Many Brits will return from a holiday in Italy this summer with grand designs of investing in a rustic ruin to restore to its former glory. However, turning a tumbledown building into an idyllic holiday home can be fraught with hazards: people often realise too late that the required renovation is beyond their financial and practical means.
Italian Property, one of the country's largest, independently operated real estate agencies, provides a bespoke restoration service to help buyers avoid the common pitfalls and ensure that work is completed to specification - and budget.
The company currently has a number of historic houses, ripe for restoration, available in a relatively undiscovered area of unspoilt Umbria. Often touted as "the new Tuscany", Umbria is a charming 'cousin', offering undulating olive groves, Renaissance towns and traditional houses. With its environment under enforced 'no new build' protection laws and annual appreciation beating the credit crunch, Umbria has the property renovation potential to match its dramatic landscape.
