Articles by Carla Passino

Brick walls broken up by powerful towers hug a tidy network of streets linked by austere brick houses. Earth-hued buildings with soaring porticoes, pe…
Words by Carla PassinoAs sellers adjust their expectation to the new market climate, it is possible to find several good value homes for sale across I…
Up among the wild, forbidding peaks of the Gran Sasso National Park, in Abruzzo, stands a medieval village of cobbled lanes, sun-flooded squares and a…
Words by Carla PassinoAn ancient stone village wrapped by thick walls perches high on a hilltop in the Abruzzo mountain. Watched over by a soaring tow…
Words by Carla PassinoPrices increased marginally and sales saw a small decline in Tuscany, where the market is also expected to remain steady through…
One of the good things about autumn is that chestnut flour suddenly hits the shops in enormous amounts. My local supermarket has at least three varie…
Words by Carla PassinoA pretty stone house in vernacular Apulian style, the cream-hued Villa Arco brings together the best of traditional architecture…
Words by Carla PassinoSardinia was twice in the news lately. Once it was bad news—the recent flooding of a stretch of countryside and villages just ou…
Words by Carla PassinoScenari Immobiliari president Mario Breglia believes the Italian property market will be slightly better in 2009, with a contrac…
Words by Carla PassinoVilla Fontana may be pricey but it is also one of a kind. This grand, historic villa near Cortona, which comes complete with fre…
Words by Carla Passino - Photos courtesy of ENITEven though the Sardinian market is affected by the downturn, it performed better than the Italian ave…
Words by Carla PassinoThe property market in Italy is slowing down. It is doing so without too much drama, sensational headlines or huge price drops,…
Puccini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Verdi, Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini—fewer countries have given more to the great opera tradition than Italy. The art it…
Words by Carla PassinoPrices in Tuscany and Umbria have seen a small drop but top end properties are holding their values. However, foreign buyers exp…
Words by Carla PassinoBucking the national trend, property sales went up 20% in the affluent, cultured Reggio Emilia province, the birthplace of the I…
It is that time of the year—the weather turns cool, leaves turn yellow and red and I turn greedy. Autumn food does that to me—glossy brown chestnuts j…
Words by Carla PassinoAt the foot of the sweet, gentle Euganean Hills, in a rich countryside that is famous for fine cheeses and rich aromatic wines,…
Words by Carla Passino - Photos courtesy of ENITItalian housing prices went up by 1.4% over the last six months, while sales volumes dropped by 14%, a…
Words by Carla PassinoThe average price of a property in Italy is now €1,580 per square metre, according to the latest report by the Agenzia del Terri…
Words by Carla PassinoA medieval hamlet set among olive, fruit and oak trees on the hills near Cortona has been turned into twenty-one beautiful, auth…