| Piedmont |
| Cities: |
Turin, Asti, Cuneo |
| Nearby
airports: |
Turin, Milan, Genoa, Nice (Fr) |
| Attractions: |
Best Italian wines, Alps, truffles, Summer & Winter resorts. |
| Property: |
Moderate
prices outwith ski resorts, some vineyards affordable |
| Climate: |
Hot
summers, spring rains, Winter skiing |
| Lombardy |
| Cities: |
Milan, Como, Brescia |
| Nearby
airports: |
Milan, Bergamo, Brescia |
| Attractions: |
Lovely Italian Lakes, all-year skiing, mountains, Milan, Po
Valley |
| Property: |
High demand, 10% foreign ownership, on a budget look to Brescia |
| Climate: |
Hot summers, cold skiing winters, pleasant microclimate by Lakes |
|
Liguria |
| Cities: |
Genoa, San Remo |
| Nearby
airports: |
Bologna,
Genoa, Pisa, Nice (Fr) |
| Attractions: |
Italian Riviera, beaches, mountains, sea, Cinque Terre, good
rental |
| Property: |
High prices, second homes big business, bargains in the mountains |
| Climate: |
Sea & mountains ensure mild winters & summers |
|
Valle D'Aosta |
| Cities: |
Aosta |
| Nearby
airports: |
Milan, Turin, Bergamo (& France/Switzerland) |
| Attractions: |
Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, 100% mountainous, all-year skiing, space |
| Property: |
Inexpensive, ski resorts more expensive, prices rising fast
10% p.a. |
| Climate: |
Depends on altitude. Alpine areas good snow in autumn & winter |
|
Trentino Alto Adige |
| Cities: |
Trento, Bolzano |
| Nearby
airports: |
Venice, Verona, Forli, Brescia |
| Attractions: |
Dolomites (stunning), Alps, spectacular mountains, 50% woodland |
| Property: |
Inexpensive, high demand & 10% p.a. rises. Austrian influence |
| Climate: |
Wide variety dependent on altitude. Warm summers |
|
Veneto |
| Cities: |
Venice, Verona, Padua, Vicenza |
| Nearby
airports: |
Venice, Brescia, Treviso, Forli |
| Attractions: |
Venice, Adriatic, chic mountain resorts & beautiful ancient
cities |
| Property: |
Verona & Vicenza good value, Venice dear but demand insatiable |
| Climate: |
Agreeable - hot summers, colder winters |
|
Friuli-Venezia-Giulia |
| Cities: |
Trieste, Udine |
| Nearby
airports: |
Trieste, Venice, Treviso, Ljubljana (Slovenia) |
| Attractions: |
Spectacular Alps, all-year skiing, fertile plains & Adriatic
beaches |
| Property: |
Bargains possible, relatively inexpensive, rising 8% pa. Try
resorts |
| Climate: |
Mountains have year-round skiing, coast and plains much warmer |
| Emilia
Romagna |
| Cities: |
Bologna,
Parma, Ferrara, Forli, Rimini, Ravenna, Imola |
| Nearby
airports: |
Bologna,
Parma, Forli, Rimini, Florence |
| Attractions: |
Huge
Adriatic beaches & culturally-rich medieval cities |
| Property: |
Rises
5% p.a. Expensive in old cities & Adriatic resorts
Grand farmhouses inland. Bargains rare but possible |
| Climate: |
Sizzling
hot summers, colder winters. Temperate by Adriatic |
|
Tuscany |
| Cities: |
Florence, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Livorno, Isle of Elba |
| Nearby
airports: |
Florence, Pisa, Forli, Bologna, Perugia |
| Attractions: |
Culturally-impressive cities, glorious countryside, simply perfect |
| Property: |
Chiantishire is the preserve of the super-rich. Few
bargains |
| Climate: |
Pleasantly hot summers, long tourist season, very agreeable |
|
Umbria |
| Cities: |
Perugia, Orvieto |
| Nearby
airports: |
Perugia, Ancona, Florence, Rome |
| Attractions: |
'Green heart of Italy' has 7 nature reserves, rural paradise |
| Property: |
8% p.a. increases, beautiful region, & cheaper than Tuscany |
| Climate: |
Classic Mediterranean climate, warm summers, cool winters |
|
Le Marche |
| Cities: |
Ancona, Pesaro, Urbino |
| Nearby
airports: |
