What you can buy with…€120,000

| Thu, 10/02/2008 - 05:50
Words by Carla Passino

As an estate agent once said, when it comes to homes the ‘perfect everything’ is impossible to find. Compromises are the order of the day when buying a new house, particularly in the lower price ranges. One trade-off you don’t need to accept, however, is between price and character. A smaller budget doesn’t mean having to settle for a non-descript house—unless you want to. To prove the point, here are three homes that are low on price but big on charm. Each one can be yours for €120,000.

Trullo, Cisternino, Puglia

When it comes to vernacular charm, few properties beat Apulia’s trulli, candid pinnacles topping the grey limestone cone roofs. Real Estate Cisternino are selling one in a small hamlet near Cisternino, a pretty village in the Murgie hills. It is a two-cone trullo with an extension. Inside the whitewashed cones are a living and dining area, with two double beds sheltered in two curvy alcoves. The kitchen and living room and a bathroom are situated in the extension. There is a small gazebo, with enough room for alfresco dining, attached to the extension. The trullo opens onto 2,600 square metres of grounds, with trees, plants, a large patio area, a barbecue, a water cistern, and a small lamia (trullo-like barn with no cone) which is used as storage room. The asking price is €120,000. For more information call Real Estate Cisternino on +39 080 444 1166 or visit www.realestatecisternino.com.

Monastery apartment, Sant’Angelo in Pontano, Le Marche

In the historic heart of Sant’Angelo in Pontano, a hillside village in Le Marche, stands an ancient monastery that has been split into a handful of apartments. One of the flats has now come up for sale. Painstakingly renovated, it has a large, contemporary bedroom, a living room with exposed beams, a good kitchen with dining area and bathroom with vaulted ceiling. Outside, the monastery cloister has tables and chairs for alfresco dining and there is a garden which can be reached via the ancient cellars. The asking price is €120,000 through Real Estate Dreams (+39 347 6833547, http://italy.realestate-dreams.com).

Restored stone house, Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany

This stone village house stands in a panoramic spot in a small village near Castiglion Fiorentino. Carefully restored, it has been split into two—a one bedroom ground-floor flat with kitchen and living area and bathroom; and a first-floor flat with living area; study or bedroom on the mezzanine floor, bathroom, store room and loft. The interiors have a rustic Tuscan feel, with beamed ceilings and a fireplace, and the windows frame views of the hamlet and the surroundings hills. The property, which could potentially be extended, subject to planning, comes with a small piece of land. The asking price is €120,000 through Apta Domus (+39 0575 740 718, +44 (0)208 123 7407, www.aptadomus.com).