“Every property in the Sicily Prime ecosystem is unique. There is no standard model, no template villa, no repeatable floor plan. Each is the singular response of a specific architect to a specific piece of land.”

Ground Floor

Early Access to a Destination Before It Prices You Out

The Noto–Syracuse corridor is at an inflection point. Robb Report calls it Italy’s hottest luxury playground. Condé Nast named it destination of the summer. Rocco Forte and Four Seasons are arriving. Villa prices have appreciated 5–9% annually since 2023†, significantly outperforming both the Sicilian and Italian national averages. The collection you see below is deliberately small — not because we lack ambition, but because early-stage curation is how you build something that compounds. Every property is selected, not mass-produced. Every investor enters at the ground floor of a destination that the rest of the market is only beginning to discover.

* Luxury segment comparable pricing. Sources: Immobiliare.it, Idealista, Engel & Völkers Market Report Italy 2025, Knight Frank Sicily 2023, Sotheby’s 2026 Luxury Outlook, The Luxury Playbook Q2 2025, Banca d’Italia Housing Market Survey. Noto asking prices per Immobiliare.it (June 2025). Transaction prices typically 3–7% below asking in prime locations. Full data pack available in the confidential investor memorandum.

Now Investable

Cynara Noto

Sixteen hectares of ancient farmland. 500 olive, almond, and carob trees. 600 sqm across two levels.

In Construction

Villa Olea

600 sqm, two storeys, one hectare, 3,000 sqm curated garden. On a limestone ridge overlooking the Vendicari Nature Reserve and the Ionian Sea. The first of two.

Coming 2026 Q3

Villa Lentisci

Three villas. Sunsets that stop conversation. Absolute tranquility. Wind through olive groves and the distant rhythm of the sea.

Coming 2027 Q1

Pipeline

Three unique villas in the Noto–Syracuse corridor. Details available to qualified members.

The Test

“Would I make this investment if the visa didn’t exist?”

If yes, the visa is a bonus, not the reason. That is the only honest way to build a residency-by-investment programme. It is the test we apply to ourselves — and the test we invite you to apply to us.

The founder and multiple team members own property in the region and have invested their own capital. Transparent referral structure. Fully transparent economics. Capital moves only after government pre-approval. Your existing advisors are welcome to review every document.

A curated series of originals — not a development, not a portfolio, but a living collection.

Anchor Property

Cynara Noto

Cynara Noto sits on a total of 10,000 sqm of land with olive trees and is part of sixteen hectares of ancient Sicilian farmland in the heart of the Noto valley — land that has been cultivated for centuries. Over 500 olive, almond, and carob trees define the landscape. The land has its own water source, a well over 300 metres deep. Seventeen years of patient assembly brought these parcels together into a single, unified estate.

“The land remembers what was planted. The architecture responds to what the land already knows.”

Architecture

Design in Dialogue with the Land

Cynara Noto is a contemporary villa of approximately 600 square metres across two levels — a design that responds to the specific topography, light, and agricultural character of its site. The architecture is in dialogue with the Baroque landscape: contemporary forms that honour the proportions and materials of the region without imitating them.

Specifications

The Property

The full Cynara Noto project presentation — architectural concept, construction timeline, hospitality programme, and the role this property plays within the Sicily Prime portfolio — is available to qualified members. Begin a conversation to request the Project Presentation.

Request the Project Presentation

Bespoke — Not Standard

The Landowners We Work With

What makes a villa worth millions is not square metres. It is the moment you walk through the door and feel something you cannot name — a proportion that calms you, a view framed with intention, light that could not have happened by accident. That requires a command of design and aesthetics that no template can deliver.

The people behind this collection are not external contractors. They are all landowners and developers of their own real estate in the Noto region who cooperate with Sicily Prime — personally invested in the place, the standard, and the outcome. Every image on this website was created by Ken Schluchtmann.

Alexander Plajer

Alexander Plajer

Architect & CEO, plajer + franz studio Berlin

German citizen. Trained under Richard Meier in New York. Co-founded plajer + franz studio Berlin — 45 people, landmark projects on three continents from Beijing to Dubai, from Berlin to New York. Clients from Karl Lagerfeld to Porsche Design, Galeries Lafayette to BMW. Every villa begins with the land, not a floor plan. He walks the site, reads the light, maps the trees — and only then draws. Settling with his partner Sherrizah and their family in Noto.

Sherrizah Nodalo

Sherrizah Nodalo

FP&A Manager, Argoverse Holding

Filipino citizen. MBA, ESMT Berlin. MSc Data Management & Business Analytics, EDHEC. Former Senior Equity Analyst at Barclays (New York) and Senior FP&A Analyst at Citi (Global Consumer Banking). Chemical engineer turned financial strategist — she tracks every euro, every timeline, every variance. The financial rigour that makes the vision possible.

Ken Schluchtmann

Ken Schluchtmann

Architectural Photographer, diephotodesigner.de

German citizen. World Architectural Photographer of the Year (WAF Singapore, 2012 & 2013). Published by Hatje Cantz. Eight years documenting Norway’s National Scenic Routes — natural light only. One of the most sought-after photographers for premium trade show product presentations, with a reputation built on the world’s leading car brands from BMW to Porsche to Bentley. His eye is what makes this collection feel like one body of work. Building his home in Noto with his wife Susanne.

Susanne Stier

Susanne Stier

Project Director, HENN Architects Berlin

German citizen. Dipl.-Ing. Architect. Project Director at HENN, Berlin — one of Germany’s leading architecture firms (400+ architects, 75 years). 22 years in architecture with a focus on complex, large-scale builds. Currently directing Merck’s Life Science Advanced Research Center. She ensures that what is designed actually gets built — on time, on spec, without compromise.

They do not follow trends — they read a place. The result is something no developer playbook can produce: design that serves the landscape, aesthetics that feel inevitable, beauty that belongs exactly where it stands.

Operations

The Hospitality Promise

Every property in the collection operates under the Sicily Prime brand to five-star boutique hotel standard. This is not a label. It is an operational commitment that defines every guest interaction from arrival to departure — and every maintenance cycle between seasons.

Discover the Platform →

The Market

The Destination Arc

The Noto–Syracuse corridor currently trades at 40–60% below comparable luxury markets in the Mediterranean. A restored masseria with pool and olive groves in the Noto Valley costs a fraction of what a comparable property commands in Puglia, the Amalfi Coast, or Provence — and the underlying quality of the landscape, the heritage, and the hospitality infrastructure is equal or superior.

The signal events are already in place. Rocco Forte Hotels has committed to a landmark opening in Noto. Condé Nast Traveller named it Italy’s Destination of the Summer. The Financial Times profiles southeastern Sicily as Europe’s fastest-rising luxury destination. The Four Seasons operates in nearby Taormina at €2,000 per night. Direct international flights now connect Catania to New York, London, Frankfurt, Dubai, and Zurich.

The window is narrowing. Every comparable Mediterranean destination followed the same trajectory: a period of discovery by a small group of discerning buyers, followed by signal investment from luxury hotel brands, followed by international media attention, followed by a sharp repricing. The Noto–Syracuse region is in the middle of that sequence now.

Begin a Conversation

The collection is growing. Each property is singular. If you are considering a position in the Sicily Prime ecosystem, the conversation starts here.

Begin a Conversation

All photographs by Ken Schluchtmann