing it is not the massive expense you might expect. A rough estimate puts that job somewhere between €6,000 and €10,000.
Factor in plaster repair, the asbestos abatement, and general cleanup, and a realistic total budget lands around €15,000 to bring the whole place up to shape. That is on top of the €19,500 purchase price, which still puts you well under €35,000 for a finished two bedroom home with sea views on a village piazza.
We always tell people to get the worst house on the best block, and that is exactly what this is. Every neighboring building has already been restored, which protects the long-term value of whatever work you put in here.
We do want to be upfront about one thing. Taking on a renovation in a foreign country without local guidance is where people get into trouble, and we have seen it happen to well-known buyers here in Motta d’Affermo who got bad advice and ended up in over their heads. Having a vetted list of local trades to call on makes all the difference on a project like this.
Property Highlights of Casa Giovanni
- 2 bedrooms
- 2 bathrooms
- 3-level home with classic Italian tile work and marble stairs, plus a rooftop terrazzo
- Ground level converted from a garage into a private studio with storage and a half bath
- Sea view plus views of the historic surrounding villages
- Needs deep cleaning, roof replacement, and repair of water-damaged walls
- Watch the full property tour
- Featured in Episode 33
- Asking price: €19,500
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.
A Rare Fixer-Upper Awaits in Motta d’Affermo
This is not a home for someone who wants to unpack their bags and relax on day one. It is a project, and we are upfront about that every step of the way.
But for €19,500, you are buying two bedrooms, two bathrooms, marble stairs, and a rooftop terrace looking out over the Mediterranean and two medieval villages. Very few price tags in the world get you a view like that.
With a realistic renovation budget and the right local help, this house on the piazza of Motta d’Affermo could become a personal escape or a rental with real upside. The bones are good, the location cannot be replicated, and the sea view alone makes it worth the visit.
If you can see past eleven years of dust and picture what this place could be, we would love to help you make it happen.
