Gentle hills rise and fall in a curvy sea of emerald trees and umber soil, occasionally broken up by a golden field, a silvery olive grove or the ancient cream of a stone pieve. Only the chirruping of birds breaks the verdant silence - except once a year when the cherub voice of tenor Andrea Bocelli fills the air in a rural amphitheatre ringed by sculptures and cypresses.
Bocelli was born and grew up in this stretch of countryside just outside Volterra, about half an hour’s drive from Pisa International Airport, and was the driving force behind opening the local amphitheatre a few years ago. Now his brother Alberto, an architect, is helping launch another project in the area. Passionate about renovating traditional buildings, he is going to breathe new life into an ancient house just a minute’s walk from the Bocelli's native village of Lajatico.
Working together with boutique developers Realitalia, he is turning the main home of the lush Ville degli Olivi estate into five one and two-bedroom apartments combining period features with Realitalia’s trademark Intelligent Design - invisible, sustainable technology that makes life comfortable without compromising architectural aesthetics and the environment. Think weathered wooden beams and underfloor heating, high speed Internet connection and vaulted ceilings, satellite TV and stone arches.
The apartments, which have either a terrace or a private garden, overlook the olive grove that gives the estate its name, with the lush fields and rolling countryside framed in the distance.
Buyers who need more space can also choose from three panoramic townhouses, newly built in traditional style, with three bedrooms, exposed timbers and fireplaces. The development is in progress, allowing prospective owners to tailor each home to their taste and needs, but a show apartment is ready to view, enabling people “to appreciate the selection of high quality materials chosen, the solutions adopted for the implants such as wiring, plumbing and the attention to energy sustainable matters; in a few words the Realitalia Intelligent Design.”
All properties can be fully serviced - from keyholding to stocking the fridge before the owners’ arrival - and let out through Realitalia’s rental management system.
“Our Italian homes can be let professionally thanks to a proper letting system comprising a dedicated letting web-site, a professional on-site concierge service and a proper advertising campaign,” states the company. “Thanks to a well balanced economy of scale our owners can also achieve very good value for money.”
Prices start from €226,000, a figure which reflects “the actual development costs, including the setting up of a real management service,” according to the company. “In our projects value is consistent with price.” Help with the financing of the purchase is available, as are competitive furniture packages.
For more information, contact Realitalia on +44 (0)870 890 9936 or visit www.realitalia.co.uk.
