Investors buying into Italian lifestyle

Foreign property investors in Italy are shifting their interest from the countryside to Italian towns, according to a property expert. Rupert Fawcett, head of the Italian desk at Knight Frank, said that many investors are "cash-rich" but "time-poor" and so do not want to embark on the restoration of farm houses "that was once all the rage". Now they are being attracted to the ease, accessibility and security on offer in Italian towns, he said. Mr Fawcett explained that investors are buying into the Italian way of life when they purchase properties in the country.