Purchasing a share includes a stake in the olive oil produced from the olive groves around the property and a share of the wine from the Estate’s vineyard

You’ve decided on Italy for your holiday home in the sun. Now you have to choose the perfect location. Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence and Naples are all exquisite Italian cities much loved by tourists from around the world and filled with culture. However, if you love Italy, but long to escape from crowds of tourists and want to experience what it is like living in the real Italy, Le Marche could easily be for you.

This eastern region gets the best of both sides of Italy. With 180 kilometres of coastline, Le Marche has the sun and the sea as well as the wonderful pistes of the Apennine Mountains. Whether you long for the masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture, awe inspiring mountains or the pleasures of a Mediterranean fishing port, Le Marche has enough to keep you busy for years.

Many visitors who come to Le Marche are looking to own that special taste of the ‘real’ Italy, unaffected by mass tourism yet welcoming to foreigners. Buying a property overseas outright can mean navigating through a lengthy foreign buying process, dealing with builders who probably have limited English, the substantial cost of renovation and the maintenance of a property that is only used for a fraction of the year. All of this can be expensive, stressful and time-consuming.

Michael Hobbs, and his wife, interior designer Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs visited the region in 2004 and immediately fell in love with the beauty of the area, the people and the Italian lifestyle. The Hobbs decided to set up their luxury and boutique fractional ownership business, Appassionata, in Le Marche three years later.

A share of the Deed

Fractional ownership is a fairly new concept in the UK, but has been popular in the US for over 30 years. With fractional ownership you select and purchase the number of weeks you want to use per year and share the running costs with your co-owners. Proprietors get an actual stake in the company that owns the property and therefore, a share of the Deed.

This purchase is forever, and allows owners to sell their share, rent out the property for the duration of their weeks or pass it on to their family, whenever they choose.

Proprietors get an actual stake in the company that owns the property and therefore, a share of the Deed

Appassionata offers owners the chance to be part of a high end, professionally managed fractional ownership venture in a special location. This includes other concepts which are included in buying a share in Estate Giacomo Leopardi properties. Purchasing a share includes a stake in the olive oil produced from the olive groves around the property, lavender from the grounds and a share of the wine from the Estate’s vineyard.

Estate Giacomo Leopardi is set close to Montefiore dell’Aso in the gorgeous region of Le Marche. The wonderfully preserved medieval Montefiore dell’ Aso has been voted one of Italy’s most beautiful towns. It offers visitors great local food, wonderful scenery and classic architecture around the town centre, with beaches 10 minutes away and the Sibillini Mountains less than an hour away.

Estate Giacomo Leopardi comprises two properties in five acres of land, with views overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The estate has been created so that the large swimming pool can be used in all seasons, there’s an all-weather tennis court and there are private terraces, landscaped gardens and newly planted vineyard.

Casa Giacomo is a four-bedroom, three-bathroom property comprising 2,150 square feet over two floors. Interior designer Dawn worked hard to ensure that the property possesses the best of classic Italian design, mixed with modern conveniences. Casa Leopardi is a traditional Italian farmhouse currently being restored into a five-bedroom home that will contain the same level of accommodation throughout.

For more information on Appassionata go to: http://www.appassionata.com

The final touches are being put to a group of former farm buildings which have been given a new lease of life as luxurious holiday homes set in an archetypal Tuscan rolling landscape of vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees. They are located alongside the sixteenth century former home in Montagnana of ancient Italian families linked to the Medici, just 24 km south-west of Florence in the Chianti wine region.

Pictured is one of the residences at Villa Bossi Pucci, set in a typical Tuscan landscape of vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees. There are regular flights from UK airports to Florence and Pisa. Florence Airport is 25 minutes by road from Villa Bossi Pucci and Pisa Airport is a one hour drive

The development, Villa Bossi Pucci, takes its name from the last family to have owned the property over four generations. It comprises six buildings arranged around a central piazza and converted to create 21 one-, two- and three-bedroom residences.

