"Grottole: A charming medieval village untouched by the 2000 century despite its amenities, gorgeous countryside and easy access to the coast."
Casa Assolata (House of the Sunscape) - Charlotte
"I came across the sustainable tourism projects last year with houses for restoration in the central and Southern Italian regions of Abruzzo and Basilicata at very, very reasonable prices. I got lots of information from the UK agents for the properties. Everyone was very helpful. In fact it seemed to good to be true!
I decided to have a look at the holiday homes in the hamlet of Stampigliano, just outside the lovely hilltown of Cellino Attanasio in the Teramo district of Abruzzo.
In July with much trepidation, I set off into the unknown. I had done my homework by then on the region and, very importantly, pre-booked my hire car. To tell the truth, I was terrified of driving on the opposite side of the road especially in Italy where driving reputations are very well known. I decided on an automatic for extra ease. I am glad that I did this: there are so many wonderful hill towns to explore that can be reached from the ascending and winding narrow roads.
On the way to Abruzzo after the bustle of the traffic in Rome,the motorway opens out onto the most spectacular scenery all the way. The Grand Sasso mountain range dominated your panorama, and you have to stop and stare and take photographs everywhere you go. We visited the beautiful hill towns of Cellino, Mutignano, Casteli (famous for ceramics) and the picturesque ancient towns of Penne and gorgeous Atri.
When we got to Cellino we stayed in a marvellous Agritourismo (farmhouse B&B ) with lots of home grown and home made regional foods to savour. We met up with the other viewers and property development staff for the viewing a couple of days later. By this time, my son and I had done quite a lot of exploring and had already fallen in love with Abruzzo - the mountains, beaches,rolling hills. Everywhere we went the locals could not have been more helpful to two strangers who could not speak a word of Italian. By this time I had gotten over my fear of driving and we were up for anything.
On the land on which the eco houses are being built stands an old villa which is being divided into flats. I fancied a one bedroom upper story flat and after thinking about it overnight, reserved it on the viewing weekend. After that, we carried on with our holiday hardly able to contain the excitement of the prospect of owning my holiday home in Italy.
This is just something that I would never have imagined that I would able to afford in my life. I couldn’t wait to return in October to sign up with the Notary in L’Aquila."
Casa del Montalcino (House of the Montalcino Wine) - Maureen
"I would like to thank Tricali for finding me an appropriate, quirky,interesting home in one of their projects in Southern Italy, in Basilicata. I was taken through the various stages of the purchase through to the renovations. I would have found this unfathomable had you not been the organizers. You were also considerate in answering any queries and concerns in the follow up period prior to the house delivery, and also after the home was handed over. I felt reassured."
Casa della Stella (House of the Star) - Audrey
A Little Piece of Italy
"We have always loved Italy and fantasized about one day owning a little place over there. We never thought our dream would come true until we found a magazine advertising ‘Medieval Houses From 25k’. We were just about to set off for 2 weeks holiday in Italy – things moved very fast from there and we were soon put in touch with Tricali who arranged a viewing trip for us.
We fell in love with the first house we viewed – a big rambling place built over 3 floors called ‘Madonnina’, named after the illuminated Madonna statue outside. Our favourite part of the house was a large roof terrace with wonderful views of the cathedral and all those pretty tiled roofs of the village. We later found out from our neighbours that our new abode used to be the village bakery – that explained the big impressive front door.
The whole buying process was made very easy by Tricali who assisted us all along the way. We were very grateful for their help when we witnessed the sometimes mystifying bureaucracy especially around the purchase process itself. Our house actually had 7 previous owners who all turned up for the sale - through much hand shaking they seemed very pleased to meet us and to wish us well with our new house.
We then waited some months for all the renovation work to take place and were very excited when we were finally told it was all complete and ready for us to move in. There were some snagging issues (later resolved very quickly and efficiently by Tricali) but we were very impressed with the quality of the renovations which had managed to modernise without losing any of the old house’s charm. We were also impressed at how Tricali had kept us informed at every step along the way. An added bonus was that their workmen actually turned up when promised – sometimes a rarity in Italy!
Irsina itself is a real little gem. It has all the amenities you need in the way of shops, restaurants, bars, etc. but is still proudly traditional and very friendly and welcoming to the small ‘invasion’ of foreign buyers. The medieval quarter where our house is situated is charming and looks as if it hasn’t changed for centuries – we have to pinch ourselves to remind us that we really do own a house there.
