When I think of rolling green hills in Italy an image of the Val d’Orcia immediately comes to mind. A road winding up a hill, lined with cypress trees, a stone farmhouse at the top. This scenery, so loved by renaissance painters and film directors, has been designated a “cultural landscape” by UNESCO. But how about actually living within it?
Views of rolling green hills, with vineyards and woodland that turn from green to gold with the seasons, are the dream of many people searching for their ideal Italian home.
Vistas that paint an ever-changing picture, alive with nature’s wonders. I love to see the spring flowers, the blossom on my almond trees and the autumn leaves on the hill as the sun sets behind.
There are farms and hill top villages with breath-taking views across green forests, fields of yellow sunflowers, neat rows of grapevines and orange orchards. I find it so relaxing to see the horses in the meadow, the birds in the trees and to take a stroll around a hilltop village with spectacular viewpoints.
Table of contents
- What house buyers are looking for
- Living in the hills
- Just what the doctor ordered
- Village home near Lucca
- Villa near Florence
- House in Umbria surrounded by nature
- Farmhouse in Montalcino, Tuscany
- Renovation opportunity near Florence
- Panoramic building plot in Piedmont
- Bargain village home in Sicily
- Panoramic views in Marche
- Three-bedroom villa in Abruzzo
- Modern villa by Lake Como
- Viewing trip tips for homes in the hills
What house buyers are looking for
In our last Your Overseas Home survey 51% of people planning to buy a property in Italy indicated that they are looking to buy a house in the countryside and 48% are looking at village houses. Seven in ten consider a garden or terrace to be vital and 60%, like Lucy Honeychurch, are looking for a rooms with a view.
Living in the hills
Italian farmhouses can have some spectacular views rolling green hills. But because of Italy’s violent medieval past it made sense to build your fortress at the top of a hill with a strong wall around it. Then the community build up inside and around it. So villages and towns tend to have wonderful hill views too. Think of hilltop towns and villages such as Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano and San Quirico d’Orcia.
While the Tuscan hills are the most famous, Italy is a mountainous country and where you get mountains you tend to have foothills too, from the Lakes and Sudtyrol in the north all the way down via Umbria to the hills of Sicily in the far south. The properties for sale below are in Tuscany, Piedmont, Umbria, Sicily, Marche, Abruzzo and Lombardy.
Just what the doctor ordered
Buying an Italian home with views of a hilly landscape offers you privacy and a haven of tranquillity. Gazing into the distance across rolling hills is good for your health too. It makes the brain feel safe and relaxed, reducing stress and lowering the heart rate and blood pressure.
In fact, a higher percentage of Italy’s centenarians live in hilly or mountainous areas. It’s thought that a lifetime of walking up and down hills every day and pottering in their vegetable patches is better than any workout.
So, where could you call home? Here I have picked out ten properties that will allow you to gaze at the view, or maybe even paint it.
Village home near Lucca
A very liveable two-bedroom home in Tuscany, in a hilltop town called Pieve Fosciana. From ikts terrace you have panoramic views of the Serchio Valley.
Location: Pieve Fosciana, Garfagnana, Tuscany
Price: €135,000
Bedrooms: two
Villa near Florence
Location: Poggibonsi, Tuscany
Set in a panoramic position overlooking the Sienese hills, this restored four-bedroom home comes with around 15,000m² of grounds and a heated swimming pool. The 320m² house retains plenty of Tuscan character, including terracotta floors, exposed stone walls and chestnut-beamed ceilings, while each of the three main first-floor bedrooms has an en-suite bathroom. Outside, the pool area has its own kitchen, loggia and converted annex for entertaining. San Gimignano is around 20 minutes away, Siena 35 minutes and Florence about 50 minutes by car.
Location: Poggibonsi, Tuscany
Price: €1.5million
Bedrooms: four
House in Umbria surrounded by nature
A three-story house with the living room, kitchen-diner, bathroom and two bedrooms on the first floor. From the living room you can step out onto the veranda, take a seat and enjoy the views. There is a further bedroom and bathroom on the top floor, and on the ground floor there is a garage and rooms that could be used as a workshop, gym, hobby room, or whatever you wish.
Location: Terni province, Umbria
Price: €160,000
Bedrooms: three
A peaceful getaway in the Umbrian hills where you can sit in the shade of the old oak trees surrounded by green countryside with chestnut and hazelnut woods. The town of Terni is known as the “City of love” as it was home to St Valentine. In the area there is a tall waterfall made by the Romans and a lake where you can row or sail.
This property has south facing views in a landscape of forest, olive groves, and farmland. There is another villa nearby which isn’t part of this plot and a highway approximately 1km away. Serravalle Pistoiese is a medieval village located on the Montalbano hills, about 15 kilometers from Pistoia. It has towers and a church, a restaurant, plus shops, B&Bs, and hotels in the surrounding area.
Farmhouse in Montalcino, Tuscany
Half of this property has been restored while the rest is your opportunity! While restoring the main farmhouse you could live in the converted barn which has already been made into two apartments. It has plenty of original farmhouse character with wooden beams, terracotta floors and rustic kitchens. So, you can live cosily there and take your time renovating the big house exactly how you want it. It also has another outbuilding, which is something my husband really wishes we had for storing tools and equipment.
Location: Montalcino, Siena, Tuscany
Price: €370,000
Bedrooms: eight
The property is surrounded by nature and a woodland. Having trees can save you a fortune in heating and it’s lovely to get a real fire blazing in the winter. The area is famous for it’s vineyards which produce the excellent Brunello wine. The house is a short drive from the hill top village of Montalcino.
