The Regions Abruzzo and Marche

Thousands of Britons, Irish and North Americans have given the European Continent the thumbs up by buying abroad and ownership of homes overseas is growing at a staggering rate. Property purchased abroad for both main reasons - holiday homes and retirement are on the increase. Overall in 2004, 1.38 million Britons currently own a property outside the UK and this seems set to rise to 3.12 million by 2008. Italy is a beguiling country and one of the most popular destinations for people buying property abroad. Abruzzo and southern Marche (sometimes called Le Marche or Marches) can be classified as one of the best-kept property secrets and jewels in Italy, being still relatively unknown to tourists. Rich in ancient historical towns and set against a rural backdrop of olive, vine and maritime pine trees, these alluring and unspoilt regions beckon you to visit. They have established themselves over the past few years as exciting new places in which to buy a holiday or relocation property – mainly because they offer landscapes similar (if not more dramatic than) Tuscany, but the houses are offered at a fraction of the cost of their popular near neighbour. Sandwiched between the Apennine Mountains in the west and the Adriatic Sea in the east, these Regions have very much kept themselves to themselves preserving their natural beauty and heritage. As the British newspaper “The Guardian” stated in its article of 15th November 2003,“Forget the rest – this is where you can live the dream…. Abruzzo, a rival to “Chiantishire, it is one of Italy’s hidden treasures”. Property bargain hunters should keep their eyes on Abruzzo and southern Marche as prices are still well below the Italian average.

 

 
 
Abruzzo and southern Marche are situated in the centre of Italy, so there is easy access to all parts of Italy with excellent motorways/highways (autostrada) and high-speed train services. Rome and Naples can be reached by car within two and a half hours from Pescara, add an extra hour from Ancona; taking just a bit longer to Florence, Pisa, Bologna and Venice. There are direct daily low cost flights from Britain, Belgium, France, Ireland and many other countries to Pescara, Ancona and Rome.
 
 

 
 
Unique to any part of the world, the rocky Apennine Mountains with their renown National Parks are just a 50 minute drive from the coast. How about the thought of skiing at one of the ski resorts in the morning, then being one the many golden beaches the same afternoon – unique and formidable! Sailing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, water skiing, wind surfing, rock climbing, para-gliding, trekking, horse riding, mountain biking, skiing and snow boarding etc. are among the many activities available.
 
 

 
 
Central and western Abruzzo and southern Marche with their hills turning into majestic mountains have a lifestyle that has not changed for centuries. Here you will find beech, chestnut, oak and birch forests inhabited by wolves Marsican bears, chamois, red and roe deer together with golden eagles and goshawks plus century-old pathways (tratturi) in Abruzzo still used by shepherds.
 
 

 
 
The great news for incoming foreign purchasers is that the local residents are not at all resentful of the current influx of foreign buyers; they welcome the fact their abandoned rural properties are gaining a new lease of life and improving the landscape. It is not at all unusual for those buying country properties in Abruzzo and Marche to find their immediate neighbour farmers offering to help them with the land, or even rent it under a proper commercial agreement. Foreign buyers have economically helped to revitalise these regions, so they don’t get the sense of their being “poor” regions full of peasants and ruin-down housing. However, to an incoming property purchaser, the Abruzzo and Marche revitalisation is still in its infancy, so property remains affordable, especially compared to the likes of Tuscany and Umbria. The hundreds of kilometres of coastline with its clear and unpolluted sea offer broad golden sandy beaches with many towns having magnificent palm tree lined fronts. There are also pebbly shores, high jagged cliffs, narrow creeks, natural bays, and in some places it is positively wild where on occasions one can see turtles. Dolphins too have been known to pass bye during the winter.

 

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