Campania
Gorgeous, glamorous Campania has beguiled visitors for millennia. Today there are property options here to suit every possible budget. Fleur Kinson looks at buying a home in the southern sun.
asd If you dream of owning a holiday home in colourful, romantic Campania, then you’re joining a very ancient tradition. This ever-stimulating region, with its stunning geography and fabulous foodstuffs, was dubbed ‘the happy land’ (campania felix)by the ancient Romans. They all aspired to a second home here or a long retirement amidst the endless bounty of the place. Basking beneath the southern Italian sun, Campania is still a very happy land today. The region remains one of Italy’s most visited, offering innumerable sensual delights as well as dazzling historical sites. Many of Italy’s most unforgettable places are here. The Amalfi Coast, Cápri and Sorrento overwhelm you with their beauty. Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum amaze you with glimpses into the ancient past. Meanwhile, Naples dizzies you with its inexhaustible energy and endearing chaos. As the source of so many of our common stereotypes about Italy, Campania sometimes seems more quintessentially Italian than anywhere else in the country. The people are excitable and voluble, they drive like maniacs and embrace life to the full. The food is off-the-scale magnificent, with Italy’s best pizza, best pasta, best tomatoes and best ice cream. The weather is glorious, the colours intense, the fruit and flowers in frenzied abundance. There’s music in the air and romance all around. asd It’s little surprise that Campania was the ultimate goal of 17th and 18th century English gentlemen making the Grand Tour. “See Naples and die!” they roared, certain that until you beheld the exotic glories of Campania you couldn’t say you had truly lived. This region was the Tour’s traditional last stop, the apex of the whole experience, and after seeing it you should apparently give up hope of witnessing any greater glories. Enthusiasm for Campania continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, of course, with innumerable European artists and celebrities tumbling through the region – the wind tousling their hair as they cruised the Amalfi Drive, the sun bronzing their limbs as they lazed on the rocks of Cápri. BUYING POWER Despite being one of Italy’s most visited regions, Campania attracts comparatively few British buyers. And it sees especially tiny numbers of Brits settling down to live here full-time. Americans can be keener to buy in Campania, often prompted by the fact that this is the region their ancestors left behind for a life in the New World. Perhaps many would-be British buyers are put off by the increasingly outdated notion that this eminently southern-Italian region is plagued by corruption and bureaucratic sloth. In fact, neither of these fears should deter you from Campania. asd There has been sufficient buyer interest for property prices to double in Campania over the past dozen years. As you would expect, the market slowed considerably over the last two years because of global economic woes, but Campania’s prices have remained stable rather than dropping as they have done elsewhere in the world. Yet again we see how Italy’s sensible attitude toward property prices continues to safeguard against giddy booms and busts in its market. [Time of writing is 2010.] The current outlook for Campania’s market is continued stability. There is generally a balance of demand and supply here. Prices are expected to drift upwards in a slow, steady way over the coming years, with no roller-coaster shocks or surprises. That’s just not the Italian way when it comes to the housing market. Having said this, there are of course new areas of Campania beginning to appeal to the foreign market, and these previously inexpensive locales are expected to increase in value rather more steeply than many other, long-established areas. In particular, the Cilento coast area of southern Campania is hotting up and could prove a good place to invest. We’ll be looking at this area in greater detail a little further on. asd CHOOSING YOUR PLACE Campania’s glorious geography is perhaps its strongest asset. The region enjoys a huge variety of landscapes, many jaw-droppingly beautiful. The long, sun-drenched coastline is straight, flat and sandy to the north and south, but steep, craggy and dramatic in the centre. From Pozzuoli to Salerno the sinuous coast fractures into bays, headlands, dizzying cliffs and dainty coves, not to mention three gorgeous little islands (Ischia, Procida and Cápri). Campania’s immediate hinterland sports fertile plains and rolling hills, and these