They are being sold on an innovative private residence club basis which enables purchasers to buy a one-tenth interest in a particular residence and then to have unlimited use of all the residences in that category, subject to reservation policies.

Peter Kempf International is handling sales for the Milan-based developer, Il Sasso srl. Explains Peter Kempf: “This is not fractional ownership, whereby an owner’s use of the property is limited to a fixed number of days each year; neither is it timeshare which may not have ownership in bricks and mortar.

“Members of a private residence club are joint owners of the actual building and yet have access to all residences in their category. Like the members of an equity golf country club wishing to book tee times, their use of the accommodation is limited only by the club’s reservation policies.

“In my view, this arrangement offers the best value lifestyle option for people who cannot justify the cost of purchasing and maintaining a holiday home abroad when, in reality, they will only use it for a few weeks each year.”

Current prices of a one-tenth interest range from €50,000 for a one-bedroom residence, €86,000 for a two-bedroom residence, rising to €100,000 for a three-bedroom residence. Purchasers can buy more than one interest if they wish to do so.

Described by Peter as ‘an ideal holiday location’, Villa Bossi Pucci is within easy reach of Florence and is accessible by local buses which run to the city every half hour. Other towns and cities that are easily accessible are San Gimignano (30 km), Vinci (35 km), Siena (50 km) and Pisa (60 km). Beaches on Italy’s west and east coasts are within a one-hour drive.

Rustic style of a Tuscan country house

Ready to occupy now, the residences have been planned and equipped to meet the needs and lifestyles of clients seeking luxurious short breaks and long holidays in a beautiful location. They include old wooden beams, stone fireplaces for log fires in winter, porticoes and other architectural features of the original farm buildings.

Floor areas of the one- and  two-storey air-conditioned, centrally-heated homes – some with mezzanines suitable for use as a study or children’s play area – range from 80 square metres for a one-bedroom residence to 150 square metres for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence and 180 square metres for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom residence.

Furnished in the rustic style of a Tuscan country house, featuring local ironwork and ceramics, every residence comes fully-equipped with everything needed for a weekend break or a long holiday, from beds to bottle-openers. Standard equipment includes a plasma TV, DVD player, radio, WIFI internet access and a telephone.

Available with each residence at Villa Bossi Pucci is underground car parking and secure climate-controlled storage facilities for personal effects – such as babies’ cots, children’s toys and clothes so that the luggage required when travelling from the UK is kept to a minimum.

For more information contact Peter Kempf International, telephone +44 (0) 20 3006 4980 or visit www.villabossipucci.com

If you have your home in Liguria at, for example, the Dominio San Sebastiano Resort in Bergeggi, you could be in the ski area around Cuneo (to mention just one destination in Prato Nevoso) in little more than one hour by car.

Luca Catalano of Realitalia says: “In reality you could enjoy a weekend at your sea view Spa at Dominio San Sebastiano Resort in Bergeggi, swimming in the heated open air seafront swimming pool on the Friday, followed by Saturday spent skiing on the slopes and you could still be back in the evening for a relaxing sauna.”

One of the largest ski areas in Italy, Via Lattea, which hosted the 2006 Winter Olympic, is home to around 400 kilometres of pistes. This is a really grown-up ski resort if you consider that, for example, Val d'Isere in France, accounts for some 300 kilometres of pistes

Dominio San Sebastiano is a holiday home resort promoted by Realitalia, a company specialising in high quality new builds and renovations throughout Italy, all backed up by an exemplary concierge service and professional letting management.

Since Dominio San Sebastiano is a holiday home resort, it offers the opportunity to get rental guarantee arrangements for those who are after an income from their overseas home and are looking to purchase with a mortgage, since rates are very low and the euro is strong against the pound sterling.

The resort is perched on the Bergeggi Hills overlooking the clear blue Mediterranean and sits within a lush four hectare Mediterranean park. It is just 40 minutes from Genoa airport and just under two hours by car from Nice and Milan.

