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The Magazine about Living Internationally
Let me start by telling you about this one...a three-story high casa colonica of natural pink stone. The setting is dreamy...a lookout onto open green meadows, bosky thickets, and scattered farms...in the distance, a picturesque Palazzo village whose historical stone houses snuggle into a steep slope. Perched on a hilltop, 30-minute’s drive from the sandy beaches of Senigallia, it’s priced at $134,000. Although you'd have to do some work (a minimum of $20,000 is needed to make it comfortable enough for year-round living rather than vacations), you could move in straight away. Surface area is 2750 square feet and there’s around 21,000 square feet of land planted with pine, cypress, olive trees, and a small vineyard. Although there’s no phone yet, water and electricity are on site. Similar Tuscan
farmhouses cost a minimum of a $300,000—even more if your heart was set
on a home in the golden triangle formed by the towns of Pisa, Siena, and
Florence.
One of Italy’s most famous artists, Raphael, was born in Urbino...a fairytale town, which I’ll tell you more about later. There are also summer opera festivals, churches bursting with Lottos and Giottos, lazy-day seaside resorts...the wild Sibellini mountains, where folklore tells the prophesying Sibyls of Greek legend lived. And it goes without saying that food and wine is excellent. I’m confused
as to why Le Marche remains undiscovered territory to English-speaking
visitors. Fashionability, maybe. British vacationers wanting to impress
friends and neighbors emulate their Prime Minister Tony Blair and head
off to high-profile Tuscany. Despite sharing the same lovely scenery, Le
Marche isn’t modish. Furthermore, few people can even pinpoint it on a
map.
In fact, Tuscany is the next-door region but one. Living in Le Marche means you could explore Florence, Siena, and many other Tuscan treasure towns almost at will. Divided into four provinces—Ancona, Pesaro, Ascoli Piceno, and Macerata—Le Marche lies almost halfway down the country’s eastern Adriatic coast. The Emilia-Romagna region and the city of Bologna are to the north, Abruzzo-Molise to the south. Umbria (and beyond that Tuscany) lies to the west. Just because few people have heard of Le Marche doesn’t mean it’s remote. Ancona, its main city, has a small airport with flights to London’s Stansted. It’s also a port city with ferry routes to Greece and Croatia. Speedy Eurostar trains travel the eastern coast. On the cross-country line from Ancona through Jesi, they eat up the 182 miles to Rome in three hours. No downside I spent late January discovering some of Le Marche’s towns, meeting realtors, and tramping around case coloniche. I was impressed with everything...and you should know by now that I don’t bestow bouquets readily. To be honest, I can’t find anything negative to say about this region. Sure, the weather was cold but I hardly expected to get a suntan during winter. Vestiges of snow blanketed the upper hills, but nearer the coast daytime temperatures hovered between 50° F and 54° F...and there were more sunny days than overcast ones. The only downsides I can think of is that some purpose-built seaside resorts look rather unappealing architecturally. Even so, there are few high-rises and resort towns aren’t plug ugly by any means. Wintertime fog can be problematic, but this applies to the whole of central and northern Italy, not only Le Marche. The day before I left, more than 600 flights were cancelled due to fog...and even Milan and Turin’s airports were at a standstill. Farmhouse specials Twenty miles from the sea, Sant’ Ippolito is a mere speck on Le Marche’s map. A bus from the coastal town of Fano delivered me to the piazza in Fossombrone, a quaint little town of towers and churches...but no taxis. A three-mile walk to Sant’Ippolito in heeled boots through unknown countryside? I phoned Eberhard and ask him to pick me up. I’ve noticed Germans often seem to identify up-and-coming locations before everybody else. Eberhard and Barbara Fuchs (both speak English) bought a tumbledown farmhouse near Sant’Ippolito 11 years ago and transformed it into a gem. This engaging couple (he’s German-Jewish, she’s half Czech, half Irish) have a passion for breeding horses—they currently have 30. And they also run a real estate consultancy: Consiglieri Case Coloniche (CCC). Around 90% of clients are German, but they’ve also had buyers from America, Britain, and New Zealand. I’ve detailed
more of their homes in the Property Picks sidebar, but I thought this one
was excellent value: a classic farmhouse of rose-colored stone that you
could move into immediately. It's big, around 3,000 square feet, and there
are a couple of outbuildings. The “garden,” planted with olives, hazelnut
trees, and vines is 40,000 square feet and includes a stream. It's not
isolated—the nearest village is a mile away and Adriatic beaches are a
15-mile drive. The price is $134,000. Although it still needs some finishing,
you could do it for around $10,000 if you're not concerned about marble
bathrooms and pools.
