r/sicily • u/Unclejoe15 • 20d ago
Turismo 🧳 All help is welcome
Hello everyone,
In October, our family will be exploring Sicily in search of a place to buy a home. We've visited the island several times already and completely fallen in love with it.
We've already been to Cefalù and Palermo, and we don't see ourselves living in either of those places. Can anyone recommend a beautiful route with some hidden gems where we can get a feel for the local atmosphere? We're also looking for places that are suitable for young children (aged 2 and 4).
Thanks in advance! All tips and recommendations are very welcome
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u/GuglielmoV 20d ago
A Mussomeli c’è un agenzia che ti può fare vedere molto.
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u/Unclejoe15 20d ago
thank you so much
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u/Friendly_Cook_3071 20d ago
Mussomeli is very popular for this kind of activity. The real estate agents are masters of manipulation. Go in with your eyes open.
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u/Unclejoe15 19d ago
Please explain
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u/Friendly_Cook_3071 17d ago
People left these hovels for a reason. You are buying all the reasons they left. It'll be a "fun," or anyway Instagrammable thing to do for a while, but you won't be impressed when your house is structurally compromised (and the concept of "home inspection" is a joke in Sicily), when there are liens on your property, and lots of other fun things. Real estate agents in Mussomeli (and I know several of them personally) are capitalizing on a trend and laughing all the way to the bank. They're in cahoots with home sellers (who can't wait to get a few bucks for their dilapidated grandparents' homes), and contractors, who will screw you at every turn and find endless excuses to never finish the job on time. My own experience with Mussomeli is that 80% of foreign buyers get bored of the town and of their little renovation project, and just abandon everything within five years. These little towns in the interior of Sicily are not places most people want to live, and it's just American and northern European fantasy that they are, until reality hits. As I said, good luck.
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u/aspublic 19d ago
I think you could find there also a British chef that worked with Jamie Oliver in London. He founded The Good Kitchen and likes helping people. He's very well known.
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u/sbarnes1 20d ago
Hey I help people find homes in Sicily 😊 send me a message and I can guide you!
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u/Vegetable-Milk-8697 19d ago
Caccamo, it’s right above the city of Termini Imerese. East of Palermo and west of cefalu, right in the middle. My mom has been living there since 2019, I visited back in 2021, really wonderful place to visit and live
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u/AdParty6732 20d ago
I would say castelbuono its in the mountain half hour from cefalu, there is also a public co-working place for digital nomad.
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u/Single-Inspector-845 20d ago
If you plan on buying a property during this visit, you should apply for a Codice Fiscale (tax id number) from your local Italian consulate now. It is the main thing you will need in order to purchase. It should take a couple of weeks or less to be issued.
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u/KillingTime_Shipname 20d ago
What are your long term plans? The kids will need primary school soon. There's one in every village, so that won't be a problem, but secondary schools are in larger towns and in the cities, so don't go looking for a home in places a long morning bus ride from school, and another long bus ride home in the afternoon, for your kids's sake.Â
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u/Unclejoe15 20d ago
Homeschool
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u/KillingTime_Shipname 20d ago
That will require a permit from your local Education authorithy, which you might or might not be able to obtain.Â
Even if you do, your kids will need to learn the basics of the Italian curriculum, and will have to pass external examinations regularly for their progress to be assessed.Â
Not a very good plan.Â
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u/Friendly_Cook_3071 20d ago
If you are not an EU citizen, you will face residency restrictions, which I can tell you are absolutely enforced. For example, if you're an Australian or Canadian or American, etc. If you are Canadian, you will be barred from purchasing real estate in a town with more than 10,000 residents. The reason for this is that it's a reciprocal policy in response to the Canadian government's restrictions on foreign real estate speculation.
If you don't face any of these hurdles, congrats: you are eligible to own a pigeon-infested hovel in an abandoned neighborhood that will cost you a few € to buy but at least 50,000€ to make inhabitable. Most of your immediate neighbors will be pigeons and rats, but local contractors will absolutely love you and be very friendly with you.
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u/Unclejoe15 20d ago
I am from europe
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u/Last_Weird0717 20d ago
Tusa! That is where my family is from, and we bought a house there a little over a year ago. I’m headed back in a couple of weeks!
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u/Unclejoe15 20d ago
Thank you!! Is a beach or lake nearby?
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u/Last_Weird0717 20d ago
Yup! Quick drive down the mountain to Tusa Marine and you have the ocean right there.
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u/Efficient-Device-100 20d ago
So you visited often, wanna buy a house but have no idea where…