This brand new, eco resort comprises one and two bedroom apartments and villas. All have views of the peaceful bay and have easy access to the private beach which can be reached on foot. Local shops and cafés in the town that are close by make this an ideal holiday destination.

There are a number of attractions nearby including archaeological sites, golf courses and with an attractive drive, you can be in the south of France in a relatively short time. There are also opportunities for trekking, cycling and bird watching.

Don’t forget that this is a year-round destination with skiing at Limone Piemonte and Prato Nevoso around one to one and a half hours away.

Concluded Luca: “This is a destination for all seasons. Dominio San Sebastiano makes an excellent holiday home both for personal use and letting, and enables owners to maximise on their property investment by reducing periods throughout the year when their property is empty.”

Currently, prices at Dominio San Sebastiano, Liguria, Northern Italy are:

• one bedroom flats (gardens and terraces) from £ 300,000
• two bedroom flats (garden and terraces) from £ 500,000
• villas (gardens) from £ 600,000

Contact Realitalia at www.realitalia.co.uk or call them on 0870 8909936 for more information

Realitalia are members of the UK Green Building Council and the company signed the 2016 Commitment to build zero carbon emission homes by 2016.

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Realitalia's Ville Degli Olivi in Lajatico

The common staircase boasts an original vaulted ceiling and the apartment itself has handsome solid wood doors with 18th century style iron hinges produced by local artisans. The windows are of solid wood in an antique style but double glazed for high energy efficiency and come with the proper certifications.

Hidden technology

There are handmade, traditionally produced terracotta floors with an antique appearance created by the use of reclaimed tiles and a special mixture of raw materials as well as a particular treatment process similar to the original ancient way of working.

There are also exposed stone walls and a spectacular vaulted ceiling which has been meticulously refurbished. Reclaimed wood that has been waxed has been used as flooring in the bedrooms and close attention has been given to the terracotta window shelves, arched niches and wooden beams.

The bathroom boasts a handsome stone washbasin on a solid wooden shelf and tiles are of antique travertine. In addition to the aesthetic perspective, the hidden technology includes underfloor heating and cooling system, amplified by dehumidifiers for your comfort.

Utilities are remotely controlled, allowing you to switch on the heating the day before you arrive for efficient home management. This is also useful if you intend to rent the property. Also the added facility of the entrance door opening with keys or a code means people can easily check in at midnight. The management company looks after the properties.

Eco perspective

An example of the sympathetic restoration being undertaken by Realitalia

The furniture in the apartment combines old with traditional shabby chic style. If you decide to use Realitalia Furniture Package you can have an unlimited choice of colors, materials and designs for your kitchen which is a mix of industrial/artisan production. This leaves you room to customize the interior.

From an eco perspective, all materials are sourced locally where possible. Explains Luca Catalano of Realitalia, “As Italians we care deeply about our buildings and it is very important to us that older style homes are enhanced with love and devotion as we renovate. This extends from the building itself to the furnishings”.

Luca continues “Sustainability is also high on our list of priorities and these homes have been designed to save energy with high levels of insulation, quality wiring and plumbing and hidden solar panelling. Local materials have been used where possible or produced locally, such as the cotto tiles for the floor.”

The one bedroom apartments are priced from circa £200,000, two bedroom from approximately £250,000 and three bedroom from around £420,000.

The one bedroom apartments are priced from circa £200,000. Two bedroom from circa £250,000 and three bedroom from circa £420,000.

Realitalia’s ideas blend tradition with technology, respect for local society with respect for the environment and on-site service with low maintenance costs.

Realitalia is a member of the UK Green Building Council (www.ukgbc.org) and signed the 2016 Commitment to build zero carbon emission homes by 2016. The company says it creates the home people have always dreamed of, shaped around their own individual needs and tastes.

Details of Ville degli Olivi in Lajatico:

At Ville Degli Olivi, Realitalia has converted the main house into five apartments each with a panoramic view. The finished project will also have three additional brand new homes integrated into the landscape. The scheme will, as a result, create a small boutique-style living environment – fully managed – located inside the village of Lajatico.