Although old mills and noble villas occasionally surface, there are basically three types of rural homes. The first are casas rusticas, cottage-type homes, or very simple farmhouses where laborers lived. Next up the scale are case coloniche, the huge rambling farmhouses with wine cellars that were owned by wealthier farmers. Top of the pile is the casa padronale, once home to local lords of the manor. In farmhouses of two stories or more, beasts were commonly kept on the ground floor—families lived in the rooms above. Few have pools, but you can instal one for $21,000 to $30,000. Barbara and Eberhard have some good-looking properties for around $140,000, but time-wasters aren’t encouraged. To browse their catalog before arranging to inspect properties, you’ll need to be on-line—they don’t send listings by post. A quirky attitude, but Eberhard gave me chapter and verse on who would be happy living in Le Marche...and who wouldn’t. No English spoken He considers that if you don’t have Internet access by now, you don’t have an inquiring mind...and he doesn’t want to know you. Le Marche is for individuals, not the masses who flock to Spain’s Costa del Sol with its large enclaves of English and German speakers. “Here you have to learn Italian...not even the waiters speak English or German.” (He’s right.) And perhaps thinking of prospective neighbors, he shudders at the thought of “people with greasy hair driving beat-up Volkswagens.” (I think he meant hippie-types seeking ruined farmhouses where they can beat bongo-drums into the night.) This isn’t a run-of-the-mill agency, but they’re a great couple. Glorious hilltowns Seeing the fairytale turrets of Urbino’s Ducal Palace looming out of the mist, I was mesmerized. This is the jewel in Le Marche’s glittering tiara of medieval hilltowns, a picture postcard of the Middle Ages. A medley of beautiful houses and palaces made from tiny pink and gold bricks flank its switchback streets and cobbled alleyways. The surroundings are spectacular: tree-covered green hills resembling the rumpled-up bedspread of some storybook giant. Exactly the kind of setting where you'd find Sleeping Beauty snoozing away the centuries. It also happens to be Raphael’s birthplace. I visited the house where he was born on Good Friday, 1483...it felt really odd to be the only visitor. It’s on via Raffaello (Italians call the painter Rafaelo) and the entrance fee is $2. Continue up this steep street to Raffaello’s statue, then turn left around the walls of Albernoz Fortress for magical views of the Ducal Palace, which now houses the regional art gallery. Designed in the 15th century by Duke Federico da Montefeltro as an “ideal city,” Urbino is in incredibly good shape for its age. In its atmospheric streets, houses looked solid and well cared for. Eurocasa is a helpful realtor's office, and Maria Cristina Marchetti speaks excellent English. She says that although Urbino is more expensive than most other Le Marche hilltowns, being a university town it's a good investment prospect. A typical one-bedroom 420-square-foot apartment in restored condition, in the historic center, costs $92,000 and rents for $470 monthly. Two-bedroom, 750-square-foot apartments average $162,000 and rent for $740 monthly. Eurocasa will
also arrange mortgages and unravel the legalities. (Their agency fee is
3% to 4% depending on work involved.) If you prefer a rural property to
restore, they’ll also put you in contact with architects and builders.
Maria Cristina seemed very excited that foreigners might be interested
in Le Marche, but she stressed that farmhouses are more expensive around
Urbino than in remoter areas. The starting figure for ruins is $135,000.
For something habitable, expect to pay over $200,000.