benign agricultural landscapes ultimately rise to meet the high, rugged mountains of the deep interior. As you’d expect, Campania is quite crowded down by its waterside, and almost deserted far inland. With around 5,700,000 inhabitants, Campania is one of Italy’s most populous regions, but the vast majority of the people here live within easy reach of the sea and, in particular, of teeming, sprawling Naples. Swathes of heavy industry flank the region’s capital city, as do some unattractive suburbs – spoiling the Campanian idyll just a little. Naples itself is a surprisingly expensive place to buy property, but the rental returns here are excellent. More than most Italian regions, Campania sees huge differences between the prices and popularity of properties in its different areas. The region contains, in fact, some of Italy’s very priciest homes and some of its cheapest. Homes in Sorrento, on the Amalfi Coast or on an island like Cápri are simply beyond the reach of most buyers. Properties in these gilded spots rarely come on the market, and when they do they’re likely to ask a million or more. Your holiday rental returns in such places would be stupendous, but good luck getting yourself a property here! BARGAIN HUNTING As is generally the rule in Italy, the further inland you go, the lower the property prices. You can find some astonishingly cheap homes in Campania’s rural interior, but of course you’ll want to choose an area with charm enough to make it worth buying in. One such place is the hilltop village of Calitri, about forty miles inland from Salerno, which has drawn quite a few Brits over recent years. Simone Rossi of the property portal Gate-Away says “Calitri is extremely cute, with stunning views, and many foreign buyers are buying a house there now. The village was damaged in an earthquake in 1980, and over the last few years it has been going through major restoration and seeing strong investment.” Prices in Calitri start at about €10,000 for a small townhouse or apartment needing restoration. Similar properties in a habitable condition ask about €25,000 and upward. Excellent value! But perhaps you’d prefer a home rather closer to the sea. Another highly-recommended part of Campania is the Cilento National Park and its coastline, in the south of the region. While coastal homes here certainly aren’t as cheap as deep in the interior, they represent great value for money, and may even prove to be Campania’s best investment right now – as the area is growingly chic and fashionable. Nick Woodward of Jackson-Stops and Staff points out that “The owner of the worldwide fashion chain Noa Noa recently bought a palazzo in Castellabate on the Cilento coast. The most famous female singer in Denmark also bought here. Like the members of Abba, she can’t walk the streets in her own country. Increasing numbers of Germans, Scandinavians and English appear to be buying on the spur of the moment in the €300,000 to €500,000 bracket. The area is extremely beautiful, with wonderful beaches and medieval buildings – many which have been renovated into quality homes.” However much it might grow in popularity, you can rest assured that the character of the Cilento coast will remain unspoilt. Nick notes that “Unlike the horrors of Spain and Dubai, to name but two, the Italians have stringent planning laws which prevent unscrupulous developers from ruining the country’s coastline and tainting the very essence of historic sites and towns.” Safeguarding the beauty and appeal of any area naturally safeguards the value of homes there too. RESTORING ORDER So what kind of property might be best to buy in Campania right now – a new-build, a ready-renovated home, or a tumbledown property to restore? Clare Shipston of Italian Properties points out that, in the areas in which you’re most likely to want to buy, there are very few new-builds available. She says “A property restoration is probably the best value if you use a decent architect who project-manages the renovation. He will have the necessary contacts to get things going.” Note that some local estate agents can act as project managers too. Some buyers might hesitate to undertake a restoration project in Campania, for fear that the relaxed southern attitude might mean a long, long wait to get the thing finished. Anecdotal reports from the region suggest the speed and efficiency of restoration work here is the same as elsewhere in Italy. Italians everywhere are extremely skilled craftsmen and builders, and there’s no reason not to consider restoring a home in Campania. Perhaps things won’t move quite as rapidly as they do in northern Europe, but isn’t that part of the reason you want to be