We felt very privileged to be able to take part in this year’s September festival where we witnessed many religious and historical parades, open air concerts, street entertainment and open air markets selling a huge variety of festive fare. Lots of other buyers came over for the festival so it was great to make new friends that we will be able to spend time with every time we visit.
We only have 1 more dream now – to be able to stop working so that we can spend more time living the Italian dream. We also plan to learn Italian so we can participate more fully in the life of the village. Roll on retirement!"
Casa della Madonnina (House of the Little Madonna) - Gaynor & Andy, South Wales
"Cellino is situated in an amazing position overlooking a beautiful patchwork of rolling hills and the Vomano Valley. You approach the historic centre on a winding road; after rounding the last bend you enter a tree-lined avenue with shops on the left and the extremely well-preserved village walls on the right.
We stopped to have a cappuccino and take in the amazing view and were warmly welcomed by the locals. Afterwards we went for a walk around the village and were really impressed by the number of lovely old stone buildings which had either just been renovated or were in the process. We popped into the parish church where the frescoes on the columns were still exceptionally vivid even though they were hundreds of years old and the carving around the entrance was also beautiful. Our walk ended with a stroll along the ramparts of the old walls – the views from here were truly breathtaking!
We can’t wait to go back to Cellino when our property has been completed - we can already imagine ourselves sipping a nice glass of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo in one of the bars!"
Borgo Castello - Talie and Michael
Casa del Violino (House of the Violin) - Glen and Jo, Abu Dhabi
"Just a short note to thank you all for the ease with which the Casa Delle Mele project was completed from purchase to renovation and furnishings. As I work in the building industry in this country I was more than happy with how the renovation was carried out, keeping everything as original as possible. The furniture came as a very pleasant surprise, it went so well with the building. Once again, many thanks to all at Tricali."
Casa delle Mele (House of the Apples) - Don
"I would like to tell you our story about how an English couple brought their palazzo in a small southern Italian town. Like many fellow Brits we were fed-up of grey skies and dreamed of our place in the sun but again like many we had neither the time nor knowledge to do anything about it. Every year the dream remained the same but the prices at the overseas property fairs went up and up to the point where many of the said places in the sun were more than their UK equivalent. We felt that we had missed the boat.
In a very grey Feb 2007 we went to the local property show and met an Italian couple sitting under home-made signs that said buy a medieval townhouse in Italy, from £25,000! This was our introduction to Tricali Homes. Our first thought was that it has to be a con as far too cheap, but our second, third and subsequent thoughts were that the project sounded great and the couple selling them were great and we signed up to view some. One of the restrictions is that the homes are only available to view one weekend per month so that's when you have to go.
Tricali at that point had 3 developments on the go, just outside Rome just outside Naples and right down in the South near Bari in Irsina. We decided to view the Naples and Bari projects based on the premise that the further South the warmer the seasons. The Naples project was charming but not for us. The medieval town there is built up a hill which means that all have wonderful views but also most have a cave for the downstairs rooms. We saw some wonderful high-tech finished caves but still they were caves. Also we decide that our dream had to have outside space to sit in the said sun and drink rose wine and unfortunately the Naples project homes had limited outside space. We moved on to Terre Irsina in the South, which is built on a plateau so many homes have balconies and roof terraces.
Now I am one of those people who as soon as they walk into a house know straight away if it is for me and as soon as we entered the ancient borgo in Irsina my husband and I turned to each other and confirmed that this was for us. All we had to do now is find a house. This is trickier than it sounds as you have to have imagination as most of the homes pre-renovation are really rough and quite derelict. The format for viewing is a group tour going through both finished and unfinished houses and you basically put your hand up when you see one that you like to reserve it and we found one that we liked, complete with the roof terrace for the required wine drinking. Of course at the end of the tour the group is all great friends and all planning when they will meet back in Irsina and exchanging phone numbers!
At this point you have to have faith as you need to do exactly what the TV overseas property shows tell you never to do. The shows tell you that you will be mad to buy a ruin without a survey but that's what you do as of course all homes have been inspected to ensure that they are structurally sound before they become part of the project. The shows insist that you never use the developers' lawyer but get an independent one but Tricali sorts the lawyer to ensure that the deal exchanges promptly. Further the shows are keen that all renovations are detailed and agreed in writing whereas since Tricali is a volume operation you just leave it all to them. Trust and faith is the order of the day and six months after paying in full you will get a wonderful phone call that asks you to come and get your home.
