Or how to keep your sanity and own a house in Italy! All you need to know about buiyng and owning a property in Abruzzo.

This site is laid out in sections that I hope will help visitors to understand the process of buying and restoring a property in the beautiful Italian region of Abruzzo

The section on our house in Abruzzo links to the various stages of progress from 2005 onwards

The section on Bioedilizia lists sources of natural building materials in Italy and Abruzzo.

The section on Abruzzo links to Abruzzo Nature and to Local Food and Drink and Accomodation in Abruzzo.

The section on agents lists all of the Estate Agents and property companies that operate in Abruzzo. SEARCH FOR PROPERTIES

The Abruzzo Buyers Network is an informal group for anyone with an interest in buying a house in Abruzzo. Sign up for a free newsletter

Your Abruzzo Home?

Abruzzo, like all of Italy is a land of contrast.Historic deserted villages high in the mountains seem to merge seemlessly into the environment while the Pescara is a busy bustling town with a choice of excellent bars,shops and restuarants.

The town is visited by Italians on their summer holidays but just a few miles inland the foothills of the Majella mountains are peaceful and still, even in August.The only sounds come from sheep bells and the cry of eagles .

The motorway from Rome to L'Aquila meant that the Abruzzo region became more accessable and tourism is slowly growing.There are areas of Abruzzo's National Parks where if you are very lucky you may see a bear or a wolf ! Today Environmental Groups such as the WWF, Legambiente, and Lipu are lobbying politians and working on educational programmes with school children to ensure that Abruzzo's beautiful countryside gets the protection and respect that it deserves.Majella is the name of one of the largest parks.

Geographically this is a very interesting area.Much of the local buildings are built from a beautiful yellow limestone which is quarried locally and the town of Lettomanoppello near Scarfa has a centuries old tradition of stone carving.

Help in Abruzzo Section! Need someone to help with your project?

Carpenter/Restorer in Pretoro click here

There are risks to living in such an area and the main one is of landslides triggered by unsafe farming practices, leaving steep inclines clear of trees and useful vegetation.The town of Roccamontepiano (CH ) was completely destroyed by a landslide in the 18th century.of course earthquakes do occur too which is why there are strict building regs.However these are not common events and it is possible to conteract the risk of land slippage by planting trees and shrubs.

Most people you meet in Abruzzo are incredibly friendly and helpful especially towards the 'stranieri'.The food and wine are fantastic and eating out is unbelievably cheap.There are so many good restaurants that its hard to pick out just a handful but on the Local Food and Drink page I've listed some places we've tried or that were recommended.

I hope this site will help you to understand and appreciate Abruzzo and what it's like to buy and restore a house there.All over the web Abruzzo is being promoted as the ' Next Big Thing'. Every flight into Pescara is full of Brits all seeking the ultimate property bargain (and we were amongst them) with little or no information on what owning a property here will mean for them.Buying a home in Italy can be a life-enriching process if you do your homework!

For expert advice and assistance on the design and creation of ecological Italian gardens that save both 80% on water consumption and 80% on general maintenance contact

The idea for this website came through my membership of the Italy Forum set up by the Italy Magazine.Many members of the forum owned a home in Abruzzo and it seemed that we all had our own experiences and advice to share.Thanks all.

Our progress over 3 years!