Buying A Home In Italy VERIFIED
From history and culture, to food and wine, and an attractive Mediterranean climate, Italy has it all. Whether you want a vacation place in Venice or a new family home in Florence, moving to Italy is a dream for many Americans.
buying a home in italy
The properties available typically have been abandoned and need significant renovations. Part of the deal requires the buyers to pay a deposit, and renovate the home in the 3 years following purchase. However, depending on the location, you may be able to renovate the place as a home, or a business property, depending on your preference.
$1 homes in Italy are offered through municipal councils. Private owners give the municipality permission to sell, to help them avoid paying property tax. Buyers then apply directly to the municipal council in the area, to find out which properties are available and the exact purchase terms that apply.
Now you have all you need to know about how to buy property in Italy as a US citizen. This guide to getting a home or investment property in Italy should give you the framework to start your own research, and get a step closer to making your Italian dream a reality.
Over the next few sections, you will find out some of the great reasons to buy a house in Italy, before we start to look at the step-by-step buying process. Then, find out more about making your move by downloading your free Italy Buying Guide.
Unlike in the UK, where country homes seem to cost a bomb, the best house prices in Italy are in rural a3reas and in the sunny South. Great news for sun-loving Brits wanting to make their home in the beautiful Italian countryside.
Major cities and tourist hotspots are the most expensive places to live, whichever country you choose to live in. However, where the Italian cost of living really drops is when you buy a home in the countryside or outskirts of a small town or village.
Italy has excellent transport options. Most expats want to maintain links with the UK, especially with family back home. Italy is home to over 30 international airports and most of these have low-cost flights with airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet back home. From the UK, Ryanair and EasyJet both fly to 22 Italian airports from the UK and offer very competitive prices throughout the year.
Italian food is fresh and simple cuisine that makes the most of what is grown locally. Each region, town and family has its own special dishes that reflect what is produced in the countryside and sea near their home. Italy is well known for its healthy Mediterranean diet, and also for pizza, pasta and gelato. The flavours in a true Italian pizza and gelato are like nothing tasted anywhere else in the world due to those fresh Italian ingredients.
If that all sounds a little too peaceful, Milan is nearby, as are the ski slopes of Bormio. Milan presents a great investment option if you may wish to rent out your home, due to the high tourist and business traveller footfall. Milan, along with the whole region of Lombardy, marries old and new together, with industry, technology and innovation sitting harmoniously beside history and art.
Other provinces of interest to property buyers include Pavia, Sondrio and Varese. There are many types of property available to suit every taste. For countryside homes at great prices head south from Milan to Pavia. For a home near the ski slopes look in Sondrio and for apartments and houses near Lake Maggiore take a look at Varese.
Veneto is in the north east of Italy and covers an area from the Adriatic Sea right up to the Dolomite mountains. The provinces of the region are Venice, Belluno, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Verona and Vicenza. The Venetian lagoon is home to the world-famous city of Venice as well as smaller islands including Murano. Along the coast there are also stretches of sandy beach with seaside resorts such as Jesolo, Bibione, Cavallino and Caorle.
Going inland, the countryside is home to charming stone farmhouses, towers, villas, castles and pretty villages. This natural setting has a variety of scenery and many artistic and traditional treasures to discover, as well as a rich cultural heritage. Business is thriving across Veneto, one of the richest regions in Italy, yet it remains unspoilt, with beautiful countryside and well-preserved historic town centres.
The university is also home to the oldest botanical garden (1545) in the world. The Orto Botanico (Botanical Garden) of Padua is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as it still preserves its original layout of a circular central area, symbolizing the world, surrounded by a ring of water. It also continues to serve its original purpose as a centre for scientific research. Other beautiful walled towns in the area include Citadella, Monselice, Este and Montagnana.
Treviso is well known as the original production area of Prosecco wine and some historians believe it is the birthplace of the Italian dessert tiramisù. The magnificent landscape north of the city is perfect for wine routes offering excellent wine tastings and beautiful scenery. There is also a very busy central fish market. Cycling is popular in the area and Treviso is home to notable volleyball, rugby and basketball teams.
