2263 Abruzzo - where not to buy?!

Any thoughts?

When you live somewhere you get an opinion about the good and bad areas that simply isn't possible for the visitor to achieve.

I've visited, I've researched but have I missed anything?

Conversely, where's best? Which towns have the most appeal?

All opinions gratefully received.

Marco Mando

Category
Property Sales/Rental Advice

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/04/2006 - 05:54

i think this will in a sense be a very personal choice... but i can say where i wouldnt buy here and also obviously where i live i regard as the best part

some reasons and areas of abruzzo...

to the west of the mountains..never... its much colder and bleaker and in the summer stiffling heat... which if you work it out is about half of abruzzo crossed offf the map...Aquila being the largest area... an example... left here the other day to go to caserta... Teramo... plus 3...pescara plus 6 as soon as i got towards aquila province the temps became minus and the lowest was - 7 at avezzano... this is not an unusual occurence here... however prices are often lower in this province if you stay away from the area of castel de sangro...rocarrasso... the prices here are higher becaus eof skis and neapolitan holiday homes... but then you have a long drive to the coast if you want to vist...the benfit might be that if its a holiday home you are within esy reach...say an hour from rome airport...

pescara chieti... lanciano and vasto....over developed...much higher crime areas... and prices are or have risen... you are however close to pescara airport and the main cities provide a lot of facilities.. some people even like pescara...and it is indeed pleasant if you can cope with the traffic....

to the south of this mainly developed area down to the molise is most probably the bleakest area of abruzzo .... carrunchio...lake bomba and you will find if you buy away from the motorway along the coast it will take ages to get anywhere from there.... it is also the most seismic region of abruzzo...it borders the molise... and there are lots of properties and roads there that have still not been retructured from the major quake a few years ago now... howvere its on the coastal side of the mountains...the weather is better and most probably the cheapest properties... it is ugly however... unless you like barren... and facilties there are most probably the worst in the region....

all along the coast apart from small pockets of resistance the land has been overdeveloped... and with the motorway the railway etc etc...its only a place to consider if you are looking for a return on your investment...prices here are high...rentals are good....and sales happen more quickly... and there is still an elemnt of growth resting in property prices...

to my area of choice.... the province of Teramo... it most probably has the best climate...as long as you dont live in the mountains... or too close... the winters are milder and the summers have the benefit of a breeze in the evenings ...as the difference between adriatic sea temps and land temps generate a circulation of air... the prices apart from say the south of this area ...close to Penne are still reasonable... the villages plentiful... and in general a less well visited area.... however from here you can get to rome airport in less than ninety minutes using the gran sasso tunnel... pescara airport is only 45-50 mins from Teramo city... the coast and some of the smaller towns like tortoretto are nearby.... it has the lakes and the ski fields ...and the highest natural landmark in the peninsula of italy...the corno grande.... one of the best national parks.... it also if you sit yourself down and pick a line protected by this mountain range has less rain and inclement weather as it often gets protected from excesses of rainful or storms...you can ofetn watch the worst of the weather get pushed north and south of us... it has wonderful snall towns like campli... teramo is the capital and is easy to get around in... and it borders with the province of ascoli...also one of the best provinces in this area...the house prices are still ok... the roads and connections good.... you dont feel cut off here although it is rural...very litlle heavy industrial development very low crime... universities in aquila and teramo are both top quality.... teramo city also has very strong protection of the canine population...a reason i often hate visiting other italian cities is the stray dog problem and the sadness of it... here i believe is a province which respects domestic animals and that to me is a sign of a civilized area

thats my view... which i have expressed before ... in terms of properties if you move here for warmth ...keep the montains as a backdrop...keep out of the smaller river valleys... pick a house with olives growing close by .... its a sure sign that the weather is better in that area...above 450-500 m... the temperatures will be a lot less clement... its not a region that has much flood risk... although vasto and lanciano because of developments sometimes do... it has virtually no hazadrous areas... and vitually no crime considerations... it is renowned for the cleanest drinking water in italy...some of the best hospitals and schools outside of the north...and some of the best natural parks...indeed more of abruzzo is protected under the national parks laws than i think any other region in italy... has wild bear wolves and more native species of fauna and flaura not found in any other places in the world...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/04/2006 - 08:43

John - what can I say? Having just returned from spending Xmas and New Year in our new home just outside of Teramo (Caprafico), I couldn't agree with you more!

Don't tell too many people though.....;)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/05/2006 - 17:55

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]I am so glad now that we did not get carried away and buy in the Maiella Mountains,especailly after reading John's comments.The countryside is so beautiful but so cold in winter!!

I am very pleased we managed to find our house in Manoppello as its everything I thought we wouldn't be able to buy with our budget!

Manoppello is just on the edge of the park about 400 mts so just in the hills and yes I checked that there are olives in our garden! We saw the house first in April and when we opened the front door it felt 'warm' although it had been empty for 10 years!! Other places we saw were icy cold.There is a good bus service and station about 3 miles away and the town is only 30 mins from the airport.In town there is a very reasonable hotel for guests run by Cistertian monks.There are many intersting historical sites as well as beautiful wooded countryside around the town.

On the main stretch of road into Pescara there are plenty of useful shops,and a garden center plus a big builders mechant.Heaven!!

Hopefully we are outside the main area of criminal activty that John describes.

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/06/2006 - 09:04

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Marco[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]We often see questions like this on forum and I have to agree with John’s opening statement, as this is really something only you can decide. Preference is subjective of course and just because John or I might like a particular area for example, it doesn’t mean to say that it will necessarily appeal to you. For example, my mother is originally from Puglia and having spent some time there in my early youth, I am not particularly inspired by the architecture or landscape there. I also lived in the Veneto region for a number of years and have travelled throughout most of the peninsula, but I am really bowled over by central Italy. For others, it is different. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Location is important of course, but this in itself is no absolute guarantee of a Shangri-La existence. The most beautiful parts tend the more isolated and unspoilt areas, but as others have already mentioned, these places can be bleak, cold, damp and totally impractical during the winter. The countryside north of Penne and south of Teramo that John mentions also suffered from the exceptional bout of snow last winter. However, we experienced the same in parts of the Marche and other regions around Italy.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]It really doesn’t matter where you go in Italy because, with the exception of the industrialised towns and cities (which might hold more appeal for some), most of the country has undoubted appeal; the seductive power being the climate, food, the beauty of its countryside, architecture, culture, artistic heritage, its people and the quest for the Dolce Vita to name but a few.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]You have obviously visited and researched but perhaps you need to have a clearer idea of what you really want.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Do you want city life?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Do you want to brave the elements and face the challenges of renovating a rural property to live in the countryside?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Do you just want a holiday pad by the sea?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Do you want to live in Italy?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Are you just out to make a return on your investment?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Do you want have a farm and work the land?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Do you want to run a hospitality business?[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Make sure you start your house hunting with a clear idea of where you want to live, what you want to achieve, what kind of property you really want and how much you can really afford. Set yourself some realistic expectations, but above all, enjoy yourself as well. [/SIZE][/FONT]