We went back in April 2008 to pick up our keys. Our palazzo was so wonderful that I cried on the spot upon seeing it fully restored. The renovations are well done but basic and it is now up to us to design the finishing touches and make it truly our home. Both the architect and the builders are available to us for further optional work which we are currently planning. The locals are so keen on this project that we were invited for a meal by the neighbors and another local that we met then arranged a barbeque for us to meet all his friends and family. In two visits to Irsina we know more people than we do in our own neighborhood back in England. We didn't intend to rent the house in any way but the local English speaking Tricali agent in Irsina has already obtained bookings for us, so an unexpected income as well.
We consider ourselves so lucky to have gone to that property show and to have met the Tricali people. Now we have our 'place in the sun' a three bedroom flat in a 16th century palazzo in the prettiest little town in Southern Italy and strangely enough when we examined the Irsina war memorial we noted that a local family has the same unusual Italian surname as my husband so some things are meant to be."
Casa del Principe (House of the Prince) - Elsbeth and Gino
"The first time we came across Tricali was in The Herald 'Win an Italian Home' competition in 2008. After reading about the company and seeing their DVD we decided to visit Irsina.
As you can imagine this was a quite a leap of faith – I’d never been to Italy and Yvonne had last travelled through it a number of years ago on the "Magic Bus" to Greece.
When we were in Irsina we stayed at the B & B Eufemia. On the first morning we woke to stunning views of wheat fields and olive groves, it was about 25 C with a slight haze on the horizon – everyone apologised as it was cold and foggy!
Later that day we met other potential home owners and Tricali staff in the old town and began to look at a range of properties, some in better repair than others. To allay our fears we were also shown some houses that were about to be handed over to their new owners. The difference was quite amazing. These were refurbished to a high level and really showed the potential of the "still to be renovated" houses.
There was no pressure to buy any house at any time, you will know yourself if you are at ease with the project and underlying ethos. One thing that you must be aware of is that these are old properties refurbished to a good, basic standard – like all old houses they will need a degree of ongoing care and attention. This is especially true of the roofs.
The price you pay covers renovation and a basic furniture package. You will need extra money for lawyer’s fees, “personalising” work and additional furnishings.
The next day we revisited properties that we liked and decided to buy one. Deposit was paid, receipt handed over and wallet put away in a dark place to recover.
After returning home Tricali contacted us to say that the seller wanted a quick sale – so I went back out in December to finalise the deal – but things did not go as planned, cars broke down and appointments were subsequently missed. Tricali arranged and paid for a Notary in Scotland to sign on our behalf – but then the seller decided to pull out. Tricali quickly offered us our money back or alternative properties – emails were sent flying and property pictures and specifications received.
After seeing photos we decided to purchase Casa della Melanzana. Again trust plays a very big part in the process – because of the exceptional nature of the problem that had arisen with the seller pulling out, and because we hadn’t seen the alternative property before flying down for the Notary appointment - Tricali reassured us that we could pull out at any time, even up to the date when we would sign for the house.
We went out in June and saw the house for the first time – very, very happy with it. We also travelled round other villages that were new to the project and had a long lunch at an agri-tourist farm.
After a visit to a Notary where papers were signed, coffee drunk, money paid and hands shaken with the sellers we were the proud owners of our own little piece of la dolce vita.
We decided to get some extra work done at this time and have been kept informed and updated by e-mail as things move on. The next thing is to get the house rendered – we realise that it would have been better if we had started this in June but my wallet was in a state of shock.
What we noticed in June was that there is a general air of improvement and redevelopment. An increasing number of properties have been renovated and others are getting tidied up, I imagine they will go on sale soon. Everyone is very welcoming and open, although they find it difficult to see why anyone would want to buy there. I suppose you would take good weather, food and countryside for granted if you lived amongst it.
Everyone has been extremely supportive and helpful from the very start. If it was not for Tricali, Studio GIA, My Italian Job and Each Property Med I do not know how we would have managed it."
Casa della Melanzana (House of the Aubergine) - Yvonne and Colin
"Until I discovered the Tricali project in Irsina, I thought I would never be able to afford my dream of owning a house in Italy. From my first visit to the town, I knew it was somewhere I would like to spend more of my time. It is impossible not to relax and slow down to the local pace of life.
Through Tricali, I bought a small (but in my opinion, perfectly formed) house in the historical old town. The buying process was much simpler than I expected, and it was a relief not to have to deal directly with the Italian bureaucracy. Having signed the contracts, I left the house in the hands of the Tricali team for the renovations. I admit to slight anxiety when I returned for the handover of the completed property but I have to say I was extremely pleased with the results. There were a couple of minor things (as with any building project) but these were soon rectified. The other bonus was the provision of a basic furniture pack – this proved more than adequate as a starting point.
