Salt air drifts up from the coast below while you stand on a rooftop terrazzo (rooftop terrace) in the historic center of Tusa, the bell tower and centuries-old stone rooftops spread out in front of you. On a clear day, past the haze, you can pick out the deep blue of the Mediterranean and even the silhouettes of the Aeolian Islands sitting right out there on the horizon. This is the kind of view that stops you mid-sentence, the kind that makes you forget for a second that you came here to look at a renovation project.
That is exactly what we found waiting for us in Tusa, a town so many of you have asked us to bring back to the channel that we finally gave it its own project home tour. This one is big, both in scale and in potential. We are talking about a 168 square meter (about 1,808 square feet) historic stone home spread across two levels, plus a detached stone cantina (cellar) directly across the street, all of it wrapped in that unmistakable sea view that Tusa is known for.
The Story Behind Casa Joana
Tusa sits up in the mountains just about 10 minutes from the beach, and its centro storico (historic center) is one of those places with narrow cobblestone alleys, just wide enough for a mule and cart in the old days.
Most project homes we find in these medieval hill towns are small, often just one bedroom and one bath. Casa Joana is different.
It spans three bedrooms and two bathrooms across two floors, which is genuinely rare for this part of Sicily. The seller even had an architect from Milano draw up preliminary plans for a full renovation, so whoever takes this on is not starting from a blank page.
The Ground Floor and Its Original Bones Waiting for New Life
Walking in, the first thing you notice is the staircase, made of lovely Carrara marble. The walls throughout will need work, and we did notice some sagging floors in a few rooms, but underneath the surface issues are original hand painted and fired tiles, likely made in nearby Santo Stefano di Camastra just twenty minutes away.
Old windows still look out over the same narrow street they always have. Some open easily, some do not, but that is part of the charm of a home this old.
The Upper Level Featuring an Original Kitchen and a Master Suite in Waiting
Upstairs you will find the original kitchen, complete with a centuries-old wood burning oven and stove setup, exactly the kind of feature that tells you how families cooked here generations ago.
Several rooms upstairs still have their open beam ceilings hidden under cheap fiberboard panels installed decades ago in an attempt to modernize. Most buyers will want to tear those down and expose the original beams again.
One of the larger rooms could make a genuinely beautiful master suite, with a connecting sitting room and enough space nearby to carve out a proper master bathroom, something the original owners clearly never managed since their old bathroom was really just a balcony toilet with a view. We think you can do better than a throne with a view.
A Roof Terrace Made for Sunset Aperitivo Nights
The real showstopper here is the roof terrace. Standing up there, you get the bell tower, the stone rooftops of the neighboring homes, and that sweeping mountain and sea view all in one frame.
On a clear day you can see the deep blue Mediterranean and several of the Aeolian Islands laid out in front of you. Even on a hazy day, the view down the canyon toward the coast is dramatic, and it happens to sit on a historically significant spot, a dry riverbed where American paratroopers landed in 1943 while pursuing German forces off the island.
The roof itself does not show signs of major leaks, though we always recommend a full roofer inspection before any renovation begins. Lower balconies throughout the home also catch glimpses of that same sea view, so the view is not limited to just the rooftop.
The Stone Cantina Across the Street
Directly across the narrow street sits a 28 square meter (about 301 square feet) stone cantina that comes with the sale. It was likely once a stala (stable) for animals, and it still has its original stone floor in places, with old tiles laid over sections later on.
The ceiling height varies, dropping to around 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) in spots, with old beams that once supported a loft, likely used for storing animal feed. Strip it back and you have an incredibly characterful space, whether that becomes a wine cellar, a studio, or a guest suite.
Property Highlights of Casa Joana
- Location: historic center of Tusa, Sicily, about 10 minutes from the beach
- Interior size: 168 square meters (about 1,808 square feet)
- Layout: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms across two levels, with preliminary architect plans included
- Roof terrace with sweeping mountain and Mediterranean sea views, and on clear days visibility of the Aeolian Islands
- Original features including hand painted tile floors, a wood burning kitchen oven, and open beam ceilings
- Bonus 28 square meter (about 301 square feet) stone cantina across the street, formerly a stable, ideal for a wine cellar, studio, or guest suite
- Status: restoration project requiring structural work on flooring and a full roof inspection
- Watch the full property tour
- Featured in Episode 55
- Asking price: €33,000
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.
A Sea View Restoration Project in Tusa
Casa Joana is not a move-in-ready home, and we want to be upfront about that. The floors need attention, the roof needs a thorough inspection, and there is real work ahead for whoever takes this on.
But for €33,000, you are getting 168 square meters of historic stone home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a layout you almost never find in a hill town centro storico, plus a bonus stone cantina across the street.
And then there is that view. Standing on the roof terrace with the bell tower, the stone rooftops, and the Mediterranean stretching out toward the Aeolian Islands is the kind of moment that makes a renovation project feel worth every bit of the effort.
If you can see past the sagging floors and the outdated ceiling panels to what this place could become, Casa Joana might just be the vision project you have been waiting for in Sicily.