Urbino is one of dozens of hilltowns...another personal favorite was Jesi. Pronounced “Yezzi,” it huddles behind rampart walls, another beautiful arrangement of pinkish-gold stone houses with dark green shutters. Wandering through archways of the old town’s up-and-down stepped alleyways, I kept coming across all kinds of lovely curiosities: colonnades, campanile belltowers, and handsome Renaissance palaces with statues and carvings. However, many streets were very dark and narrow—you wouldn’t get much (if any) sunlight. Two of the three realtors I met spoke English. Prices in Jesi’s leafy suburban periphery start at $60,000 for a 600-square-foot apartment; a 1,200-square-foot apartment was $107,000. Within the historic center, a 670-square-foot apartment in a completely restored building was $94,000. For something even smaller—a 380-square-foot apartment costs $38,000. Farmhouses in Jesi’s countryside begin at $47,000 for ruins-and-rubble, and around $115,000 for something that could become habitable. Another day I met with a retired IL subscriber living in hilly Ascoli Piceno province, not far from seaside San Benedetto. We spent the afternoon with Sig. D’Angelo, a realtor from Offida. A tiny hilltown with just under 5,000 inhabitants, Offida has immense charm—archways, loggias, belltowers, cobbled squares—and it’s very traditional too. I was told that old ladies put out their chairs on the street and sit making pillow lace during summer. Grandstand views of pageantry Medieval houses to restore start at $43,000, but remember alleyways don’t get much light. In contrast, Offida’s main square (Piazza del Popolo) is open to the sun and a picture-perfect venue for pageantry and carnival. Anybody owning a property here would have a grandstand view of any event. $225,000 is quite a substantial sum, but it buys a newly restored apartment in an ancient palace on the square of approximately 1,600 square feet in size with additional terrace space of 400 square feet. Creating a mezzanine would give even more living space. Earlier that
afternoon we inspected case coloniche in the nearby countryside. One such
casa colonica was just $70,000 and had 10,000 square feet of land but it
required much restoration...it was certainly too wrecked to live in. Sometimes
the value is in the land and the fact that a dwelling already exists. This
means there wouldn't be any planning problems about building something
of similar size and height. Back in the office, Sig. d’Angelo (who unfortunately
doesn’t speak English) produced details of a small house with three bedrooms
for $75,000. Going by the photos it looked in good condition. Apparently,
only the heating system needs work.
As my main intention was tracking down rural farmhouses and hilltown homes, I didn’t explore the resorts in depth. But one that I really liked the look of was San Benedetto del Tronto, in Le Marche’s southernmost Ascoli Piceno province. Famed for its 7,000 palm trees, it’s both a working town as well as a summer resort. Attractive-looking beaches, a long promenade, a lively town center...and enough palm trees to justify its title as the Riviera del Palme. As it’s geared up for conferences (it’s a favorite amongst Italian trades unionists), a good proportion of hotels remain open in winter. Unfortunately I didn’t find any English-speaking realtors here, but Troiani had some interesting buys. The agent told me that relatively few foreigners have bought so far. Within San Benedetto town, buildings vary from new constructions to ancient aristocratic mansions and Liberty-style villas. One-bedroom apartments start at $45,000, but $160,000 was sought for a two-level apartment with three bedrooms in a “piccola palazzina.” This agency
also had a casa singola (single family house) of around 3,000-square-feet
for $116,000. On two levels, and less than two miles from town, it requires
restoration but there’s a large garden of around 11,000 square feet planted
with olives. San Benedetto is also reasonable for rentals outside the stagione
(the summer season). Between November and May, one-bedroom apartments start
at $233 per month.