I am now enjoying buying extras for the house and employing local craftsmen for other improvements I want to make.
Overall, my experience of Tricali has been a positive one and even when I had a minor crisis there was somebody at the end of the phone who was able to rectify the problem quickly and efficiently.
I would recommend the Irsina project to anyone who wants to experience living in a traditional Italian town, where the local people are warm, welcoming and very helpful – language does not seem to be a barrier. "
Casa dei Tetti (House of the Rooftops) - Amanda
"Purchasing a house in Irsina through Tricali was an amazing experience. It was so smooth and hassle-free that at times it seemed too good to be true but having just come back from the 'handover' weekend and spending 5 days in our new home we feel that we can honestly assure other prospective buyers that it really is a wonderful project with genuine people. We also love the area and the local people have been very welcoming. All that remains for us is to try and learn some Italian and just enjoy....!!"
Casa dei Faccioni (House of the Stone Masks) - Wendy and Neill
"We have loved Italy for years - the people, the countryside, the way of life - and although we had vague plans of owning a property there one day we never dreamt we could get such a lovely property in such a beautiful place at so reasonable a price, and we never dreamt we would be able to do it now! Although we have not completed the purchase yet, we have been very impressed with the Irsina project - Tricali and its partners really do make the process so much simpler. We're looking forward to many a happy holiday at our new home!"
Casa del Vicinato (House of the Neighbourhood) - Mr and Mrs Jones, Cardiff
"I am Julieanne, 27 years old and from Belfast in Northern Ireland. My aim was to buy my own little peaceful haven away from the stresses of work. My attraction to Italy was the quality of family life, the rich foods and also the really slow and relaxing pace of life in Southern Italy.
My initial interest in the villages was obviously the price. Low cost properties fully restored and furnished, to me it had ‘hassle free’ written all over it. But yes, I thought "what’s the catch"? Because anything that sounds too good, majority of the time is too good to be true!! But on the viewing trip I began to understand better the concept of this sustainable tourism project.
The opportunity for a tourist to buy a slice of the real rustic Italy in these unspoilt medieval villages at a reasonable price, and the idea was to use local workers to complete the restoration process and increase the local economy. So the end result - everyone gained. The buying process takes a few months to complete from the initial selection of the property until the final signing of contracts with the Notary. But this process is all taken care of by the Tricali team. I selected my apartment on 4th February paid the 10% deposit, six weeks later I signed my preliminary contracts and paid the 2nd deposit of 45%.
My second visit to Italy was on the 5th May the date for the final signing and the meeting with the Notary. The meeting at the Notary office was a long morning, due to the fact all contracts & documents have to be translated from Italian to English. It was on this date that I paid the final deposit of 45% and I became the proud owner of Palazzo Con Vista.
After the final signing the restoration works immediately commenced. The team stated clearly in the renovation contracts the type of works that would be completed and they also provided a full list of furniture package included.
On the day of the house delivery, I met with the team and we went through a complete check list. Afterwards we celebrated with a few glasses of wine.
The worst part of the buying journey for me was waiting on my apartment to be delivered, I was just so excited to see the finished product. I must say I am very happy with my apartment and I have enjoyed many unforgettable holidays to Irsina….
I would definitely recommend family and friends to live this experience and purchase a medieval property, it has opened a whole new world to me. The whole team have made this a very enjoyable experience and completely stress free for me. It’s a good feeling to know that after a stressful week at work you have the option to book a low cost flight and take a well deserved break in your holiday home in Italy."
Palazzo Con Vista (Palazzo with a View) - Julieanne
"My wife and I are from the US. For over a year we were looking for an ‘attractive’ environment for a home in Italy. Our idea of attractive was a place of leisure in unspoiled, original Italy, a place to call home during holiday jaunts and in post retirement. We also wanted to shun over-exploited and unaffordable Italy. That was our vision of attractive, if such a place existed any longer.
The village in Campania surpassed our expectations and Tricali Ltd made it possible.
