Fractional Ownership is a growing, successful concept, but few people really understand exactly what it means, or the benefits it can give, says Michael Hobbs from Appassionata. It is frequently confused with timeshare, conjuring up a negative view of being chased down the street in Marbella by an over-enthusiastic salesman inviting you to enjoy a […]
Our experts are here to help with all your questions about Italy. This month, art holidays, what to do with leftover panettone, driving around romantic Puglia, and income tax… Painting landscapes Q: It’s my ambition one day to paint some Italian landscapes for my friends and family. Would you have any particular places you would recommend […]
Sally FitzGerald discovers Castello del Nero, the perfect Tuscan hideaway just off the road between Florence and Siena. When a hotel is voted as having ‘The Most Beautiful Bathroom in The World’ by Harper’s Bazaar, you head along with a certain level of expectation. The bathroom in question belongs to Castello del Nero, a 12th-century castello […]
Le Marche property veteran Kevin Gibney of PropertyForSaleMarche.com offers Italia! readers eight practical steps for buying property in Italy. You can definitely find the right property in Italy if you take a reality-based, businesslike approach to the search process,” says Kevin Gibney, an officially licensed estate agent in Italy’s Le Marche region. Here are his […]
Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577-1633) was a patron of Bernini and Caravaggio. The Baroque legacy at his Villa is a wonder to behold… People are often surprised to learn that, at least as far as major European cities go, Rome actually has a very good green space to concrete ratio. It certainly doesn’t feel like that […]
Hertfordshire-based Carole and David Montrose own a three-bedroom country house a few miles from Ascoli Piceno in southern Le Marche. They try to spend all of the school holidays there with their daughters Mandy and Jessica (pictured above),and rent the house to visitors at other times of the year. What drew them to Le Marche? “David […]
This serenely beautiful region burst onto the foreign-buyer scene less than twenty years ago and swiftly became a favourite. It’s still one of the most coveted rural property spots in the country, says Fleur Kinson On the map, Le Marche forms the shapely calf muscle of the Italian leg. So it seems rather fitting that […]
When St George slayed the dragon and rescued the princess, he acted with fearlessness – but his brave horse was never quite so sure that the fight would be won. High in the Alps, in the far northwest of Italy, is the Valle d’Aosta, the smallest of Italy’s official regions, and the most lightly populated. […]
Rachael Martin on what living in Italy has taught her about food: from pasta to risotto and beyond… The first time I made my Italian boyfriend a dish of pasta, he took one mouthful and looked at me. Horrified. Pasta without salt, way up the list of the seven deadly culinary sins as any Italian […]
A recent snowfall accentuates the beauty of the walled city of Urbino, Le Marche. The World Heritage site is within easy reach of two lesser-known ski resorts… Most ski enthusiasts will be heading for the slopes of the Italian Alps or the Dolomites this winter, but those aren’t the only places you’ll find snow in […]