The Virgin Mary’s house Art treasures, luscious landscapes, beaches...but that’s not all. Le Marche also has something nowhere else in the world can boast. Loreto, a small hilltown of 11,000 souls claims the Virgin Mary’s house too. I’m not going to make judgements on this—I can do without barrages of indignant letters, thank you. However, tradition tells that after a stopover in Croatia, the Virgin Mary's Nazareth house arrived here on December 10, 1294. Some say the deed was done by angels, others that human hand transported the house. Almost all
businesses cater to accommodating, feeding, or selling religious trinkets
to the pilgrim hordes visiting Loreto each year. Its Basilica is monumental—visible
from miles away. Although I’ve probably seen more Italian churches than
I’ve had pizzas, this one is special. There are 25 little jewel-box chapels
and sacristies, all decorated with magnificent paintings. Centerpiece is
the sacra casa (holy house), enclosed by a carved marble screen. Pilgrims
cram into the tiny structure and kneel reverently on a stone floor. A basilica
brochure insists that there’s archaeological proof of the house’s building
material being the same type used in Nazareth 2,000 years ago.
Our Lady of Loreto is a Black Madonna. Apparently, many Madonnas are that color because smoke from candles and lamps darkened original icons and images. The basilica’s 16th-century statue was destroyed by fire, but people were so used to their Black Madonna the artist commissioned to create a new wooden image used a black tint for the coloring. Loreto also has a permanent presepe (Christmas crib) behind the basilica—just follow the sound of carols. It's a succession of little niches lit by red and green lights almost like the garish holes that goblins inhabit in Santa's grotto. Lots of mechanical figures too, but I said enough in my e-letter about swiveling camel heads. I’m saying nothing more... The sound of bells would send me batty, but Tecnocasa agency had a 900-square-foot apartment near the basilica for $121,000. A 1,200-square-foot apartment in an ancient palazzina d’epoca (renovated outside, but needing interior restoration) was $134,000. A short distance away is another medieval hilltop village called Castelfidardo. I came through by bus and it looked charming. The same agency had a 1,350-square-foot recently restored apartment (three bedrooms) in its historic center for $125,000. The best rural properties . On a hilltop
near Montecasiano/Macerata, surrounded by ancient olive trees, a rambling
old Casa Padronale that was once the home of the local lord of the manor.
Of natural stone, and with wooden beams and terracotta floors, it’s in
reasonably good structural shape. However, it needs major interior renovation—there
are no bathrooms! Approximately 4,500 square feet in size plus a barn,
it comes with 33,000 square feet of land. Price: $117,000 plus estimated
renovation costs of $86,000.
. A romantic mill, hundreds of years old, that you could move straight into. Totally restored with modern central heating, this is a three-part property: the landowner’s house, a cosy farmhouse, the miller’s house, plus a barn. This may be suitable for a tourism venture—perhaps living in one property and renting the other two buildings to vacationers. Surface area of the buildings amounts to around 5,500 square feet with almost 30 acres of land. Asking price: $402,000. Realtor to rely on
Buy a whole village for $216,000 A hamlet of stone houses in the township of Pergola, Borghetto di Finigli dates back to at least the year A.D. 1000. Agents, Eberhard and Barbara, believe it’s suitable for a state-assisted agriturismo business. Perhaps it could be converted into a small country hotel with a restaurant, or used as an artistic, meditation, or seminar center. In an almost 2.5-acre setting of green hills and with lookouts onto the mountains of Monte Acuto, Monte Nerono and Monte Catria, the surface area of the complex of buildings in Finigli amounts to 11,000 square feet and includes a chapel. One building has been restored and electricity and water is on site, but the agents admit the other houses currently seem “unprepossessing from outside. However, they also point out that the buildings hide some precious architectural treasures: a grotto with a water reservoir in a cellar with wooden beamed ceilings, old terracotta tile floors, stone fireplaces from the 15th and 16th centuries, frescoes, and a stone arched entranceways. Access is 500 yards down a track, shops are just over three miles away, and the sea is 22 miles distant. Price: $216,000 with restoration costs estimated at an additional $235,000. A fishy
feast
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Consiglieri
Case Coloniche (Eberhard and Barbara Fuchs), Reforzate 26, 61040 Sant’Ippolito
(PS); tel. (39)0721-728-252; fax (39)0721-728-122; e-mail: