There’s no dream more romantic to the average British italophile. Buying an old ruin somewhere in the Italian countryside – probably paying peanuts for it – then lovingly, painstakingly bringing it back to life stone by stone. Putting in modern comforts, keeping old-fashioned style. Dreaming of the long afternoons of la dolce vita when the builders have gone. Tending the vines, pressing the olives, slipping ever more intimately into the life of the village… For thousands of Brits (and other northern Europeans), this particular dream has been made a reality. And only very rarely has it turned into a nightmare.
For twenty years or more, Italians have marvelled at the number of pale-faced foreigners keen to acquire old ruins in the countryside and transform them into beautiful homes. It’s a marvel mixed with delight, even gratitude, rather than resentment of any kind. How wonderful that these stranieri are beautifying old buildings, preserving Italian history, bringing work to local builders and craftsmen! Italian sociologists devote serious study to the foreign-restorer phenomenon, and write academic papers on the subject.
Yet for all the tumbledown buildings already bought and restored, Italy has no shortage of others quietly awaiting the right buyer. It’s certainly not the case that all Italy’s most interesting properties have now gone and would-be restorers should turn their attention to a different country! Italy has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of old homes ripe for restoration. Why? Because given the choice, most modern-day Italians prefer to live in comfortable, modern-built homes. The countryside is far less populous than it used to be – especially in areas that saw mass emigration to America and elsewhere in the early 20th century – and countless rural homes stand abandoned.
For all its romance, restoring a centuries-old home in another country is long, hard work. It may be a labour of love, but it’s laborious nonetheless. You’ve got to be absolutely sure from the outset that it’s something you really want to do. Things will go wrong in the course of restoration, things will take more time and cost more money than you anticipated. How are you going to react to setbacks and minor disasters? Accept them as par for the course, or be distraught? Only you can decide whether you’ve got the right temperament to restore. If you just want an old property in Italy, and you want it quickly, buy somewhere that’s already been restored by someone else. There’s a huge range of beautifully-restored homes on the market. And note that in many cases it will cheaper in the long run to buy a ready-restored property than to restore one yourself. But if you’ve got your heart set on refashioning a tumbledown home exactly to your liking, and you’re undaunted by the thought of builders and bureaucracy, and of many things being in a foreign language, then read on.
Once you’ve decided you definitely want to buy and restore an Italian property, you must make three more decisions before you start house-hunting. First, decide your budget. Second, decide how much time you can devote to your restoration project. And third, decide what size or scale of project you’re prepared to take on. In establishing your budget, it’s crucial that you be absolutely realistic about your financial limits. You want your new home to be a source of joy, not a millstone round your neck. Note that restoration projects often run over budget. The initial estimate you’re given might be unrealistic, or unexpected problems might crop up along the way. It’s an excellent idea to put aside a contingency fund – perhaps 10-15% of your total budget – for unforeseen expenses. Also note that it can be difficult (but not impossible) to get a mortgage for a restoration project.
In deciding how much time you can devote to your project, you’ve got to consider how often you’re going to be able to be in Italy, and generally how hands-on you want to be. Obviously the more time you’re on-site, the more likely the building work is going to follow your ideals and the less it can deviate from your plans. Someone’s got to constantly coordinate your contractors and oversee the work. If it can’t be you (i.e., you’re not going to be living locally during the restoration work), you’ll need a project manager to keep things running smoothly – and in complete accordance with your plans. Your geometra (architect-surveyor, more on this later) is usually the best person to do this. But you might prefer to employ an impresario of some kind – a local person fluent in Italian and English who can act as a go-between, keeping you continually updated and conveying your every wish to your workers. Whatever system you eventually use, it’s vital to decide at the outset how often you can personally visit your work-in-progress. Equally, it’s vital to accept that unless you’re going to live nearby during the work, you’re going to have to hand over a certain degree of control to someone else – someone you must choose wisely and trust completely.