At Villa Degli Olivi, Realitalia has worked in collaboration with Lajatico-born architect, Alberto Bocelli (brother of the classical singer, Andrea Bocelli who appears annually at the famous Teatro del Silenzio in the heart of the Lajatico countryside).

“The town has a secluded feel, “says Luca Catalano, “yet it is only 30 minutes from the Tuscan Riviera with its choice of spectacular beaches. The location is also close to the historic villages of Volterra, Siena and the cities of Florence and Pisa.”

For more information, telephone 0870 8909936 or 0044 870 890 9936 or go on-line at www.realitalia.co.uk

www.travelsupermarket.com says that these are the best ways to get to Lajatico from the UK:

Lajatico, Tuscany lies a few miles south east of Pisa airport. Pisa is served by non-stop flights from the UK with four airlines:

• Easyjet from Bristol, Luton and Gatwick
• Ryanair from Leeds Bradford, Stansted, Prestwick, Bournemouth, Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Liverpool
• British Airways from Gatwick and/or Heathrow – varies by season and date
• Jet2 from Newcastle, Leeds Bradford and Manchester

Many of these routes are daily and year round, however some only operate two or three times of the week – see websites for details

Flight times to Pisa are around two hours

Prices are from as little as £5 one way when seat sales are on with carriers such as Ryanair. Average prices are around £80 to £150 return.

See www.travelsupermarket.com for more information

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Eurostar, the provider of high-speed, carbon neutral rail journeys between the UK and the Continent, has seen a huge change in the way that people ticket their journeys with around 70% of its travellers taking advantage of the ‘Print Anywhere’ service via the website, Eurostar.com.

Since launching the service in April, increasing numbers of travellers have opted to retrieve their tickets with ease, at home,  at the office or anywhere they have access to a computer and a printer.

Following a significant investment at all major stations in France, UK and Belgium, travellers can now simply scan their own unique printed barcode, so making their check-in even more hassle free than before.

Flexibility and convenience

Commercial Director, Nick Mercer said:  “Print Anywhere ticketing allows our travellers to save time and gives them a greater degree of flexibility and convenience.

“Station staff are finding that the majority of people arrive at Eurostar check-in with their tickets already printed – a sure sign that this initiative has been well received.”

Eurostar is for all the family

With the introduction of ‘Print Anywhere’, Eurostar has ceased to send customers tickets by post, with customers also being given the choice to collect their tickets from one of the e-ticket machines at Eurostar stations.

Eurostar’s high-speed passenger service links the UK and mainland Europe, providing carbon neutral journeys between St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International, Ashford International, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Avignon and the French Alps.

Return tickets

Under its Tread Lightly environmental plan, Eurostar has set a target of reducing CO2 emissions by 35% per traveller journey by 2012, compared with 2007. Because emissions cannot yet be eliminated, Eurostar is also the world’s first train operator to make all journeys carbon neutral, at no extra cost to travellers. Based on comparisons of actual load factors and specific energy data, a Eurostar journey generates just one-tenth of the carbon dioxide of an equivalent flight.

Travellers can buy connecting fares to the Continent from over 200 towns and cities across the UK. Return ticket prices range from £63 and include Brighton from only £71 and Edinburgh from only £92.

To book tickets or for more information, got to www.eurostar.com or call 08705 186 186.

Basic precautions

Bad news stories tend to arise only when buyers fail to take the most basic precautions. For example, one of the most elementary mistakes that careless buyers tend to make is to fail to check whether the property is still carrying any debts left over from the previous owner.
These can come from a number of different sources but they’ll hang like the proverbial millstone around the property – and your neck – unless you are very careful. The last thing you want, having just moved in, is to find yourself paying off someone else’s debts because you failed to ask a few simple questions. Of course, many people will follow up that statement with, “How can I ask questions if I don’t speak the language?” and the simple answer to that is, “You should have an independent legal and/or financial representative and he or she ought to speak the language of the country in which you are buying.” Buying a freehold property outside the UK can be fun and a sound investment but it’s sensible to ensure you have a legal and financial safety net.

