Deluxe villas in Italy
If there’s one thing more satisfying than finally buying the Italian home you have always wanted, it’s being able to buy one with those extras that mark it out as deluxe – whether that’s the high-end quality of its finishings, a lavish pool outside or a breathtaking sea view. In other words, a home like one of these…
  People buying deluxe Italian villas and mansions have been drawn towards the country’s stunning lakes. Actor George Clooney, airline tycoons Sir Richard Branson and Michael O’Leary and singer Sting are just some of the world-famous names who now have homes around Como, Garda, Maggiore and Italy’s other lakes.
However, given the wealth of the country’s stunning landscapes, luxury Italian properties can be found the length and breadth of Italy, from a beach villa in Sicily to a ski chalet in the Alps, from a sprawling villa with swimming pool in Tuscany to a magnificently restored farmhouse in Umbria or Le Marche. And the good news is that such prestige property has maintained its value in the face of troubled conditions elsewhere in the real estate market.
Tuscan treasures such as Lucca, Florence, Siena and Volterra offer a host of high-end penthouses, apartments and villas, with the added bonus of being within easy reach of some of the world’s greatest art cities. Other areas of this region that should provide excellent pickings for deluxe Italian villas include picturesque hamlets such as Gaiole (once named by Forbes magazine as Europe’s most idyllic place in which to live), Castigliole and Greve as well as coastal resorts such as Forte dei Marmi in northern Tuscany and Punta Ala in the south.
The demand for deluxe properties overlooking Italy’s lakes has remained high thanks in no small part to the area’s sheer natural beauty that 200 years ago moved the poet Shelley to write about how it “exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty”. In addition, stringent restrictions on new constructions and the relatively limited number of high-value luxury properties that come up for sale also ensures that this sector of the Italian real estate market remains in vibrant health.
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