Considering the size of project you’re prepared to take on involves more than simply looking for a property of the desired dimensions or required degree of decrepitude. It involves asking questions like, ‘if I find a gorgeous place at the right price but I can’t afford to restore all of it, might I be happy to just restore a portion of it, live there, and worry about the rest later, if ever?’ Also questions like, ‘have I thought of a village house rather than a farmhouse?’ Both types of property are rural, but the former tend to be much smaller and to require less work than the latter. If you’re mad about restoration and you’ve got your heart set on restoring a 50-room castle in the mountains, go ahead, but if you’re not quite sure how much of this restoration malarkey you want to take on, you’re probably best starting off with a smaller, more manageable project. Remember that there are small rural homes of many kinds, not to mention old urban apartments in need of work. There’s more to Italy than farmhouses! And if you do buy a farmhouse (especially one with outbuildings), you don’t need necessarily to restore every inch of it.
Estimating what you’re likely to spend on a restoration project is a tricky business, with lots of different factors to take into account. As a very rough rule of thumb, your total overall restoration costs are likely to be not far off your property’s original purchase price. Unless it’s not very dilapidated to begin with, or you plan to do a very simple restoration free from expensive materials or additions. A building with a sound basic structure is much cheaper to restore than a place that needs fundamental work. And if it’s already got connections to things like water and electricity, so much the better – as these can be costly to set up.
Most restorers find that their total restoration costs work out to between €500 and €2,500 for every square metre of a property’s floor space. That’s a wide range, so it’s useful to anticipate an average cost of €1,000-€1,500 per m². Remember that your geometra will usually require a fee of about 6% of your total restoration costs. Also remember that you might have extra bureaucratic charges, such as re-registering your building’s purpose from agricultural to domestic (this can cost €1,500-€4,000). And you might have additional, non-house-related expenses too, such as improving the access road to your property (think €40 per metre), landscaping the garden and trees, and of course putting in a pool (think €10,000 and up). [All quoted figures accurate in 2007.]
Many buyers plan to offset the expense of buying and restoring their Italian home by renting it out to holidaymakers when it’s finished. This can be very successful, depending on where your new home is and what facilities it offers (a pool is a major plus for a home in the countryside). If you’re going to factor holiday rental returns into your budgeting, you’ll need to thoroughly investigate the rentals scene in the area where you propose to buy. See how many other holiday homes are nearby, and what rates they’re charging. Ask yourself how many weeks a year you can realistically expect to fill. Consider dividing your property into separate, self-contained apartments if you want to squeeze in more guests. And if you want to use a holiday-home agency to handle your bookings, remember that these will only put your house on their books if its appearance and comfort-levels are top-notch.
Unless you’re a professional architect and builder with fluent Italian and full comprehension of Italian planning laws, you’re almost certain to require an Italian geometra to oversee the restoration work. The geometra listens to everything you want to do to the property, explains what’s possible, draws up the master building plan according to what you both agree on, submits it to the local comune (town/borough council) for planning permission, wrangles with them where necessary, and supervises the building work with regular site visits. In short, they are invaluable. It’s important that you get on with your geometra and that they fully understand your vision. See a couple of the buildings your geometra has previously worked on to make sure you like what you see.
But how do you find a geometra in the first place? Your estate agent is likely to be able to recommend one to you. (And, in turn, the geometra is likely to find you a team of builders and craftsmen.) If not, visit the builder’s merchant nearest your property and ask the boss there to recommend a local geometra and builders. He’ll know all the local workers because they’ll come to him for supplies, and he’ll want to help you because if you’re restoring a property you’ll probably become a good customer.
Having secured a geometra, listen attentively to all s/he advises on restrictions and planning laws, and be prepared to adapt your building plan accordingly. Italian regions differ considerably in what they’ll allow you to do to old buildings, and the finer details vary from comune to comune even within the same region. In parts of Tuscany, for example, you’ll be obliged to use only traditional building materials. In Puglia meanwhile, local councils are often noted for their flexibility. Generally everywhere, you’ll be obliged to stick to the original volume of any building you plan to restore – i.e., you can’t add extensions willy-nilly, and turn a former pig-shed into a 17-room mansion. You can redistribute the original volume, but not increase it. Rules like this might seem pedantic at first sight, but they help to protect the character of the Italian countryside, safeguarding its delights for everyone – including you. Having paid so much for the beautiful view from your farmhouse window, you can rest assured that it won’t change suddenly. The small house you can see in the distance isn’t going to mushroom into a giant hotel. And the fields that roll so prettily into the distance aren’t going to start sprouting new housing estates. Italy allows its old country homes to be restored, but doesn’t easily allow new ones to be built. So don’t grumble at that inconvenient planning law – it might benefit you in the end!
