Salt air drifts up the narrow lava stone streets of Santo Stefano di Camastra, curling past centuries-old doorways and up toward a rooftop that does not exist yet, but should. Stand where that roof terrace will one day be and you are looking straight out over the rooftops of the historic center to the Tyrrhenian Sea beyond, the kind of view that makes your morning coffee taste better and your evening glass of wine last longer.
That is the dream we want you to hold onto as we walk you through Casa Mimma, a stone corner house tucked right above the historic heart of this seaside town on Sicily’s north coast. It is small, it is a little rough around the edges, and it is one of the most interesting layouts we have toured in a while, because this house can genuinely be two separate homes under one roof.
We have been asked more than once to get back to Santo Stefano di Camastra, and here we are. This town keeps giving us properties with real character, and Casa Mimma might be the most flexible one yet.
Casa Mimma’s Corner Perch Above the Historic Center
Casa Mimma sits on a corner, overlooking the historic center from just above it. From the street you would guess it is only two levels, but it is actually three, stepped up the hillside.
What makes it special is that it has two separate street entrances. You could keep it as one large three-level home, or you could split it into two apartments, one for you and one for rental income, or a guest suite for visiting family.
At 87 square meters (about 936 square feet), it is not a huge house. But in Santo Stefano, location does a lot of the talking, and this spot is right in the middle of everything.
The Ground Floor Apartment and Its Ten-Foot Stone Walls
The first entrance opens into what could be its own lock-out apartment. It is one big room with ten-foot ceilings, originally built in stone in the early 1700s.
Right now those stone walls are hidden behind plastered vinyl panels, and the plaster is already popping. That is what happens when you seal up stone that was meant to breathe.
Off this main room is a ripostiglio (storeroom), a genuinely large space that could become a kitchenette, a second bathroom, or both split down the middle. There is already a working kitchenette in here with its own window to the street, and the plumbing infrastructure is in place, which is a big head start for anyone taking this on.
Climbing to the Main House Through Centuries-Old Doors
Six steps up from the ground floor apartment, you reach what functions as ground level on the other side of the house, since the whole building sits on a hillside. This is where the original double doors are, centuries old and already restored, though they are stuck tight enough that we could not even get them open on camera.
Beautiful marble steps carry you further up, twelve more to the next floor. Right now this level is just used as a storeroom, but it has its own window, which matters in historic centers where getting permission to add new openings can be difficult.
The floor above that opens into one big room with a smaller room tucked behind it. The floors here are not wood, they are iron beam and cement construction, which is actually good news since it makes repairing any moisture damage from the aging roof much more straightforward.
The Second Floor’s Marble Bathroom and Corner Balcony
This floor also holds a charming leftover, an old armadio (wardrobe) that comes with the house, along with a full set of matching custom wood and glass doors throughout. The bathroom on this level still has its original Carrara marble finishes and fixtures, all usable as is if you want to move in without a full renovation.
Step out from the bathroom and you land on a long balcony, and because the house sits on a corner, you get views down two connecting streets at once, including a stretch of the original lava rock paving below. It is a lovely little perch even before any renovation work happens.
The Attic Floor and Its Future Sea View Roof Terrace
The top floor is currently just an attic, but this is where the real opportunity lives. The back wall connecting to the neighboring house is solid stone, and there is plenty of surface here to expose and bring back that authentic stone look throughout the upper floor.
The existing wood roof structure, with its centuries-old clay tiles, needs to be fully removed and replaced. We know this sounds like a downside, but it is actually the whole point.
We asked the geometra (local technical surveyor) about raising this wall, and he confirmed it can go up to about nine feet, enough to build a tettoia (covered roof structure) over roughly half the floor while leaving the other half open as a rooftop terrace. Stand up there once that terrace exists and you are looking out over the historic center straight toward the sea, the kind of open, unobstructed Mediterranean view that completely changes how a house like this feels to own.
Property Highlights of Casa Mimma
- Location, Santo Stefano di Camastra, Sicily, just above the Historic Center
- Interior size, 87 square meters (about 936 square feet) across 3 levels
- Corner position with 2 separate street entrances, ready for conversion into two apartments
- Original early 1700s stone construction on the ground floor, with exposed stone potential
- Iron beam and cement flooring on upper levels
- Marble staircase and original centuries-old restored double doors
- Long corner balcony overlooking two streets and original lava rock paving
- Roof replacement opportunity to create a partially enclosed, partially open rooftop terrace with a sea view
- Watch the full property tour
- Featured in Episode 89
- Asking price, €39,000
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.
Your Sea View Roof Terrace Awaits in Sicily
Casa Mimma is not a polished, move-in-ready house, and we would never pretend otherwise. The roof needs to come off, the plaster needs to come down, and there is real work ahead for whoever takes this on.
But that is exactly what makes the price make sense, and exactly why the upside here is so good. For €39,000 you get a stone house from the 1700s, two street entrances that let you live in it or rent part of it out, and a top floor with real permission potential for a rooftop terrace looking out toward the Mediterranean.
We have seen what these roof terrace conversions look like once finished, and they are worth every bit of the effort. A master suite that opens straight onto your own sea view terrace above a historic Sicilian center is not a common find at this price point.
If Santo Stefano di Camastra has been on your radar, or if you are drawn to the idea of a house that can flex between a family home and a rental property, Casa Mimma deserves a serious look. Reach out and we will walk you through what a project like this could actually look like for you.
