How Expensive Is It To Maintain A Tuscan Villa? Over the last few months, I have visited Villa’s worth millions. So all restored and some that need works. Today I want to give you an example of the cold hard reality that Italians inherit Villa’s and over thirty years they have to see it. They simply can’t make money to keep it in good condition.
Homestead Villa
I visited a format homestead. From the outside, it looked in excellent condition. Alfresco dining is the heart of Tuscan villa living. Hence money is always spent on maintaining an excellent garden. This is the case with this Villa. There is nothing more exciting and beautiful than driving up to a Tuscan villa.
Gardens
Gardens in the Villa’s offer so much. I live on an estate with 5000 olive trees. It produces olive oil for me to eat. It gives me good wine, vegetables, flowers and a mental state of wellness.
In the last eight months, these gardens have transformed my life. It is so wonderful to listen to birds, swimming pool, playing in the fields and smelling purple wisteria. Being surrounded by lemon tree and persimmon fruit. The land gives me food as I work the land.
In Italy, you can’t cut historical trees and olive trees down. You will get a massive fine.
Pots included are costly and can not be thrown out.
The Infrastructure Of The Villa
These villas are soul-destroying. Tuscany can be tough. They will destroy you if you do not have other sources of income or cash to keep the upkeep. Maintaining the roof is very expensive. Painting them from the outside and upkeeping the wall will cost you a fortune. Keeping the stairs in walking order and the wood takes a lot of care and skilled money to keep them. Historically in Italy, you will get checked to make sure you are not tampering with historical buildings.
Interior Design
If you have fresco paintings you can not paint over them. You must get a skilled person to restore and this is very expensive. Villa’s are huge on average and they are super cold in the winter. Getting into a warm, modern and comfortable state is costly. Also just painting them in the right colours is a skill on its own.
Most villa’s so walk in are in bad shape and being sold for millions. So if you are going to buy them it will cost you a few hundred thousand to get them into a nice standard.
You just can’t paint a villa yourself. The authorities come and check your villa often. You can’t sell painting outside of Italy too.
Bureaucracy
They are stunning but if you have a crack in the chimney which is common to restore these. But again very costly. Heating is very expensive in villa’s and in Italy. Insulation does not exist. So to find solutions to keep your villas warm is hard work. Pellet systems are popular, solar panels are hard to get due to historical laws. The Italian government does not make it easy. Bureaucracy is cruel in Italy. It is why there are so many villas in bad condition. To get grants you need to fill out forms from here to Australia and back. To fill out the papers you need a law degree. Many Italians have told me this.
Skilled Labour
To maintain a garden, villas olive trees and vineyards is costly. It is not the buying of the villa that will send you in debt, stress. It is everything that it takes to keep a sweet life.
To hire people in Italy means a lot of benefits and it is not easy to fire people if you can’t pay them. Italian government do not work in the favour of its people.
Ponds
Ponds are popular and costly to maintain so are swimming pools. So are wine cellars. Anything to do with water, wine and ponds are stunning. This pond was originally used to grow fresh fish to eat in the villa.
Debt
I have met many people that need to sell due to debt. The more you ignore the villa the less cash you will get. There are many ways people try to get extra income for owning a villa. Holiday let’s but that is costly too. This is a view from the villa. This why we all buy into our dreams. Tuscany is a fairytale that can end badly if you buy wrong.
Do Your Research
Network as much as you can. Visit as many villa’s you can. Try to connect with the Italian owner. Italians sell to those they like. Get a good lawyer and an international one. One that speaks your language. Ask for referrals and follow your gut instinct. Your right villa is there. make sure you have the cash and the mindset to take Italy on.
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