One feature on which your local council might seem particularly dictatorial is a pool. If you want to put in one of these, it’s a good idea to check it’s possible before you buy the property. Some councils dictate aesthetic properties like colour, materials, even size and shape. They’re likely to restrict the depth as well, for safety reasons. Be prepared to fence your pool, and certainly include it in your insurance, as under Italian law you’re liable if anyone falls in – even a burglar. A pool is usually one of the biggest single expenses in a restoration project, with €10,000 being the very least you can pay. An average-sized rectangular pool (say, 15x5m) with a bit of landscaping will set you back by about €40,000 or more. [2007 prices]
Obviously, restoring an Italian property is a serious undertaking, and each project will have its own unique level of complexity. This article cannot hope to cover all the finer points of building work, but hopefully it has set you asking the right kind of questions you need to ask yourself before you begin house-hunting, as well as outlining what you need to know to draw up a budget, and preparing you for the initial stages of organising a restoration. Hopefully it’s helped you decide whether you’re interested in going further – whether you think you’d like to do it or suspect it’s not for you. If you’re all fired up and want to know more, there’s no shortage of books on the nitty-gritty of Italian property restoration, and no shortage of blogs and websites recounting the experiences of people who’ve done it – all excellent sources of additional information. If you’ve definitely decided you want to restore an Italian property, welcome to the start of one of the biggest adventures of your life. And good luck!
[All quoted prices accurate in 2007]
Italy’s north is a prosperous, hard-working and highly-civilised place, with superb food and a wide diversity of landscapes. Restorers might find that bureaucracy and builders move just that little bit quicker here. It’s certainly not the cheapest part of the country, but there are still plenty of good-sized rural properties asking about €100,000 and needing only a little work. Smaller homes, village homes, and properties needing major work often ask just €50,000 or so. For bargains like these, look at the lovely Apennine foothills of Emilia-Romagna, the foothills of the Dolomites in the Veneto, anywhere in the hills and mountains of gorgeous Liguria, the mountainous parts of Lombardy except for its famous lakesides, and in the flat countryside round any of the lesser-known (but jewel-like) little cities of the vast Po Valley.
Tuscany and Umbria are the two regions most popular with buyers seeking a restoration project, so expect high property prices in both. Tuscany is still pricier than Umbria, and its costliest area is the countryside between Florence and Siena (a.k.a.‘Chiantishire’), where the majority of old farmhouses have already been lavishly restored. Expect to pay a minimum of €300,000 for a ruin. Things are much cheaper away from this gilded central stretch, and drop to quite affordable levels in Tuscany’s mountainous extremes of north and south. You might get a ramshackle village home here for just €50,000. Umbria offers especially good value around its lovely Lake Trasimeno near the Tuscan border – with neglected farmhouses starting at €100,000 and village homes at €50,000. Exquisite medieval hilltowns Todi and Orvieto are particularly popular with foreign buyers, and tumbledown homes in the countryside round both start at roughly double Lake Trasimeno’s prices.
The rural landscapes and medieval settlements of these two regions are almost as lovely as those of their highly-coveted neighbours Tuscany and Umbria – yet their property prices are lower. Thinly populated and peaceful, Le Marche and Lazio are nonetheless modern and well-organised places with solid infrastructure and good transport connections. If you can’t afford Tuscany or Umbria but you want to be able to visit them regularly, Lazio or Le Marche deserve your attention. Ruined farmhouses in either might cost you €70,000-€130,000, while semi-habitable ones requiring only a little work might cost twice as much. Expect to pay about €1,250 per square metre restoring a total ruin, and €750 restoring a place with a sound structure. Le Marche’s highest prices are near the coast, and lowest in the south and in the area around Urbino. In Lazio, arguably the two most appealing areas are the volcanic countryside north of Rome to the border with Umbria, and the Sabine Hills northeast of Rome.
Italy’s south has the country’s least expensive homes for restoration – a legacy of the mass emigration from this still relatively impoverished area. As well as tumbledown farms, village homes and even castles going for a song, you can find whole villages for sale in the mountains. Abruzzo and Calabria are twice blessed in terms of geography, with dramatic highlands and lovely coastlines. Both see more visitors than Molise and Basilicata – two beautiful but very underdeveloped places. Campania, meanwhile, is astonishingly lovely in many places and draws huge numbers of tourists but few foreign buyers. Across the Italian south, old properties aren’t prized by locals and you can find small village houses in need of work from €7,000-€45,000. Larger townhouses and farmhouses might ask €45,000-€150,000. Prices are lowest inland, and at higher altitudes. Most estate agents advertise their new-builds and seaside properties, and you’ll have to ask specifically to see what rustic ruins they have on their books.