No question about it, the villages are different from the Italy you may have already experienced or think you already know. It was for us. Century-old customs and traditions are still alive there - events occur because of these traditions and not to please tourists! Basic values such as trust and hospitality are all around. Evening buona sera greetings from passersby provide anecdotal proof. You will notice how people are warm and relaxed. You will also appreciate their friendship and their genuine and spontaneous character. Time is slow, the food is slow. It’s the perfect retreat for someone looking for a laid back pace - a starting point for rediscovering simpler forms of living, based on friendly relationships, reduced stress and without the hectic pace of modern life. For us the perfect setting to relax and absorb Italian culture.
With the help of the Internet, we discovered the team at Tricali, Ltd. They worked with us to help us realize our dream. Working with town leaders they have devised a new concept for village-based holiday homes by taking existing buildings and rebuilding, reconditioning and furbishing them, as needed, and all without the impact of substantial colonization on the community. The entire process is basically a "turn-key" operation. By that I mean we avoided all the real estate hassles, government red tape, and finding and managing contractors through to completion of a restoration. This was especially important for us since the property was in far away Italy, not somewhere where we could easily drop by to check on things. To keep a long story short, once our home was completed, we took possession and turned the key to our Casa! Later we returned to the States with our keys and deed! Thanks to the Tricali team, everything went smoothly. They did an excellent job. That’s my idea of a turn key operation!
It's a leap of faith, sure, but looking back not a terribly gigantic leap! We trusted the people at Tricali, many before us have and many more have since.
Casa della Ferritoia (House of the ArrowShot) - Paul and Mary Ellen (New Hampshire, USA)
"Our experience of buying a property in Calitri was so much easier than we anticipated, thanks to Tricali! The purchase and restoration process went very smoothly and hassle free. We were very surprised and happy at the level of restoration works and the furnishing.
We have visited Italy on many occasions and fell in love with it. We always wanted to buy a property in Italy but were intimidated by going it alone so the Calitri project suited us very well. We would recommend anyone who is thinking of buying in Italy to consider this project.
Calitri is a charming town and the people are very friendly, this is a place I would love to retire to!"
Casa del Paniere (House of the Breadbasket) - Teresa & Tara
"I am so proud to be part of the Calitri community and thanks to the excellent support of Tricali who helped make this possible: cut tape on all the bureaucratic paperwork, took care of all the restructuring works in line with local aesthetics, and has really acted incredibly fast.
I am amazed at how quickly the Calitrans have adapted to cater for a new budding international community, and are so welcoming and available to help in ways which one would not be used to in our own neighborhood at home. To be in Calitri is to be in an Italy which is still genuine with good local wholesome food and wine, reasonably priced, and friendly people."
Casa della Nonna Tonia (House of Grandmother Tonia) - Marilyn
"After searching for our little piece of Italy for three years I stumbled upon the project in Calitri. I did as much research as I could and then we visited the beautiful town in the mountains of Campania.......it was love at first sight. The place, locals, our house. The price...it was all wonderful.
Buying though Tricali made life much easier, whilst still very Italian (5 hours in the notary's office with a 2 year old was actually fun!!). We bought on our first visit, and have just spent our first Christmas in our lovely little Italian home. So is it a good deal or am I just a romantic, well, I believe in the project so much that I sell it...after our super experience, I have become a broker!
I look forward to seeing you in Calitri soon."
Casa della Zia (House of the Aunt) - Sara-Jane (and Kevin)
"Purchase went like clockwork. We love the house with its beautiful views over the rooftops to the mountains beyond. The people of Calitri are very welcoming which was a major factor in our decision to buy. The local food is good and eating out is reasonably priced. The management team takes the worry out of owning a property in another country. If only we had the same level of support at home!"
Casa della Chiesa (House of the Church) - Tom and Pat
"We love Italy and everything about it, the scenery, history, food and people and never imagined we would be able to buy a house in such a beautiful country. Calitri is well positioned to visit southern Italy, both Mediterranean and Adriatic coasts and the central area which is beautiful. Calitri itself is a friendly town and there are café's, restaurants and shops to provide you with all your everyday needs.
Our purchase and renovation went very well and we took possession of our house in April 2006. The actual restoration has been done very well the furnishings are basic but fine and makes taking over the property easy as so much is included in the price.
We were helped every step of the way up to the purchase and afterwards. Whenever we had a query, problem or request we have found the support good and would certainly recommend anyone to join us in our Italian adventure."
Casa del Terrazzo (House of the Terrace) - Jon and Rowland
Our House in Italy, Irsina, on the border between Puglia and Basilicata. A medieval city one hour from Bari airport and 40 minutes from the sea.
Casa del Vescovo (House of the Bishop) - Derek and Patsy
