What is possibly the most popular and sought-after Italian dwelling? The answer is a farmhouse!
Wooden beams, stone or exposed brick walls, the presence of a wood oven or a well are just some of its architectural elements. There is no region or province that does not have its ancient buildings, clearly with their different local peculiarities which are evident in their structural and stylistic components. The Italian property market provides investors with plenty of rustic styles, which are ideal as a refuge to escape from the city buzz, and prices to choose from.
Farmhouses are usually located in secluded areas, in the countryside or atop a hill from where you can enjoy breathtaking views, but without being isolated. On the contrary they are close to the town centres with all the necessary facilities. Furthermore they are generally surrounded by large green areas that you can turn into beautiful parks and gardens with swimming pool. So due to their convenient and striking location, and to their typical features, in recent years more and more people are choosing this type of accommodation as their ideal Italian home.
But the fateful question is: where to buy? Needless to say, Tuscany still catalyzes great interest because in the collective thought it represents Italy par excellence, especially the so called ‘Chiantishire‘. Its typical farmhouses are called ‘casolari’ and boast a stone structure. Nevertheless, because of its status of most popular region among investors, the availability of farmhouses has dropped enormously, and prices have risen dramatically insomuch as you can find a country house to be completely renovated up to €400,000. However there are most affordable areas as they are still off-the-beaten-track, such as those in the Maremma or Lunigiana, where prices are still lower as it is possible to buy a country home for less than €100,000. This is why Tuscany, along with Umbria, is the protagonist in this field, and prices remain quite high. In Umbria for instance a renovated farmhouse could be listed for sale from 250,000 to 550,000 Euro (i.e. about 30% less than those situated in the Tuscan countryside).
Anyway, if you want to save money while enjoying the same stunning scenarios, Le Marche region is the right alternative. Here there are different types of farmhouses, namely ‘case coloniche’ which are brick houses usually characterized by external staircase and mainly found on the hills, or those with internal staircase, also called ‘solaro’ room that are mainly on flat land towards the sea. As a matter of fact this territory has been named by The New York Times as ‘the next Tuscany’. It «has found in Le Marche the vera Italia […] a place where travelers can still feel a genuine sense of discovery and quiet pleasures as they meander back roads and walk on cobbles that haven’t yet been polished by the soles of a million tourists.» Here with as little as €80,000 you can still find typical farmhouses among its sweet and green slopes that descend towards the sea.
But it is probably in the little known regions of Abruzzo and the small Molise, rich in natural resources and historical heritage, which are also perfectly positioned, that property prices are still very low. So here you can actually find the best bargains! It is possible to purchase a lovely farmhouse to be restored for about only 50,000 euros or less, and there are options for all tastes indeed!
As a all, also this category of properties, like the entire housing market, is suffering and it loses a 18%. This means that the average selling prices of farmhouses is now about €1,249 per square meter, with a peak of €1770 in Liguria, where there is a growing reputation for certain areas such as the Cinque Terre.
Gate-Away.com provides you with a great selection of farmhouses located throughout the entire peninsula and for all budgets.