While unquestionably part of the Italian South, Puglia deserves special attention. It’s by far the most popular part of the southern mainland with foreign buyers. It’s arguably less remote and ‘backwards’-seeming than other southern regions, and the landscape isn’t dominated by mountains (instead featuring rolling green hills and a rocky coastline). The region burst onto the property scene three years ago with the introduction of budget flights from London. No longer ‘undiscovered’, Puglia is still good value – with stable, steady growth having supplanted the mad initial boom. Fairytale conical ‘trulli’ houses are much loved by Brits. For a decent-sized home, seek three cones or more. With trulli,you can expect restoration costs to exceed your initial purchase price, but you can also expect good holiday rental prospects. Multi-coned trulli needing restoration in the popular Itria Valley area are readily available for under €100,000, with the very biggest asking less than €200,000. Stout, stately masseria farmhouses are also popular and can be turned into luxury homes. Puglian bureaucracy is especially flexible toward restorers.
Italy’s two largest islands, Sardinia and Sicily, are extremely different in character but each offer the would-be restorer an abundance of affordable options. Clean, unspoilt Sardinia is a holiday paradise with a very low population, no big cities, and a gentle, respectful culture. Loud, lively Sicily, meanwhile, is the Mediterranean’s most populous island. Sardinia has many village properties needing restoration, as well as tumbledown rural homes a few miles inland. You might spend €100,000 on a six-bedroom village home needing €20,000 of work. You can also find properties for five- or four-digit sums if you move further inland or into the mountains. Sicily’s north coast and its southeast corner are good places to invest. You might get a village home for €40,000 and spend the same restoring it. The south coast and the northwest tip are currently the island’s cheapest places. Asking local people is the best way of finding tumbledown properties for sale. Note that building work and bureaucracy move slowly on Sicily.
Paul Harcourt Davies and Lois Ferguson bought a tumbledown farmhouse in southern Umbria in 2004. They moved in straight away, coping with inconveniences like no roof during weeks of rain and no windowpanes in the winter. Resilient and willing to learn, they did most of the building work themselves. And now they have a gorgeous home. Writer-photographer Paul organizes botanic and photographic tours of the area, while Lois uses her experience (and fluent Italian) to act as a project manager for other Brits restoring properties.
Swapping Britain for Italy was a mutual decision. “We were both at a watershed in our lives,” Paul explains, “and knew that if we didn’t do it then, we never would. We knew Italy well and didn’t view it through rose-tinted glasses. We knew we could put up with the bad things and enjoy the good.” The couple considered many different areas but kept coming back to the countryside north of Lake Bolsena on the Lazio-Umbria border. “Lois had led walking holidays here, and I’d done photoshoots,” Paul says. “We liked the abundant Etruscan relics, the sense of history, and we liked the rolling fields and the woodlands. We definitely wanted a property to restore. We both loved old Italian farmhouses and felt that restoring was the only way to get the house we wanted.” The house, when they found it, had sound walls but a bad roof. “We wanted to re-jig the place as little as possible and to restore it in the spirit of the original building.
“We didn’t do it the quickest or most sensible way. We took on complete control of the project, doing all the day-to-day supervision and materials-buying, bringing in other people only when we needed them. I put in all the electrics and did some carpentry. Watching other people, we taught ourselves to plaster. We were both prepared to learn. It’s been a real voyage of discovery. We removed tons of rotten plaster from the walls and underneath we found old arches and old bricked-in doors. It was almost like an archaeological dig. The house is now much truer to the original design of the building than when we moved in. And the old materials are visible – we can identify bits of Roman paving stones and old Roman lintels scavenged from elsewhere and used in the original construction of this place. It’s a complete mish-mash. That’s what gives it its character.
“The driving force of our restoration has been blind optimism and a very Italian-style belief that there’s always a way to get things done. Now it’s our paradise.”
For more about Paul’s tours or Lois’s project management, visit www.hiddenworlds.co.uk |
