Wednesday, September 4, 2013

San Lorenzo Bellizzi - Even Cheaper Than Guardia Sanframondi

Lotto n. 24 - 1.800
So it's been a while since I posted on real estate in Italy, mainly because we're in "saving up" mode. But this afternoon Seeds From Italy (my source for Italian vegetable seeds) posted a very interesting link on FaceBook. It seems the Commune di San Lorenzo Bellizzi owns a bunch of more or less ruined properties in the "centro storico" and they've just posted a list documenting 25 of 'em.

How cheap?1.500 to 3.000

You already clicked didn't you? OK. I'll wait.

OK, where the heck is San Lorenzo Bellizzi? It's located in Calabria, near the border of Basilicata:


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Yeah, way the heck down there. Which is actually pretty cool if you're looking for a vacation home off the beaten path but with plenty of great scenery (maybe better than Guardia Sanframondi!), 35 km. from the ocean, and packed with rural Italian character.

Although the good ol' Wikipedia doesn't have much on San Lorenzo Bellizzi, the town does have a website evidently set up by by someone from the town. Like Guardia Sanframondi it doesn't seem to have any actual hotels, but there are a couple of B&Bs and Agriturismo offerings.

What's the downside? The 25 places on the list are all what might be (charitably) called "unique fixer-uppers". Seeing as it's very rural Italy, there are going to be few, if any, people who speak much English. But man, what an adventure!

Oddly enough, there's House Hunters International couple living not too far north in Basilicata. Maybe I'll drop 'em a note and see what they might be up for...



5 comments:

  1. I think I have read their blog too. They actually have a website called My Bella Basilicata and they have a listing of homes for sale.

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    1. That's them :-) I noticed the other day their listings haven't changed for quite a while, though that's not unusual in rural Italy. We're still in "saving up" mode and I think we want to look around in Abruzzo as well... there are just too darn many beautiful medieval villages in Italy darn it!

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  2. I was just reading Patsy Kessler's blog and she was saying the prices are going up in Guardia and it's 30000 euros to buy. I am kinda skeptical right now if I can even do this. Whatever happened to the 20k homes.....you had one in your blog and I saw 2 more in the same price range last month.

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  3. BTW, is there an exchange office in Guardia? Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Unless your bank charges ridiculous fees just use your ATM/Debit card when you need cash. Italian banks do not charge any ATM fees and the rate you get will almost certainly be better than what exchange offices charge.

      We used the ATM at the "Municipio" office across Via Municipio from Piazza Mercato lots of places in Rome with no problems.

      You do have to be patient - some types of ATM will look like they've eaten your card for a few seconds (just long enough to panic) before they spit out the money and return your card.

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