Developing markets

In the last decade we all heard stories about how cheap properties were in what were called developing markets. This caused such a stir that people I’ve known for years rang me and one in particular said, “Come on, you write about overseas property. Why have you been keeping this to yourself all these years? Which is the best place to buy and how do we go about it?”
The answer is that yes, partly as a result of the international financial crisis, you can now buy properties in loads of countries for what seem like knock down prices. On the other hand, an English solicitor who works in the overseas property industry commented to me a couple of years ago, “Some people simply go abroad, see property they like, don’t check to see if they can get a mortgage; whether the property has full title deeds that will show that they have bought it and whether the person who sold it to them had any right to do so.”
It’s a shame to sound like a wet blanket because of course you can buy a home in an ever-increasing range of countries and end up with something that you will enjoy for years to come. But the fact is, as I said, you might well be walking into a barrel load of problems unless you expend the time and trouble to go through the process in the same way that you would back in the UK.”

Unusual destinations

I was writing about properties for sale in unusual destinations such as Northern Cyprus, even India as far back as 12 or 15 years ago. In the late 1980s I was commenting on the new phenomenon of Australians and New Zealanders buying holiday homes in Europe and Europeans looking for properties Down Under. The truth is that I know of people who bought in some pretty out-of-the-way places at that time who are perfectly happy. Let’s face it, in the 1950s and early 1960s you could have said that Spain and Portugal were emerging markets.
All property is cyclical, and what has tumbled down in price in the last 12 months will, eventually go back. And then we’ll see a rush to grab bargains – yet again. The golden rule to remember is: wherever you buy, only do it if you can really afford it. Take advice and ask questions. And it might be wise to leave your credit cards at home when you go on holiday – your plastic might be a touch too flexible for your own good.

Properties in Italy

Other companies remain the product of the owner and this is very much the case with Casa Travella. Founded in 1987 by Linda and her husband Pietro with a view to making buying property in Italy easier and more accessible, the company was also one of the first overseas property businesses to offer a full service to clients.

Linda Travella

“We only sell properties in Italy,” explained Linda. “We feel that we can offer an exceptional service because we specialise in one place rather than a number of overseas companies that are offering homes everywhere from Bulgaria to Brazil.

“I speak fluent Italian which is very important if you are looking to buy a home in Italy. It means I can negotiate easily with developers and solicitors on a client’s behalf and therefore there is a ‘comfort zone’ for buyers knowing that their investment is in safe hands.

“I have so many people who have bought through me and many who have remained in contact. It’s interesting how such a large number love their new home and of course, Italy itself,” says Linda.

Travella spent four years as chair of The Federation of Overseas Property Developers, Agents and Consultants (FOPDAC) from 2000 to 2004. She was also the first and only woman to be elected as chair since the Federation began in 1973.

Linda also sits on the International committee for the National Association of Estate Agents and has appeared live on BBC Breakfast News in her capacity as a leading expert on the subject of buying property abroad.

In 2004, Linda took part in a number of high profile, large audience, episodes of  “I Want that House” for ITV. As a result she was asked to make a programme for American TV. In addition, she has made a one-hour programme for Channel 4.

The new complex on Judeca Nova

The islands of Venice and Giudecca

Venice is one of those places where it can seem difficult to find just the right place for a home abroad. The island of Giudecca, a short boat or gondola ride from San Marco on the main island of Venice, is home to a new and stylish complex called Judeca Nova and benefits from breathtaking views over the lagoon of Venice.

All amenities (there are plenty of restaurants and shops) are close at hand and the main bus and railways stations connect easily with the ‘vaporetto’ line (travel time: 10 minutes). Giudecca has very much the feel of the original Venice and a visit is well worthwhile.

This property, priced at €295.000, is located on the second floor and consists of: living room with corner kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Two-bedroom apartments are also available priced at around €395.000.

For more information about this and many other properties, contact: Casa Travella on: 01322 660988 or go on-line at www.casatravella.com