here? Clare has one very important piece of advice for anyone restoring a rustic ruin. She says “Be sure to have the land deeds checked thoroughly before handing over the deposit. Some landowners claim that the deeds are in place then some months later down the line you can find that another relative has claim to the land.” As everywhere, keep your eyes open, and do your homework. The rewards of a home in Campania are legion. Beyond the sun and the landscapes and the sumptuous food, there’s a tremendous sense of community waiting to embrace you. Campanians are endlessly warm and hospitable people, and when you buy a place here, they’ll do everything to make you feel right at home. region Naples Italy’s third largest city and one of the most densely-populated places in Europe, Naples is a genuinely beguiling place where common descriptions like ‘colourful’ and ‘exuberant’ are not just euphemisms for ‘impoverished’ and ‘dangerous’. This is a truly invigorating and compelling city with stunning food and great shopping – all incomparably set on a wide, volcano-backed bay. There’s space for many parts: a lively historical quarter; some very well-heeled suburbs; a bit of slum chaos; a sprawl of coastal industry. Because so many people want to live in Naples, housing is in great demand – which means surprisingly high property prices and very good rental returns. The cheapest one- and two-bed apartments go for between €100,000 and €200,000. In more central or popular districts, these ask €200,000 to €300,000. Vómero and Posillipo are among the loveliest and priciest areas, and a two-bed apartment here would set you back around €500,000. (So much for Naples being an impoverished city!) Summer holiday rentals are pretty good, with one-bed apartments averaging €600 a week; a two-bed about €1,100. Or you could rent long-term to locals. one- and two-bed apartments rent for €400-€1,000 per month, but up to €1,800 per month in a place like Vómero. North and West of Naples You’ll probably want to avoid the impoverished and industrial area immediately to Naples’ north. Head west out of the city instead, and you enter a strange, volcanic landscape punctuated by craters, hot springs and steam vents – with towns like Pozzuoli prone to subsidence. The coast round here is relatively appealing (especially at Miseno), and rich in Classical remains. North of Cumae, however, the seaside is mostly overdeveloped up to the border with Lazio. Few tourists or property-buyers venture inland round here, but towns like Cápua and Sant’Agata dei Goti are pleasant enough. A wide fertile plain dominates the area, grazed by herds of buffalo whose milk is used for mozzarella. The islands A trio of lovely islands frames the Bay of Naples, each with its own distinct character. Cápri is the most famous of the three, an enchanted chunk of limestone draped in flowers and greenery – once a playground for the super-wealthy, and now a daytripper’s paradise. It’s arguably unspoilt by all the attention, and away from the main town’s boutique-lined centre, the people here lead fairly normal, traditional lives. Larger, less glamorous Ischia is just as popular as Cápri but feels less crowded. Its biggest fans are German and Scandinavian tourists, who lap up Ischia’s beaches, volcanic thermal springs and quiet mountainous hinterland. Tiny Prócida is the least visited, but also perhaps the least scenic. Property is hugely expensive on all three islands, but priciest on Cápri, where there’s rarely much for sale. Ischia has more on the market, with prices ranging from €170,000 for a tiny 2-bed house to €620,000 for a 2-bed apartment. Holiday rental returns are excellent on Cápri and Ischia, and so-so on Prócida. Expect a 1-bed apartment on Cápri to rent for €1,500 a week in the summer. Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast Light-hearted Sorrento has been a favourite of Brits and other visitors for more than a century. Its lively clutch of lanes sits on a cliff-edge with wonderful views across the Bay of Naples. Many lovely walks over Sorrento’s leafy headland beckon from the town centre. Property is expensive here, but not quite so much as it is a few miles further south, along the Costiera Amalfitana – frequently described as ‘Europe’s most beautiful stretch of coast’. The Amalfi Coast is a dazzling 20km or so of steep, flower-strewn terrain plunging into a turquoise sea, supporting semi-vertical villages of pastel-coloured villas. It’s heady stuff, with hefty price tags. Properties here rarely come on the market, but if you’ve got the cash and manage to grab a place, you’d be looking at superb rental returns. A three-bed villa in a prime location would usually ask €1 million or more, but you could rent it for €4,000 a week in the summer. Best of all, while the Amalfi Coast is undeniably popular and crowded in the summer, access is relatively difficult and the terrain naturally restricts much new building – so the area is unlikely ever to be spoilt by overdevelopment. An investment here should have a sound future. Southern Campania South of Salerno, Campania’s coastline begins to lose some its steep drama, but it compensates for this with some great stretches of sand and much thinner crowds. Inland, there’s lovely hill country peppered with unspoilt villages and small towns, often with commanding views of the sea in the distance. Almost all of southern Campania’s coast and interior is classified as National Parkland. This whole area has been quietly growing in popularity with foreign buyers over the last few years – and deservedly so. Prices are still reasonable here, and there are lots of property options, including restoration projects. Down on the seaside, one- and two-bed apartments ask between €80,000 and €270,000. A few miles inland, you might get a two-bedroom villa with land for €270,000, or a tumbledown old house with land asking €50,000 or so. The interior Campania’s mountainous interior is a different world to the region’s much-loved coast. Rarely visited and very thinly populated, the towns and roads here are small and slow, the lifestyle quiet and traditional. As you might expect, property prices can be very low indeed. There’s some very handsome countryside up here – forests and rugged mountain landscapes steeped in silence. The land is especially attractive around Benevento and Ariano Irpino. Property-wise, there are lots of prospects: farmhouses, village homes, rustic buildings, townhouses – restored and unrestored, old and newly-built. Good-sized country homes ask as little as €50,000, and rarely more than €200,000. Holiday rental prospects would be limited, but you’d have a peaceful and inexpensive retreat to call your own – just an hour to ninety minutes from Naples. buyer case study Our Home in Campania Karen Hurley and her partner Peter Turner, based in Kent, own a house in the medieval hill-town of Calitri. “We’re quite well-travelled, but Italy is the place we like most,” Karen says, echoing the thoughts of many readers of this website. “In 2008 we decided to look for a little holiday home, a place to escape the pressures of our jobs occasionally. We had a holiday in Sicily, and came over to Campania on a whim. We liked the area, made further enquiries, and ended up staying in Calitri for a week during a major festival period. Calitri is an absolutely amazing little hillside town that I completely and utterly fell in love with. “We used the online property portal Gate-Away, and through that we found our estate agent, Emma Basile of Porta D’Oriente. Emma is a local woman who was absolutely wonderful in helping us through the whole process. She guided us through all the Italian legalities, negotiated with our builders, and made sure the building work was high-quality. She made everything easy for us. We had no problems whatsoever, and there were no hidden costs. It was a very smooth process. The local workmen were great, and the whole thing was extremely good value. “The countryside here is beautiful, but I wanted to buy in the town itself because I wanted to find out more about Italian culture. I just love the sense of community in Calitri. We’ve been made extremely welcome. We’re immersed in Italian life here, which is exactly what we wanted. I know more of my neighbours in my little holiday home in Calitri than I do in the road I live on in the UK! “One morning just after our property was finished, Pete and I went out to the shops for a while. And when we came back, someone had left three roses outside our door. Three roses is the symbol of the town. We never found out who did it. It was a charming gesture of welcome. We took friends out to Calitri in May, and they were completely blown away by the friendliness and old-fashioned courtesy of the local people. It reminded them of Britain in the 1950s. “Our property is in the old part of town and would originally have been a storeroom and place to keep the donkeys. The back part of the building is dug out of the sheer rock of the hillside, which makes it very atmospheric. We made that our bedroom. It’s extremely pretty. We go out to Calitri as often as we can. We wanted a little bolthole with beautiful scenery, relaxation, superb food and wine, charming people and culture – that was our brief. And we’re delighted to have found all we wanted!” By Fleur Kinson, owner of 'Where to Buy in Italy' Where to buy in Italy |
