Santa Maria Island

Is Santa Maria Island for sale, and how much does it cost?

Santa Maria Island is a 28.4 acres private island in Sicily, Italy. It is currently offered for sale: €15,000,000 (guide). Tenure is freehold. Foreign ownership is permitted subject to local approvals. This is an editorial profile drawn from public record, clearly attributed, not our listing.

Summary

Set in the mirror-flat Stagnone lagoon off western Sicily, Santa Maria is a heritage island estate anchored by a 460-square-metre Belle Epoque mansion and a small sixteenth-century chapel. Its twenty-eight acres carry a working organic olive grove and lie within a protected nature reserve famed for salt pans and kitesurfing. Originally marketed near seventeen million euros and later reduced to around twelve, it is offered through Vladi Private Islands and JamesEdition. The proposition is a characterful, partly self-sufficient Mediterranean retreat with genuine history, tempered by the reserve and archaeological protections that govern its use.

Land & Waterfront

The island rises only gently from an exceptionally shallow, luminous lagoon, the celebrated Stagnone di Marsala, whose flat waters draw kitesurfers and frame the historic salt works nearby. Its ground supports a productive organic olive grove that has yielded commercial quantities of oil, alongside palm, pine and prickly pear. The surrounding reserve lends the setting real ecological character and calm, protected water on every side. Bathing and small-boat movement across the lagoon are easy, though the shallows dictate careful navigation and shape the island's tranquil, low-lying feel.

Access & Utilities

Access is by a short fifteen-to-twenty-minute boat crossing from Birgi on the mainland, with Trapani-Birgi airport conveniently close on the adjacent coast. The estate is developed and serviced, with the mansion, chapel and staff lodging supported by existing utilities and the farming operation, so it functions as a lived-in property rather than a raw site. Mobile coverage reaches the lagoon. Any upgrades to services or fabric, however, must be reconciled with the nature-reserve and archaeological-zone rules, which materially limit new construction and external change.

Ownership & Use

FreeholdOutright ownership of the land itself, indefinitely — the strongest form of title. ownership is available to foreign buyers under Italian law, with EU capital-movement rules assisting EEA purchasers. The realistic use is as a private heritage residence with a working agricultural dimension, rather than a commercial resort, given the reserve status. Prospective owners should treat the environmental and archaeological designations as central to their due diligence and confirm permitted uses through counsel before committing. For a buyer drawn to history, olive-growing and the singular Stagnone setting, it offers a distinctive and comparatively attainable Sicilian island estate.

Provenance

Held by the Manzo family — Francesco Manzo is named on the island as its founder and original owner — the estate was first listed for sale at €17M in 2019 and, after no buyer emerged, relisted at a reduced €12M in June 2024; a negotiable €15M ask was showing on Vladi's listing as of mid-2026, with no sale confirmed at any point.

Specification

Status	Available
Offering	For sale
Region	Mediterranean · Sicily
Country	Italy
Size	28.4 acres · 11.5 ha
Tenure	Freehold
Access	boat
Nearest airport	Trapani-Birgi (TPS) on the adjacent mainland; 15-20 minute boat crossing from Birgi
Power	generator (off-grid)
Water	rainwater collection
Communications	mobile
Structures	Belle Epoque mansion (~400 sq m), 16th-century chapel, staff lodging
Foreign ownership	Permitted (see notes)
Publicly marketed	since 2019

Price record

Documented public figures over time — asking prices, reported sales and reductions, each attributed. This record is maintained editorially and may lag the market.

The full traced record — ownership lineage and every dated event back to the earliest public mention — is in The Ledger, for members.

Legal & Ownership Notes

Italian freehold is open to foreign buyers; EU capital-movement rules apply

Zoning: Lies within the Riserva Naturale dello Stagnone di Marsala and an archaeological protection zone, constraining alterations and new build

• confirm nature-reserve and archaeological consents
• verify permitted uses within the reserve
• review the historic mansion's heritage status

Satellite reference: ESRI World Imagery / Google Earth — Santa Maria Island, Stagnone Lagoon, Sicily, Italy.

Common questions

How much does Santa Maria Island cost?

Santa Maria Island is profiled at: €15,000,000 (guide). Figures reflect public record at time of writing and may change; the profile keeps a dated price record.

What tenure does Santa Maria Island have?

Santa Maria Island is held on freehold tenure. Always confirm the exact instrument and any remaining term on the title.

Can a foreigner buy Santa Maria Island?

Foreign buyers may own property here subject to local approvals. Italian freehold is open to foreign buyers; EU capital-movement rules apply

How do you get to Santa Maria Island?

Access is by boat. Nearest airport: Trapani-Birgi (TPS) on the adjacent mainland; 15-20 minute boat crossing from Birgi.

How big is Santa Maria Island?

Santa Maria Island is approximately 28.4 acres (11.5 hectares).