Palazzetto Centro Storico
Vendesi nel quartiere dei “Morti” nel centro storico di Acireale, rinomato per le architetture barocche, le cento chiese e per il carnevale, palazzetto da ristrutturare su tre livelli di circa 150 mq, con un appartamento per piano composto ciascuno da un vano, cucina e wc, oltre un terrazzino. Al piano terra c’è un…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovationSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Asking €223/m² vs baseline median €456/m² (n=939, solid) — roughly half local median. 157m² townhouse on 3 levels in Acireale historic center, needs full renovation. Reno at ~€600/m² (~€94k) plus €35k purchase = ~€129k all-in, well under baseline value (~€72k just as-is on median). Includes garage, terrace, near sea, walkable to center. Fresh listing (3 days), 22 photos, clear habitable layout (apartment per floor). Solid value-add potential for short-term rental/vacation use. No red flags: habitable structure, single owner implied, real price stated.
More on the house and the area
A three-level townhouse in Acireale's historic centre, priced at €35k for 157sqm (€223/m2) — a genuine bargain, though it needs total renovation. The barrio has Baroque character and proximity to the cathedral and pedestrian paths to the sea. Photos show a rundown facade on a narrow alley, gutted interiors, and terraces with a faint sea glimpse from higher up. Some decorative wall stencilling survives. Nothing visually stunning; the appeal is location plus low price rather than any standout feature.
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, €600/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€31,000 – €55,000
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.
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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.
- Full renovation required across all three levels
- Interiors are stripped and derelict with damaged floors and walls
- Sea is not directly visible; distant glimpse only from upper terrace
- Located on cramped alley with heavily weathered facades
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 is on the Ionian side of eastern Sicily, on the lava terrace between Mount Etna and the sea. The Timpa di Acireale, a protected coastal escarpment and nature reserve, is within the area, with basalt cliffs and Mediterranean scrub above the shoreline. Mount Etna is the dominant mountain landscape inland, and the lower eastern slopes begin close to the town. The coast here is rocky rather than sandy, with small lava inlets at Santa Maria la Scala and the Cyclops Riviera around Aci Trezza a little to the south. The nearest ski lifts are on Etna, roughly an hour to Piano Provenzana or Rifugio Sapienza depending on road conditions. Catania is the nearest large city, with the airport, major rail links, a university and full urban services. Acireale itself is known for its Baroque centre and for the Carnival of Acireale.