Renovation opportunity near Florence
This renovation is an opportunity to develop into three unique properties. Admittedly, one of the buildings looks partly collapsed, but they have a rustic charm that will spark someone’s imagination. Our own house wasn’t much better than this when we bought it, but we immediately had a vision of what it could look like.
This property has south facing views in a landscape of forest, olive groves and farmland. There is another villa nearby which isn’t part of this plot and a highway approximately 1km away. Serravalle Pistoiese is a medieval village located on the Montalbano hills, about 15 kilometers from Pistoia. It has towers and a church, a restaurant, plus shops, B&Bs, and hotels in the surrounding area.
Location: Pistoia Serravalle, Pistoiese, Tuscany.
Price: €250,000
Bedrooms: Potentially six
It should be noted here, that when an estate agent takes you to see rural properties make it very clear to them how much renovation work you would be willing to consider. In the past, we have been driven to see buildings with lows walls in the middle of a field with grass higher than the walls.
Panoramic building plot in Piedmont
This plot of land has breathtaking panoramic views of the Bormida and Monastero Bormida valleys and beyond that, the Alpine arc and the Ligurian Apennines. The size of house you could potentially build here is based on the fact that a farmhouse, barn and stable used to be on the plot. The stone from the demolished farmhouse is still on site, and could be used in the new construction.
Location: Bricco, near Castelletto d’Erro, Alessandria, Piedmont
Price: €200,000
Bricco and Castelletto d’Erro are small hamlets (Borgo medieval) in an area famous for wide valley views and summer lavender fields. You can even join a guided walk with Llamas and alpacas through the hills. The land with this property is suitable for growing hazlenuts, almonds, vines and peaches.
Although Bricco may appear quite remote Aqui Terme is only 20 minutes drive away. Bistagno, with it’s train station, restaurants, and sports centre is just 8 minutes drive.
Bargain village home in Sicily
For just €85,000 you get a furnished four storey home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, two garages on the edge of a village with fibre-optic broadband. From the upper floor terraces and balconies you see hills, mountains and even the sea. Appearance-wise this is such a huge opportunity. It would benefit greatly from having a smooth finish done on the outside and painting, but otherwise it is liveable. There is a restaurant, pizzeria, shops and a bar in the village and it has a good tourism website.
Location: Gatteri, near Cefalù, Palermo, Sicily
Price: €85,000
Bedrooms: three
Located just 16 kilometres from Cefalù, and in an elevated position 650 metres above sea level the village of Gratteri is nicknamed “terrace overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.” It is also within the Madonie mountain range.
Panoramic views in Marche
Open plan living with panoramic views of tree covered hills. The house has a large living area with fireplace, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a study. Outside there are further outbuildings and an annex, which is under construction.
Location: Apecchio, Pesaro and Ubino, Marche
Price: €320,000
Bedrooms: three
Apecchio is attempting to increase tourism by becoming a ‘Ospitalità Diffusa’. Which basically means that local accommodation providers and businesses that offer a range of tourism services come together to promote the village and surrounding countryside to travellers. The area has well-marked trails, for hiking and biking. The project also encourages the renovation of homes, and more tourist accommodation. Thanks to the National Strategy for Inland Areas, Apecchio village has high speed internet.
Three-bedroom villa in Abruzzo
This spacious villa would make a lovely family home. It has a fenced garden with fruit trees, and spaces, inside and out, where everyone can gather for meals. There is a good sized kitchen and three bathrooms.
Location: Balsorano Vecchio, Abruzzo
Price: €209,000
Bedrooms: three
Balsorano Vecchio is known for its castle, located on top of the hill near the Roveto Valley, amidst spectacular scenery. There is a cluster of houses near the base of the castle hill, but most people live in the newer village nearby, which has wide streets and apartments. Much of the old village was destroyed in an earthquake in 1915.
Modern villa by Lake Como
This recently built, ultra-modern villa has panoramic views of the Intelvi Valley from its terraces and garden. Everything is finished to a high standard and many rooms have French doors onto a balcony. It also benefits from having a spacious garage and utility room.
Location: Blessagno, Como, Lombardy
Price: €399,000
Bedrooms: three
Blessagno is a mountain village that offers great opportunities to enjoy the views from it’s many hiking trails. Blessagno restaurants have a good reputation for traditional Lombardy dishes and in 24 minutes you can be on the shoreside of Lake Como parked right on the waterfront.
Viewing trip tips for homes in the hills
When viewing Italian homes in the hills there are few things to take note of:
- How far is it to the nearest shop?
- Are there any tall trees that when full of leaves will block your view?
- If on a slope, is part of the building under ground level? These rooms can be a cool retreat in summer, but look for signs of damp.
- When it rains where does the water run around the building?
- If the land is sloped, how easy is it to maintain?
- Has the area been affected by seismic activity?
- Are approaching roads passable in wet weather?
- If at some point you plan to get photovoltaic solar panels, is there a suitable place to put them?
- Be aware that if there is land the neighbouring farmers and any tenant farmer must be offered it at the same price you agree to. It’s just a polite formality called “prelazione agrarian”. If they show no interest by the deadline the sale can continue.
- Does the nearest town encourage tourism?
- Homes built on top of a hill often have panoramic views, feel cooler than in the plains and can get a refreshing summer breeze.
- A well-designed home will have windows, balconies and terraces positioned to make the most of those spectacular views.
- If you can see into the distance to the east and west you will also be treated to some incredible sunrises and sunsets.
- If the property is further down the hill it may be shaded for part of the day, so it’s worth making a note of the suns position when you view.
- If you know the location before the viewing trip I always recommend looking it up on google maps before you go. Looking on Google earth 3D and street view will give you a pretty good idea of what the area is like.
