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

Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
Abruzzo, Italy

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

Hot summers on the beach, skiing in winter, gorgeous countryside all year round. The medieval hill towns and villages in Italy’s mountainous Abruzzo region get lovelier with each passing day.

What I particularly like is that from any village, views are sensational. You can always see another collection of spires, towers, and rooftops lying like buried treasure in the folds of the Apennine foothills.

I don’t know which small town I like best. I’ve seen a lot in the last few days. Collecorvina with its massive fortified church and distant views of the Adriatic is a gem. I know $900,000 doesn’t sound cheap…but here it buys a 16th-century palazzo that later became a convent. Vaulted ceilings, antique wooden doors, painted frescoes, and over 1,000 square meters of living space. A conservatory roof tower comes with a wraparound 360-degree panorama of Collecorvina’s rooftops, the mountains, and more villages in the distance.

What could you do with such a property? Nikki di Girolamo, director of House Around Italy, suggests it could be turned into eight apartments. Or maybe it could be transformed into a small boutique hotel or B&B. The basement cellars, with their vaulted ceilings, would make for an intimately cozy restaurant. If you’ve always yearned for a large, historic property, it’s crying out for with someone with vision.

Something smaller? In the Gran Sasso National Park, just outside the village of Villa Ciliera, I saw a real €35,000 ($53,000) temptation. Also through Nikki’s company's website, this is a 60-square-meter house you could move straight into. Admittedly, it’s 40 minutes from Pescara airport and the Adriatic beaches, but it’s a perfect base for summer hiking. I don’t see how you could go wrong. At this level, prices have nowhere to go but up.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor, International Living

P.S. I’ll tell you everything I learned about Italy’s “deep south” at IL’s Ultimate Event in May. The theme this year is Rediscover the American Dream…Beyond U.S. Borders. What does that dream mean to you? If it’s relishing good food, a slow-paced lifestyle, beautiful pastoral landscapes, a regular art fix, and a charming home…at low prices (even with the current exchange rate)…then Italy is for you. If you register for the Ultimate Event before March 28, you get a $200 discount.

Read related articles:

- Oodles of Property Bargains in This Corner of Italy

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

- Four Tips to Help You Get a Dream House