Cascina/Casale in vendita a Ragusa, Donnafugata
Cascina/Casale in vendita a Ragusa, Donnafugata. Needs renovation.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovationMust be done first
- Damp
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At an estimated €700/m² renovation cost, the effective price is about €967/m² (€145,000 total), far above the local comparison level of €389/m². The listing gives very little detail beyond “needs renovation” and does not say the building year or energy class.
More on the house and the area
The old stone entrance, arched gateway, courtyard walls, and mature greenery give this farmhouse genuine rustic Sicilian character. However, the gallery shows an abandoned, overgrown property rather than a clearly livable home, with no convincing interior evidence and significant renovation likely needed.
Certified wiring, water and drainage, a heat source, a roof that keeps the water out, one working bathroom. Facade, insulation, a second bathroom and the floors wait.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Our read of the photos, €700/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€30,000 – €53,000
Wiring, water and sanitary work of any kind, heating, air conditioning and gas go to a registered firm by law, and so do flues and the air openings for gas appliances. That labour stays in the bill. Yours is the stripping out, plaster, paint, floors, tiling and carpentry.
Labour is 61% of a renovation price on average and 67% at the median, across 191 items of the Emilia-Romagna 2025 public price list. Materials are the rest. An averaged price list, not a quote.
Materials you buy yourself carry 22% VAT; supplied by the firm doing the work they go at the 10% renovation rate. On a €30,000 materials bill that is €3,600 of extra tax.
Household wiring installed before 13 March 1990 counts as compliant if it has a main breaker with overcurrent protection, protection against direct contact and a 30 mA RCD. Having a firm bring the existing wiring up to that and certify it is the cheapest lawful route.
Bringing a house that has stood empty back into service: new water, sewer and electricity, plus the practices. The same sum on an 80 m² house and on a 300 m² one, which is why a €40,000 house is not a €40,000 project.
Show more
Water 1,800 · sewer 2,500 · electricity 700–1,600 · CILA 1,000 · cadastral filing 500 · structural design 700 · Legge 10 report 900 · safety coordination 1,800
No mains drain: add €2,000–4,500 for a septic tank. Listings never say, so ask.
- The property appears heavily overgrown and requires substantial renovation.
- No usable interior spaces, kitchen, bathroom condition, or utilities are shown.
- Cracked plaster and neglected masonry warrant a careful structural and roof inspection.
Estimate from the listing and its photos, not a survey. Treat it as the starting point for your own quotes. An Italian builder's quote is normally written without VAT and without design fees, so add about a quarter to any figure a firm gives you.
The area around
Location score 55/100The cluster sits within the landscape of the Monti Iblei (Hyblaean Mountains), a low limestone plateau and set of hills that dominate southeastern Sicily. The Mediterranean coast and the resort town Marina di Ragusa with long sandy beaches lie to the south-east of the town. The Irminio river flows south from the Hyblaean area toward the sea just south of Ragusa. There is no major national park inside a 15 km radius; relief in the area is hilly rather than alpine and there are no ski lifts nearby. Ragusa is the provincial capital and provides municipal and administrative services, a historic centre (Ragusa Ibla) and local medical and commercial services. Ragusa Ibla and other nearby towns in the Val di Noto (including Scicli and Modica) are included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing “Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto.” The surrounding countryside is agricultural, with olive trees, vineyards and almond cultivation common; parts of Ragusa and neighbouring towns have been used as filming locations for the Inspector Montalbano series.