Salt air drifts up from the coastline below and settles over a rooftop terrace where the whole horizon seems to open up in front of you. Mountains rise on one side, olive orchards roll down the hillside, and past all of it, the sea stretches out in a wide blue band that catches the afternoon light. You are standing on top of a small stone house in a hilltop village of about 900 people, and for a moment it genuinely feels like you have the whole world up here to yourself.
This is Casa Ignazio, a turnkey one bedroom home in Reitano, Sicily, and it is exactly the kind of property we get asked about all the time. People want to know if it is really possible to buy something in Italy that is move-in ready, has a real sea view, and does not blow the budget. Casa Ignazio answers that question with a firm yes, and we are excited to walk you through it.
Reitano, a Hilltop Village with Sea Views and Easy Access
Reitano sits just a few minutes above Santo Stefano di Camastra, which is where you will find the train station, a gas station, and four supermarkets. So even though Reitano itself is small and quiet, you are not cut off from daily life at all.
The beach is about an 8 to 10 minute drive away, which is close enough to make it a regular part of your routine rather than a special occasion. The village itself sits at a height that gives it those sweeping views, while still keeping you a short hop from the coast.
Inside Casa Ignazio, a Fully Renovated One-Level Home
Casa Ignazio is a single floor home, 60 square meters (about 645 square feet), with one bedroom and one bathroom. Everything is on one level, which is a detail we know matters a lot to buyers who do not want stairs in their daily living space.
The Vestibule and Living Area
You enter through a Sicilian bug screen into a proper front vestibule, kept exactly as a vestibule should be, rather than being absorbed into the living room. From right there you already catch a glimpse of the sea view through the space.
The living and dining area functions as one open room, roughly 150 square feet, with double doors looking out onto the street and that same sea view visible in the distance. It is not a huge room, but it is well proportioned and comfortable.
The Bedroom and Bathroom, Ready for a Clever Reconfiguration
The single bedroom also has double doors facing the street, with a bit more of the sea visible from this angle. The bathroom is a complete full bath with its own window and its own water heater, fully self-contained.
We spoke with an architect about an idea for this layout that we think is worth sharing. His suggestion was to seal up the current bathroom entrance from the kitchen, then open a new doorway through to the bedroom instead, creating a private master suite feel where the bathroom connects directly to the bedroom rather than sitting off the kitchen.
The Kitchen, Open and Ready to Expand
The kitchen is simple and adequate, with its own little pantry space and a set of auxiliary steps leading up toward the staircase. We liked that the sellers left it without upper cabinets, since that keeps the room feeling open rather than boxed in.
There is a support column here doing the structural work instead of the partition wall next to it, which means that wall is really just decorative. Remove it, and you could open the kitchen right up into the sitting and dining area for a much bigger, more social feeling space.
The Rooftop Terrace, Where You Will Want to Live
This is the feature that makes Casa Ignazio special. The roof terrace shares the same footprint as the home itself, nearly 60 square meters (about 645 square feet), which means you effectively double your living space just by climbing the stairs.
From up here you can see an old mountain church tucked into the clouds at a much higher elevation, olive orchards stepping down the hillside, and then the sea filling out the rest of the view. It is the kind of spot where you eat breakfast slowly, linger over wine at sunset, and lose track of time.
There is enough room up here for a proper outdoor living setup, a sofa and a table, and it would even be possible to build a partial covered structure over part of the terrace for shade. The granite steps leading up are in excellent shape, though the iron handrail post will need an actual rail added, a small and inexpensive fix.
The Cantina, a 40 Square Meter Blank Canvas
Down at street level is the cantina (cellar), an ancient stone stable that has its own separate entrance directly onto the street. At roughly 40 square meters (about 430 square feet), it is a large space and currently used for storage, but the bones of it are genuinely impressive.
The ceiling has original wooden beams in good condition, supported by an iron I-beam, and everything reads as straight and structurally sound. We did not sense any humidity or moisture issues down there, which is always a relief in a space like this.
The stone walls could be chipped away with a hammer drill to expose the original stone underneath, a process that takes some time but is very doable, even as a DIY project with the right safety gear. With big double doors and two windows letting in light, this cantina could become a guest apartment, a wine cellar, an art studio, or a media room. The potential here is really the whole story.
Property Highlights of Casa Ignazio
- Location: Reitano, Sicily, a quiet hilltop village about 5 minutes from Santo Stefano di Camastra
- Interior size: 60 square meters (about 645 square feet), fully renovated and move-in ready
- Layout: One bedroom, one bathroom, all on a single level
- Rooftop terrace of nearly 60 square meters (about 645 square feet) with sweeping sea and mountain views
- 40 square meter (about 430 square feet) stone cantina with its own street entrance, ready to be converted
- Street parking available directly in front of the home
- Beach access about 8 to 10 minutes away by car
- Take the video tour of Casa Ignazio
- Featured in Episode 59
- Asking price: €49,000 (negotiable)
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.
Casa Ignazio Brings the Italian Dream Within Reach
Casa Ignazio proves that you do not need a huge budget to find a home in Italy with a real, jaw dropping sea view. At €49,000 and fully renovated, it removes the renovation headache that so many older Sicilian stone homes come with.
What sold us most was that rooftop terrace. Having nearly 60 square meters of outdoor living space with mountain views on one side and the sea on the other is not something you find every day at this price point.
Add in the cantina below, a genuine blank canvas ready to become a guest suite, studio, or wine cellar, and you have a property with real room to grow into your own vision over time.
Whether you are thinking about a vacation home, a future retirement base, or a place to work remotely while living out la dolce vita (the sweet life), Casa Ignazio offers a rare combination of affordability, convenience, and a view that never gets old.
