A COUPLE bought an Italian townhouse at auction with a one euro starting bid – and transformed it into an amazing holiday home.
The council in Sambuca di Sicilia auctioned 16 abandoned homes as part of the famous €1 scheme.
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Massoud Ahmadi, 70, and his wife Shelley, 60, bought an abandoned 18th century townhouse in the auction, spending around just £8,400 in January 2019.
However, inside the property were crumbling internal walls stained brown and the rooms were packed full of old junk, including a retro pram.
They have since around spent £160,000 on the once “uninhabitable” three-story property, turning it into a glamourous home.
The two-bedroom, 250 square metre house has retained its original wooden windows, majolica tiled floor and vaulted double-barreled ceilings.
It also features three bathrooms, a living room and an open-plan marble kitchen, plus a roof terrace with mountain views.
They completed renovations in January last year and now split their time between Sambuca di Sicilia and their home in Maryland near Washington DC.
One of the conditions of buying the house was that it had to be renovated within three years, something Massoud said he “couldn’t fathom” and only pulled it off thanks to the help of local architects and artisans.
He thinks it’s now worth at least £200,000.
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Massoud, a semi-retired economist, said: “The property was built originally 350 years ago so we kept a lot of the original stone walls, the original tiled floors and the double-barreled ceilings.
“But the balance of the house is basically redone and it gives you a mix of modern and historic.
“Everything from the kitchen cabinets to the marble floors was sourced locally from businesses in the village to maximise the economic impact.
“I look at before and after photos and it’s incredible. It takes a lot of patience but the end result is something I’ll enjoy for years.”
He said they have no plans to sell it, but thinks it is worth at least £200,000 due to the renovations and the proximity to the sea.
Sambuca di Sicilia enjoys average summer temperatures of 25C and boasts an array of medieval plazas and a ruined ninth century Arab fortress, the Fortino di Mazzallakkar.
Massoud is now looking to extend the house after buying a neighbouring property, which could provide four more bedrooms, a garage and a garden.
He said they had both also been blown away by the village, due to both the food and the locals.
He said: “It’s a beautiful small village. It’s close to Palermo, it’s only 20 minutes to the beach and historic sites like the Valley of the Temples are only an hour away.
“It’s really easy for travelling around Europe – I drive to Palermo, stick my car in long-term parking and then fly to Rome, Paris, Venice and London.
“The people are also very, very nice. I was very impressed by how hospitable the villagers are.
“I walk out my door and everybody says good morning or good evening and everybody wants to buy me a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.”
He said there were also a number of expats in the area, who get together for parties and wine tasting.
Offering his own advice, he said: “I’d definitely recommend doing what we’ve done.
“Be patient, take your time and work with the locals.”
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