LE MARCHE
In central Italy, there’s more than just Tuscany and Umbria. So, head to the lesser-known regions to get more bang for your buck, suggests Cathy Hawker
OF ITALY T THE GREEN HEART
he perfect Italian idyll of rustic homes scattered across green hills, historic hill- top towns and wondrous local trattorias dishing up farm-fresh produce has led
second home buyers to central Italy for decades. For most of that time, it’s been Tuscany and
Umbria that have stolen the headlines, but canny buyers are discovering other areas with bags of charm. The ambience might be grittier than in well-manicured Chiantishire, but the prices – both for property and everything from a bowl of pasta to a glass of chilled prosecco – are a relative snip. Welcome to the authentic Italian delights of Lazio, Le Marche, Abruzzo and Molise.
Above
Lago di Bolsena Below Orvieto
South of Tuscany and north of Campania, Lazio property prices are buoyant, thanks to affl uent Romans looking for a home close to the capital. “If Tuscany conjures up wooded hills
LAZIO
and large, manicured vineyards, Lazio is the region of wide open horizons and sweeps of grazing land,” says Roger Coombes of Cluttons Italy (cluttonsitaly. com). “The two big lakes in Lazio, Lago di Bolsena and Lago di Bracciano, are very popular second home areas.” A three-bedroom restored farmhouse
with 11 acres of land close to the Umbrian border is €600,000 (£494,100), and a seven-bedroom house in the Sabine Hills within one hour of Rome is €650,000 (£535,600). An 18th-century tower with seven
LAZ IO
ABRUZZO MOLISE
acres near Lago di Bolsena, 40 minutes from Orvieto, with the potential to build a four-bedroom home, is €350,000 (£288,400) – all through Cluttons Italy. Lazio has plenty of older farmhouses and villas built from tufo, a dark, soft volcanic stone. Prices in the north are 5 to 10 per cent below those in Tuscany, says Coombes, although, unlike Tuscany, the Lazio coastline is not highly prized. Linda Travella of Casa Travella (
casatravella.com) advises buyers to consider the wine region of Frascati, where houses start from €200,000 (£164,800), or further east the small hill town of Genazzano, where a fi ve-bedroom villa in two acres is €400,000 (£329,600).
aplaceinthesun.com 61
ITALY
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140