Ancona, Rimini, Pescara |
| Attractions: |
Beautiful rolling hillsides, Adriatic coast, charming seaports |
| Property: |
Bargains still to be found, but be quick, Le Marche is booming |
| Climate: |
Warm & dry by the coast. Inland steadily more mountainous |
|
Lazio |
| Cities: |
Rome, Viterbo, Rieti |
| Nearby
airports: |
Rome (Fiumicino & Ciampino) |
| Attractions: |
Ancient Rome, glamorous Modern Rome, Vatican, Ostia, Frascati. |
| Property: |
Expensive in Rome, but with every amenity imaginable on your
doorstep. Frosinone a good bet for a bargain |
| Climate: |
Ideal |
|
Abruzzo |
| Cities: |
L'Aquila, Pescara, Teramo |
| Nearby
airports: |
Pescara, Foggia, Ancona, Rome Ciampino |
| Attractions: |
Adriatic beaches, fertile green hillsides, acres of space, Apennines |
| Property: |
Property is cheaper, old & characterful. This region cries out
to be discovered |
| Climate: |
Warm & dry by the sea, cooler inland in the mountains |
|
Molise |
| Cities: |
Campobasso, Isernia |
| Nearby
airports: |
Pescara, Foggia, Naples, Rome Ciampino |
| Attractions: |
Adriatic coast, mountain wintersports, isolation, De Niro lives
here |
| Property: |
Rustic, characterful, inexpensive but won't stay this cheap
forever |
| Climate: |
Warm by coast & in lowlands, cold enough for skiing in mountains |
|
Sardinia |
| Cities: |
Cagliari, Alghero, Sassari, Olbia/Costa Smerelda |
| Nearby
airports: |
Alghero, Cagliari, Olbia |
| Attractions: |
Fabulous white beaches, the purest blue sea & magnificent seafood |
| Property: |
Excellent investment, easy to rent out, very expensive near
beaches |
| Climate: |
300 days of sunshine per year, lovely beach weather |
|
Campania |
| Cities: |
Naples, Cassino, Salerno, Caserta, Benevento, Avellino |
| Nearby
airports: |
Naples, Salerno, Rome Ciampino |
| Attractions: |
Pompeii, Amalfi, Positano, Monte Cassino, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia |
| Property: |
55% price rises in the blue-chip resorts - look inland for bargains |
| Climate: |
Hot sultry summers, much like the locals! Pleasant in winter |
|
Puglia |
| Cities: |
Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto, Gallipoli, Monopoli |
| Nearby
airports: |
Bari, Brindisi, Foggia |
| Attractions: |
Deserted beaches, conical Trulli houses, medieval cities, climate |
| Property: |
Reasonable but booming as budget airlines make Puglia accessible |
| Climate: |
Year-round warmth, sunshine, regularly +35 degrees in summer |
|
Basilicata |
| Cities: |
Potenza, Eboli |
| Nearby
airports: |
Naples, Foggia, Bari, Brindisi |
| Attractions: |
Unspoilt, glorious isolation, Policoro & Mataponto beaches,
Eboli |
| Property: |
Very cheap, bargains abound, whole villages available, tax breaks |
| Climate: |
Warm, but has microclimates - higher rainfall by Tyrrhenian
Sea |
|
Calabria |
| Cities: |
Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro, Cosenza, Crotone, Lamezia Terme |
| Nearby
airports: |
Reggio Calabria, Crotone, Lamezia Terme, Catania (Sicily) |
| Attractions: |
Exotic, home to the Versace family, wonderful beaches like Tropea |
| Property: |
Cheap & often modern. Near the best beaches can be expensive |
| Climate: |
Very warm in summer, more temperate on coast |
|
Sicily & The Aeolian Islands |
| Cities: |
Catania, Palermo, Messina, Agrigento, Syracusa, Taormina, Lipari |
| Nearby
airports: |
Catania, Palermo, Trapani, Reggio Calabria |
| Attractions: |
Ancient temples, Mount Etna, chic resorts, sultry climate, character |
| Property: |
Increasingly popular region, diverse architecture, mid-price
range |
| Climate: |
Fabulous - warm & intense in summer, warmest winters in Europe |
|