In late-May of 2015, Kriste and I were on our way back from our first-ever trip to Italy, happily stuffed with delicious Italian food, amazing wine, and incredible memories. We were thumbing through the inflight magazine (back when such things still existed), probably looking for a crossword to keep me occupied, when we came across a map like the one above.
We had already decided that we’d be back to visit more of Italy – that was a definite for us. Looking at the map prompted a typical “let’s have some fun dreaming” conversation where we noted how Italy would be a great jumping off point for traveling around Europe, that a flight from Rome (or Florence) to London would probably be about the same duration and cost as a flight from Phoenix to Austin, etc. It was just a goofy conversation, typical of the one-on-one banter that Kriste and I often engage in.
Over the next few years, the dream evolved from “wouldn’t it be cool” to “why not?” and we started researching the particulars of Italian property ownership. We spent crazy amounts of time on Italian real estate websites and set up alerts for property from areas that we found interesting. We had a blast looking at (and thinking about) the possibilities!
Our second trip to Italy began to come together in late-2019 and was to be centered around the Amalfi coast and be the beginning of a serious real estate search. We already had a sense of what life in Tuscany could be like from our first trip and we felt it would be prudent to check out other areas – hence the Amalfi area.
Alas, Covid-19 scuttled our 2020 trip to Italy but did not end the dream!
What about Abruzzo?
Fast forward to September of 2021 and a rescheduled trip where we planned a week in southern Abruzzo (replacing the Amalfi Coast area for numerous reasons) and a week-plus back in Tuscany.
We flew into Rome and spent a few days acclimating to the time change and checking out some of the sites we had missed on our previous trip; most notably the Colosseum and Roman Forum. We then grabbed a rental car and headed east, experiencing Roman traffic for the first time.
Abruzzo is on the east coast of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, and is a lovely and quiet area, quite a bit removed from the main tourist areas. We stayed in Vasto, a spectacular sea-side village and had a blast looking at real estate and deepening our understanding of the process. For example, it’s not uncommon in Italy for the homeowner to be present while you poke around their property, pointing out the important features, and doing their best to encourage a purchase. Google translate was our best friend!
We ultimately ruled out this area, having realized that it would be a bit too far of a car (or train) ride after a 10-hour international flight, and because Abruzzo seemed to be more geared to local tourism (i.e.: this is where Italians go to vacation). That said, we loved the area and will definitely go back!
Tuscany?
The second half of our 2021 trip was spent back in Tuscany, with Cortona as our base of operations. We stayed in a super-cute little Airbnb in town and enjoyed a nice balance of relaxation, eating, touring, and real estate hunting. At the time, the Cortona real estate market was still under the influence of Under the Tuscan Sun fame and we never did find anything that piqued our interest for the amount we were willing to spend.
A day trip to Montepulciano set the wheels in motion to turn our silly dream of 2015 into reality!
Like many popular Italian towns, the main road (corso) through Montepulciano is dotted with real estate offices, each with an outdoor display showing the latest and most appealing property offerings. We nervously entered a random office, introduced ourselves, and over the next two days saw a good representation of properties in town. Those two days solidified several things for us; that Montepulciano felt right for us, that we wanted an in-town property so we could walk everywhere, that the dream was absolutely possible, and that real estate hunting in Italy is a super low-key affair and no one is in a hurry. We have lots of stories…
Two apartments rose to the top for us and we decided to make an offer on choice #1 before leaving Italy and heading back to the US. Believe me, it’s a bit scary filling out paperwork in Italian that commits you to buying property in a foreign country. Through this process though, we came to realize that at least in Montepulciano, everyone involved is patient, honest, and understanding.
After mulling over our offer for a couple of weeks, the owners decided that they didn’t want to sell their apartment after all. This happens fairly often in Italy (surprisingly) and we’ve since seen this same property relisted several times over the years – always with the same pictures and at around the same price. The owners don’t visit anymore but are apparently not able to let it go! Fun fact: our project apartment is right next door to this apartment, and it’s for sale – again!
We decided to pivot to option #2 and it all came together – quite quickly by Italian standards. Our second-choice apartment has in many ways proven to have been the best choice all along and we often count ourselves lucky that option #1 feel through. The seller immediately accepted our offer to purchase the apartment, its separately offered garage, and all the furniture and fixtures. We moved through all the paperwork and legal elements over the course of two months and set a closing date for the end of December 2021.
We flew to Rome right after Christmas, drove up to Montepulciano in the morning, and had our closing (final deed) process in the afternoon. It was a long and happy day, and we got to enjoy New Years 2022 in our new apartment! Being just after the holiday, we also got to experience all the beautiful Christmas decorations and lights throughout the village and see the remnants of the Christmas market in the piazza.
A few fun facts about real estate closings in Italy
What we call a real estate closing in the US is called rogito notarile (notarized deed) in Italy. The process is led by a government approved official called a notaio – sort of a cross between a notary and a lawyer. The buyer and seller are both present, either in person or by proxy, and the entire final deed document is read, as fast as the notaio can possibly speak (very fast). The final deed document references the buyer(s) and seller(s), a legal description of the property, the tax particulars, the agreed upon pricing and terms, proof of property lineage, etc. It’s a long document!
If you are not a native Italian speaker, the final deed must be prepared in Italian, side-by-side with your native language, and you must have an interpreter to ensure you understand what you are about to sign. For us, it was Italian in one ear, translated to English in the other ear, with our interpreter pointing to the English text in the documents as we followed along. At the end, the notaio asks if everyone is happy and in agreement, and then pretty much everyone in the room signs every page of multiple copies of the deed. It was a blast!
The woman we purchased the apartment from was incredibly kind. After the closing she handed us the keys and offered to accompany us to the apartment to show us where the water and gas shut-offs were, how various things worked, etc. She had already cleaned the apartment and made the beds in case we wanted to stay the night. We hadn’t anticipated this and had other arrangements made, but it was still very sweet.
We love our piccola casa!
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