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Real Estate Notes
A villa is the first step toward La Dolce Vita
By Aaron Brill
Lots of Americans dream of buying a home in the Italian countryside—perhaps too many, because in some regions these bucolic structures are filling up fast. And who wants to go to Tuscany to live next to your neighbor from Shaker Heights?
You’ll be safe—for the time being, at least—in the Veneto region, with some 7,100 square miles stretching across northeastern Italy from sunny Adriatic beaches to the Alpine Austrian border. There’s plenty to do: world-class slopes at Cortina d’Ampezzo, massive Alpine limestone in the Dolomites, and, post-climb or -ski, a lifetime of fine art to view in Venice, Padua, and Verona. Though homes in Venice are both hard to come by and extremely pricey, outside the regional capital, in Treviso, the average three-bedroom home starts around $450,000. “Northern Italy is booming right now, but it’s not yet really been discovered by non-Italians,” says Carlo Pesce of Cazzaro Costruzioni, one of the Treviso province’s most respected land-development and architecture firms. “Compared to well-known Tuscany and Umbria, Veneto will offer a lower profile and sticker price.”
But first things first: Can a man get his hands on a villa? “No problem,” Pesce says. “This region is saturated with villas, and there are always some for sale.” The Venetian plain, which stretches inland into the Trevisian hills, is indeed littered with villas: Roughly 5,000 dot the landscape, with some 4,200 of them registered historic landmarks. That status will cost you, though. Historic villas in the best repair, and with the loveliest grounds— think natural streams, vineyards, and charming stone buildings—can go for upwards of $10 million. Smaller affairs with less land still run into seven figures.
“With millions of dollars at stake, go through an estate agent,” warns Sheila Leavitt of Italy House Scout, a firm that helps Americans find Italian properties and navigate the labyrinthine buying process. “You and the seller will each pay him around 3 percent of the estate’s value, but it’s the best way to know for sure how the property is zoned, if there are outstanding liens on it, and what historical restrictions apply. I’ve seen people find their Italian dream houses and be handcuffed by zoning laws they didn’t realize were in place.” Leavitt also advises engaging an attorney well versed in Italian property law, as well as a geometra, a kind of architect/contractor who can say whether your new casa is architecturally sound. “If the place is already approved for work and free of the most invasive zoning restrictions, it will say so up front,” she says.
And what about a Bob Vila villa, something you can fix up? Veneto’s beauty is due largely to wide-open spaces and country estates, and the Italian government guards this living museum carefully. The Bella Arte laws are a baroque matrix of architectural protection and zoning nightmare. “Renovating a villa is hard enough, but with all the patrimony laws in effect, even Italians can hardly do it,” Pesce says. “You have to follow all manner of environmental, historical, and aesthetic regulations.” Even converting an old barn into a residential space can have you tied up in paperwork for years.
When doing renovations, Leavitt recommends, play by the rules. “Draw up plans of what you want to do, and then take them to the comune[city hall] and ask,” she says. “If they approve it, then find someone who has been credentialed to work on historical sites.” Not everyone is, and working with an unlicensed contractor can set back your schedule. “You’d be a fool to try to cut through all the red tape without any help,” says Leavitt. “A foreigner isn’t likely to get around any of the bureaucracy.”
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