Olives and Country Air in the Sabina

A typically charming Sabina village: Selci Sabino

The area is better known abroad than in Rome, my guide explains, as we visit Selci Sabino, one of a handful of locations gaining a keen following abroad. English expat Miranda Goodman is originally from Hathersage, Derbyshire. She fell in love with the Sabina’s peace and tranquillity after spending 25 years in Rome and now runs a shop selling local handicrafts as well as an art gallery, where she provides information for tourists and exhibits the work of local artists. Miranda is clear that she would not want Sabina to become “another Tuscany”, whose popularity has come at the cost of its character, yet is keen to let people know – especially Rome-dwellers – what the Sabina region has to offer.
Selci first appears in the written sources in 1072, and it seems to have changed little since. Its name is derived from the Latin word Silex, or flint, referring to the quarries which used to dot the area, owned by the Orsini and Cesi families as well as the Holy See. Within its meandering streets you can admire the mediaeval stone slabs outside the church of St Salvatore, patron saint of the village. Nearby, the Cathedral of Vescoviò is well worth a visit, located within the site of ‘Forum Novum’, where excavations by archaeologists from the British School at Rome (Vince Gaffney, Helen Patterson and Paul Roberts) have confirmed the importance of the area in ancient times.

Malta’s first Sicilian and Tuscan Property Exhibition

Homes of Quality and Frank Salt Real Estate are hosting an open weekend at Le Meridien St Julian’s on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 November, between 10:30am and 8:30pm and 10:30am and 6:30pm respectively, to showcase a selection of properties in the Italian regions of Tuscany, Emiglia-Romagna and Ragusa in Sicily.

Following the successful launch of Tuscany, this exhibition shall also serve as the official launch for the Sicilian market.

Italy is becoming increasingly popular as a destination for a holiday home with more and more Europeans and Americans buying property there every year. The rental market is also very strong. It is possible to acquire a substantial plot of land, secluded in the countryside and yet close to the charming towns of Ragusa and Modica, from only €25,000! Ready-to-move into town houses in the heart of the city start from €60,000.

In tune with Tuscany

Prices start at £190,000 for a one-bedroom flat, rising to £590,000 for a three-bedroom villa with two bathrooms and a large garden. The development includes a swimming pool, a play area for children, a solarium and part ownership of the private olive grove, which is ideal for picnics and barbecues. The shops and town square are a couple of minutes’ walk away. As part of the plan to integrate buyers into the community by creating jobs, the optional services on offer include baby-sitting, cleaning, gardening and shopping.

The show flat should be ready for viewing from next March; and, having seen the style of the scheme, potential buyers will be able to choose the kitchen fittings and other finishes. “We will encourage buyers to follow our commitment to using only locally sourced materials in the traditional style,” Catalona says.

Realitalia, which is an offering an on-site management service, reckons buyers who wish to let out their properties should be able to do so for 15-20 weeks a year – producing an annual income, after management fees, of £11,800 for the two-bedroom flats, which are priced at about £235,000.

Italian real estate team looks at DAMAC Properties opportunities

The meeting was also a chance to showcase the developments and opportunities that exist within the UAE market and to reinforce the strong reputation that the company has. The company has already identified the opportunity to expand its customer base in Italy and will open a new sales centre in Milan later this month/has recently opened a sales centre in Milan.

The recent visit to Dubai comprised representatives from developers, institution of engineers and media personnel from the real estate sector in Italy. The visitors were impressed at the magnitude of property developments under way in the UAE and the region as a whole.

Pirelli 9-month profit falls, seen lower in 2008

* Bigger-than-expected profit drop expected for year
* Group Q3 EBIT down by more than half to 30.1 million euros
* Shares down 2.91 percent
* New industrial plan on Feb. 11
(Adds details, background)
By Gilles Castonguay
MILAN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Pirelli & C forecast a bigger-than-expected profit drop for the year on Friday because demand for its tyres and property services in Europe and North America had weakened because of the global financial crisis.
"The size of the decline will be greater than what had been estimated at the end of the first half," the Italian holding company, which specialises in tyres and real estate, said in a statement.

Italy Building To Contract Sharply Through 2010

Investments in the construction sector will fall 4.4% this year, 5.7% next year, and a further 2.5% in 2010, the report by Cresme, a leading research institute covering real-estate trends. The figures reflect real or inflation-adjusted declines.

This year's contraction is the first in Italy for 13 years.

Cyclical forces were already leading to weaker demand, but the global credit squeeze has aggravated the trend, said Lorenzo Bellicini, director of Cresme.

New residential construction will drop by 30% in the next three years, according to the 600-page Cresme report presented Wednesday at an industry trade fair in Verona.

Barring public-policy decisions aimed at propping up the sector, both commercial and civil-engineering projects will also see sharp declines.