Rescue an Italian Property in Confetti Town

Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Sulmona, Italy

Read more about Italy in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

I’m in Sulmona, an Abruzzo town in southern Italy…chilly this time of year. But the cold doesn’t stop the passegiata. Join the evening stroll down Corso Ovidio and you soon notice Sulmona is the home of confetti. Not bits of colored paper—here the word means sugar-coated almonds. Almost every other shop sells them.

No excuse not to buy. Prices start at half a euro ( about 76 cents) for small bags of confetti candies. Originally created by nuns, they’re now factory made—but at least one local confetti factory dates back to 1753.

Part of Italian family celebrations, confetti has color codes: white for weddings and baby blue or pink for christenings. Guests are given red ones at graduations and green ones at engagements. For 25th anniversaries, they come in silver foil. There are also brightly colored posies of confetti fioro (flowers) that look far too pretty to eat.

If you’re seeking town rather than village life, Sulmona may fit the bill. It’s only a couple of hours from Rome, has 25,000 inhabitants, and the sandy Adriatic coastline is a 30-minute drive.

Overlooked by the glittering white peaks of the Apennine Mountains, the town’s heart comes with all the essential medieval trappings: churches with sonorous bells and riotous carvings, dimly lit alleys, and secret piazzas. Its history is much older—this was the birthplace of the Roman poet Ovid.

Everything radiates from Piazza Garibaldi. Flanked by a medieval aqueduct and with views of the mountains, this vast square is the site of the city's Palio. La Giostra Cavalleresca is a medieval jousting tournament that takes place the last weekend in July. The piazza also hosts an open-air market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I only meant to take a look, but couldn’t resist buying four shimmery scarves for less than $3 apiece.

Lorna Richardson of Properties Around Italy took me to see a restored 100-square-meter townhouse a few steps from Corso Ovidio…on the market for €100,000 ($152,000).

Lorna and her Italian business partner Giuseppe Angelone also have lots of Abruzzo village properties. Prices for restoration projects start at $18,000. The village of Bugnara is interesting, as the local authority have paid for houses in good structural condition to be fitted with new roofs.

A partially restored townhouse here is €30,000 ($45,500). It has a new roof, repointed stonework, and a new spiral stairway. Figure another $26,500 to finish the restoration (new bathroom, central heating, and electrics).

If the idea of rescuing a dilapidated Italian farmhouse appeals to you, but the price of a Tuscan renovation seems ridiculous, tune in tomorrow. I found a farmhouse you can buy and restore for $167,000.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor, International Living

Editor's note: In next month’s issue of International Living magazine, Steenie talks about the magic of Italy’s medieval hill towns, and where you can find a home in a historic mountain village for only $27,000. Subscribe to IL magazine now to make sure you receive the April issue as soon as it's available.

Read related articles:

- For Sale: An Italian Palace…and a $53,000 Village House

- Oodles of Property Bargains in This Corner of Italy

- Would You Like a Townhouse in “Affordable Italy” for $26,000?