An Artist’s Villa in Italy for $175K -

There are homes that come with history.

And then there are homes that feel like they are history.

If you favor the latter, then Italy is a good place to start your search.

Here’s a sample that we featured recently on our Your Overseas Dream Home Instagram account.

Tucked into the narrow lanes of an old Italian town, this one reveals itself slowly…

At first glance, it’s a villa that might need a little restoration work to restore its shine.

But step inside, and you realize there’s more to it…

This former artist’s studio and home is configured into two self-contained apartments. And the price is remarkable…

We recently shared this Italian villa on our Your Overseas Dream Home Instagram account. Check out the post here.

To step back for a moment…

Italy has long been on my beat. It’s the fifth most-visited country on earth, and one of Europe’s most desirable countries for international property buyers.

From the olive groves of Tuscany to the beaches of Puglia and the hills of Umbria, the country offers scenic beauty, deep-rooted culture, and attractive real estate options.

Northern regions such as Lombardy offer lakeside living, skiing, and access to Milan and Turin.

The home we highlighted recently is from the Lombardy region. It’s a spacious villa that’s on the market for €150,000 (about $175,000). And there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Here are the details…

Renowned sculptor Gottardo Freschetti once lived and worked in this historic residence.

This elegant three-bed, two-bath villa of around 2,600 square feet sits in the historic center of Viggiù, a hilltop town in the province of Varese in northern Italy, close to the Swiss border.

What sets this home apart isn’t just its location but its past.

This villa dates back to the early 1900s and was once the home and studio of Gottardo Freschetti, a local artist whose works are still preserved in the town’s museum.

Another historical curiosity is that the villa’s walls include part of an old chapel.

This is a residence of cultural importance, having served as the home and studio of sculptor Gottardo Freschetti

The villa is arranged over two floors, each configured as a self-contained apartment with an internal connection between them. That flexibility is attractive.

The ground floor has a veranda, a sitting room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a utility room, and a double bedroom.

The upper floor has a sitting room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a study, a double bedroom, and a terrace.

A discreet façade hides an unusual home in northern Italy.

Viggiù sits at the edge of the Lombardy lake district, where wooded hills give way to the shores of lakes Lugano, Como, and Maggiore.

The town’s historic center, with its carved stone portals and courtyard houses, bears witness to a stone-carving tradition that shaped the architecture of the wider region for centuries.

Lugano, just across the Swiss border, is around 15 minutes by road. Milan Malpensa international airport is around 40 minutes south.

This is not some remote outpost you need to drive hours from to reach civilization. It has accessibility to go along with the lifestyle potential.

This villa is a good example of the kind of lifestyle opportunity that’s still available in parts of Europe at affordable prices—if you know where to look.

You can read the listing here.

Wishing you good real estate investing,