Property for sale in Umbria for under £250,000
The lure of owning property in Umbria isn’t too hard to fathom. The region proudly calls itself the green heart of Italy and with good reason.
Landlocked Umbria is located right in the middle of Italy, ideally placed to reach Tuscany to the west, Emilia Romagna to the north, Marches to the east, Abruzzo to the south-east and Lazio to the south-west.
Yet it has abundant attractions of its own. Umbria is famed for its green landscape and nearly a third of its 2.1 million acre landmass is taken up by lush woodland that includes seven nature reserves.
Naturally, Umbria has maintained an unspoilt charm, a medieval charm steeped in centuries of history and overwhelmingly apparent in every cobbled step and church facade in hilltowns such as Perugia, Assisi, Spoleto, Spello and Todi. Umbria is a region mercifully unhurried, uncrowded, unspoilt.
With fewer than 100 people per square kilometre, there are only three other Italian regions less sparsely populated. To emphasise the point, its capital Perugia has a population of only 149,000 while the walled town of Spello is home to barely 8,000.
The establishment of an international airport at Perugia in 2006 has opened up the region to visitors and also accelerated the number of canny investors keen on buying property in Umbria.
As well as the region's own attractions, a good number of investors see buying houses and other property for sale in Umbria as a cheaper alternative to neighbouring Tuscany.
Houses for sale in Umbria
There are beautiful houses for sale in Umbria whatever your requirements and wherever you look.
Property near Lake Trasimeno, to the north-west of Umbria, is immensely popular, especially as the scenic lake is fantastic for sailing and other water sports. That and its proximity to Tuscany ensure the market here is buoyant, especially for properties with a view of the expanse of water.
But even here there are affordable properties to be had. For example, in Tuoro sul Trasimeno on the northern shore, one-bedroom apartments can start from just €100,000, a new-build two-bedroom apartment from €120,000 and a new-build three-bedroom villa from around €220,000.
On the southern shore, Citta della Pieve is hugely popular, in part because it has the look and feel of a Tuscan town but without the prices. Here, budget for around €150,000 for a two-bedroom apartment with a communal garden.
In truth, if you have a budget of, say, £250,000, there is a wide selection of property for sale in Umbria right across the region. If you’re happy to take on a restoration project, you can pick up a farmhouse in areas such as San Giovanni del Pantano, between Perugia and Umbertide, for as little as €130,000.
However, it is in the south of Umbria that the real bargains are to be had, with prices often barely half what you would pay elsewhere in the region. In towns like Narni, for instance, a two-bedroom house can go for €150,000 while in nearby Amelia expect a three-bedroom apartment to have a price tag of around €120,000.