If you buy a home in the Veneto, having a quick trip back to the UK will be easy. There are international airports at Venice, Treviso and Verona. You will find flights from all London airports, plus Liverpoool, Bristol, Manchester, Coventry, Nottingham, Leeds, Dublin and Shannon. British Airways flies to Venice Marco Polo Airport and Verona Airport, EasyJet to Venice Marco Polo Airport, and Ryanair to Treviso Airport. Venice Marco Polo is the closest airport to central Venice, while Treviso is 70 minutes by bus from Piazzale Roma (the main Venice road terminus).
Many people are attracted to the dramatic scenery of the Dolomites, which is recognised by UNESCO World Heritage, but also to Lake Garda and the rivers, streams and forests. If you love mountains and being surrounded by nature this is the place to be. The region is popular for all kinds of outdoor sports and activities including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, fishing and cycling. The countryside is also home to dairy farms, apple orchards, castles, vineyards, olive groves and some beautiful towns and villages, such as Badia, Bolzano, Glorenza, Ossana, Colfosco and Canazai.
Lake Baracciano is within a twenty-mile commuting distance of Rome and has lovely lakeside homes. Due to its proximity to the capital, property prices are higher than Lake Bolsena, but the area is a beautiful haven just 30 minutes train ride and has some superb properties.
Arezzo is an amazing city known for its goldsmiths and antiques traders. Among its highlights are the Medici Fortress, the Cathedral, the Diocesan Museum and the Basilica of San Domenico. The city is also home to an Archaeological Museum and a Museum of Medieval and Modern Art. Within the province there are other interesting towns and villages, like Cortona and San Giovanni Valdarno.
There are many medieval hilltop towns and endless green fields with vineyards, olive groves, woods, lakes, rivers and mountains. Many of these hilltop villages are listed among the most beautiful in Italy, offering great views. You can live a healthy lifestyle here and enjoy good home cooking using locally grown produce, such as grains, vegetables, truffles, cheese, herbs and olive oil. The biggest towns found here are Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, and Gubbio.
Due to young Italians moving to the cities, there are plenty of affordable homes available in villages and rural locations, and prices can sometimes be negotiated down even further. This is great news for many British buyers, who tend to prefer a rural location. Many countryside houses have lovely features, such as vaulted ceilings and fireplaces, and, once renovated, they transform beautifully into luxury residences. You will get much more house for your money in Abruzzo compared to more touristy regions like Tuscany.
The Campania region is home to the colourful Italian coastal towns you will have seen time and time again in any article or television programme focusing on Italy: Sorrento, Naples, Amalfi, Procida, Positano, Ischia, and Capri. There is little better in our eyes than waking up in an 18th century pensione on a Sorrento cliff and looking out over the Gulf of Naples, to Vesuvius in the distance. This is an area characterised by architectural beauty, and a warm and sunny year-round climate.
Siracusa, or Syracuse, once one of the great powers of the ancient Mediterranean, is today a medium-sized city of around 125,000 people. The surrounding province is home to the Hyblaean Mountains and lots of golden, sandy beaches. The southernmost areas, especially around Pachino, are relatively expensive. However, towns like Priolo Gargallo, closer to Catania, are much more affordable to buy property in Sicily.
For retirees, moving to Sicily could save you a lot of money in tax and not just when you buy your new home. A new tax scheme introduced by the Italian government in 2019 means that foreign (or Italian) retirees in receipt of a pension could be eligible for a 7% flat-rate tax on all their foreign income (including foreign based pensions) for the first six years of being resident in Sicily, or one of six other southern Italian regions in need of an economic boost (Sardinia, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise and Puglia).
Many people thinking about where to buy in Italy choose central locations that are not too far away from the popular cities of Rome, Florence, Siena and Pisa. But southern regions are becoming increasingly popular for their relaxed rural charm and Mediterranean climate. The Puglia region, in particular, is attracting those wanting an affordable country retreat in the sun. Many Brits buy both as holiday homes and as a place to retire.
From the Italian Alps down to the southern beaches, every region invites you to explore and discover the history and culture that will draw you back here time and again. So why pay repeatedly for accommodation when you could be the proud owner of your own holiday home in Italy? 041b061a72