Guides
How buying a house in Italy actually works
What I wish somebody had written down for me: the real procedure, the real costs, the checks that matter. Useful even if you never hire me.
The Italian notary and the deed of sale explained
The Italian notary is not a solicitor, and checks less than most buyers assume. Here is what they actually do, and what is left for you to arrange.
4 min read
Costs and taxes when buying a house in Italy
The purchase price is not what you spend. Here is every cost that lands on a buyer, who pays it, and which ones are negotiable.
6 min read
Verona and its province: where to buy
People write to me saying "near Verona". Inside that phrase are four places with almost nothing in common. Confusing them is the most expensive mistake you can make from a distance.
4 min read
The lake: the Veronese shore, village by village
Forty kilometres from Peschiera to Malcesine, and two different worlds. The southern shore is flat and connected; the northern shore is vertical and seasonal.
5 min read
The city: Verona neighbourhood by neighbourhood
Verona is walkable, but its districts are very different from each other. What daily life is like in each, who lives there, and what sort of property you find.
5 min read
The mountains: the Lessinia
The mountains directly above Verona, with stone hamlets and prices that look like a mistake if you have come from the lake. They are not a mistake — here is why.
5 min readTerritoryThe hills: Valpolicella and the eastern hills
The hill belt is the compromise that holds up over time: real countryside fifteen minutes from a city. The complication is agricultural, and it is specific.
4 min read
Buying property in Italy as a foreigner: the complete process
Nobody explains the order things happen in, so people sign the wrong thing at the wrong moment. Here is the actual sequence, what each step commits you to, and where the risk sits.
5 min read
What to check before buying a rustico or country house in Italy
A rustico is where the romantic idea of Italy meets the Italian planning system. These are the checks that separate a project from a liability, in the order I make them.
4 min read
Is it safe to buy property in Italy?
Short answer: yes, with one important qualification. The Italian system protects ownership well and building compliance badly. Here is where the actual risk sits.
4 min read
Italian property glossary for foreign buyers
These words stay in Italian, because they are the words on the documents and at the counter. Translating them loses the meaning. Here is what each one actually is, and why it matters to you.
4 min readIlse Orsel, Chris Boland, Alessandro Carrarini, Rasmus Andersen, Maksym Harbar, Moonlight Endearer, Samuel Gartmann, Erwan Hesry, Fabrizzio Moncada, Jens Peter Olesen / Unsplash