If you have a tale to tell or an opinion about buying or living abroad, send us an email (
liz.rowlinson@
aplaceinthesun.com) or write to the address in the front of the magazine. We look forward to hearing from you...
“More English people should look to Granada, not Malaga”
Dear Editor, In May 2003, I came to Spain as I had done many times, and my husband and I looked at some properties in Malaga with an agent. We were only shown around the village of Coin and were not impressed. After two days in Malaga, we decided to
go to Granada and look at some properties. I had seen A Place in the Sun on the television and it had concentrated on Granada and the surrounding areas, showing that you can get more for your money by buying an inland property. That was true, and we bought a property
which we are living in now. The point that I wish to make is that your magazine and programmes really do have some impact. Granada is a lovely city, although I live in a small pueblo, called Cúllar Vega, about 12 minutes’ drive from the centre. I wonder if your organisation would be kind enough to do another feature on Granada, especially the surrounding areas. There are several
towns including the word Vega, on account of the land being particularly fertile, and, of course, the views are breathtaking. We can see the snow-peaked mountains of the Sierra Nevada from our kitchen window, even on a hot day. Like the Lecrin Valley and other small
towns, there are large English communities here. I would like to raise an interest among the English for my area – I only have one English neighbour. I think that we are the only two English residents for miles around – and, like me, her husband is Spanish. It is very peaceful and beautiful. It is the real Spain!
Regards, Pauline Grande Lopez, by email
Thanks for your letter, Pauline, good to hear you’ve found such happiness in Spain – and with a little help from us. We’ll follow up with an article on this soon… Ed
CAN I BUY A TUSCAN B&B FOR £170K?
Dear Liz,
I am hoping to open a bed and breakfast in Italy – can you help? I know prices can be expensive in Tuscany, but I would ideally like to be about 10km or 15km from the sea, and I have a budget of £170,000. I have a trip planned to Grosseto, so can you provide any pointers?
Best, Simona Pirrello, by email
Linda Travella of Casa Travella, responds: “This area in southern Tuscany going towards the sea, around Castiglione della Pescaia, is one of the more expensive in Italy. If you want to do some sort of B&B, you need to be looking away from the sea on the other side of Grosseto.
However, I feel you will struggle to fi nd something suitable for your budget. The most likely property would be one to restore in a rural setting or else a nice apartment. In the small town of Pitigliano, a restored apartment with two beds and two bathrooms is on sale for €170.000 (£140,500). At €95,000 (£78,500), a detached house to restore can be bought and converted to make three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s in Cinigiano about 30 minutes from Grosseto. I would suggest a better option would be either North Eastern Tuscany around Poppi, where we have a four-bedroom house at €150.000 (£123,900), or else the area north of Lucca, Bagni di Lucca/Barga.”
www.casatravella.com
6
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