Homes in Italy by the coast

2 beds, Puglia		2 beds, Sicily		3 beds, Calabria		3 beds, Puglia
100m from beach		150m from beach		200m from sea, Liguria		Amalfi coast
Bargain, Calabria		Cefalu, Sicily		Farmhouse, 4 acres		Flats, Calabria
Mt Etna view, Sicily		New build, Sicily		Pietrasanta, Tuscany		Pool, Liguria
Pool, Tuscany		Sea view, Calabria		Sea view, Sicily		Sea view, Tuscany

Recent years have seen a growing demand for Italian homes by the sea. And that should come as little surprise, seeing that no fewer than 15 of the country’s 20 regions have a coastline – everything from the lagoons of Venice to the breathtaking rocky clifftops of north-west Sardinia to the sandy beaches of Sicily.

Sicily and Sardinia are the Med’s two biggest isles. The former has resorts such as Cefalu, Taormina, Giardini Naxos, Catania, Messina and Castellammare del Golfo. Meanwhile, in high season, hordes of sunseekers flock to Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda, which since being given a new lease of life by Middle Eastern money half a century ago has become a Mecca for the world’s rich and famous.

Yet Tuscany is the No1 choice of the majority of overseas visitors to and investors in Italy. Resorts such as Punta Ala and Scarlino to the south, as well as Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio to the north, are hotspots for buyers.

If as a property investor, you prize value for your euro, dollar, pound or yen, some of Italy’s most affordable coastal homes are in Calabria, at the southern tip of the country’s mainland. It has an eastern coast that faces the Ionian Sea and a western one overlooking the Tyrhennian. In this sun-kissed part of Italy, a restored home a few minutes’ stroll from the beach – and perhaps even with a view of it – can be picked up for as little as €30,000.