A Place in the Sun

Hot Properties in Tuscany

 

Property in Tuscany

Some regions are so well-known it’s hard to get past the cliché. Tuscany is one of those – a vision of dreamy rural loveliness, tall trees and rolling hills, where you can buy a restored palace complete with medieval frescos if you have a spare million or three.

You can indeed buy one of those – and the rental potential will be sensational – but there is plenty for a smaller budget too. You don’t need to be an art buff either, there are seaside towns, ski resorts and rural retreats too.

Tuscany occupies a large chunk of mid-west Italy, with four million people and a coastline of 300 kilometres. Its main cities are Florence, Siena, Livorno, Pisa and Grosseto. Although famous for its hills and plains, there are mountains too, with skiing at resorts such as Abetone.

Tuscany’s popularity with overseas homeowners was cemented in the 1990s when some of show-business’s classier celebrities – Sting, Bryan Ferry, and Richard Gere – bought properties. Tuscany has had a lively community of British residents for centuries, however. There is a British Institute, where the young Kate Middleton did a gap year, and some 15,000 British people live here.

Along with its rural beauty, Tuscany has generous portions of the world’s greatest art and architecture. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the centres of Florence, Siena, Pisa and the hilltop town of San Gimignano. The Italian Renaissance started here and you can buy a property near the childhood home of Leonardo, in Vinci, or Michelangelo in Caprese, both completely unspoilt.

Property in Tuscany has a reputation for being a bit pricey, and you can indeed spend a fortune. It’s a large province though, and there are plenty of attractive country houses away from the more touristy areas that are more affordable. If you are willing to do a restoration you can pay little more than €50,000 (plus renovation costs).

Traveling to Tuscany is easy at any time of the year, with airports at Pisa or just outside the province in Bologna and Perugia. You can drive to Florence from France’s channel ports in 13 hours, or take the train from London via Paris and Milan in a day and a half. It’s easy to find English-speaking professionals in Tuscany and there is a ready-made expat community with English-language newspapers and websites, should you want that.

Or, steer clear of Chianti and the Val d’Orcia and you can find villages where no-one speaks English and the pace of life is slow. Don’t forget the coast too; there are some lovely coastal villages in the Maremma region to the south.