A villa in Italy seems to have become a must-have among the rich and famous these days…
Star Wars creator George Lucas has a villa in Umbria, as does singer Ed Sheeran. Sting and his wife Trudie Styler own a villa, with an organic farm, just outside of Florence. And Julia Roberts reportedly owns a home on the Amalfi Coast, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
And of course, the most well-known celeb/Italian villa owner is George Clooney, who famously has a beautiful lakeside home, Casa Oleandra, on the western shores of Lake Como.
It’s not difficult to see why these celebrities love to decamp to Italy…
Things run at a slower pace there…you can enjoy a better quality of life…exquisite food and wine…and the tranquility that comes with spending time in your own private villa surrounded by rolling hills, cypress trees and picturesque old villages.
You’d be forgiven for thinking you need the bank account of a Hollywood movie star to afford a beautiful Italian villa and estate…
But the reality is that if you look in the right places in Italy, you can find villas with acres of land and all that wonderful Italian charm for less than the median cost of a home in states like California or Colorado.
Take this stunning villa my team came across recently…
This estate comes with a large home, pool, around nine acres of forested land, three yurts, and a deconsecrated church. But it costs less than the median sales price of a home in Colorado. Listing here.
This villa, called Casale dello Spirito, lies five and a half miles from the medieval village of Pietralunga…
A unique estate nestled in the hills, this luxurious home has three interconnected buildings that serve as the main living spaces. Also on the sprawling property are a deconsecrated church dating back over 1,000 years (more recently used as a yoga studio), around nine acres of forest, and three yurts.
All this and yet this estate is listed for €595,000 ($642,500). For context, that’s less than the median home sales price in Colorado ($662,000), according to figures compiled by Bankrate.
This villa is in the landlocked Italian region of Umbria…
Umbria is less well-known than its neighbor, Tuscany. But like Tuscany, this is a land of remarkable natural beauty…noted for its dense forests, rolling green hills lined with vineyards and olive groves, and charming medieval towns with incredible art, history, and architecture.
Sometimes called “The Green Heart of Italy,” Umbria is also renowned for its excellent hiking and mountain biking trails, including parts of the ancient Via Flaminia Roman Road.
This villa would provide a wonderful base from which to explore this region…
A central patio, accessed from the kitchen, is the perfect place to dine in summer.
The estate has been a spiritual development center for over 20 years. You could continue that work or use the property as your home. It’s within an hour of notable towns like Perugia, Gubbio, and Montone.
The main house features nine bedrooms. All told, the property boasts 6,833 square feet of interior space. A small swimming pool was added in 2005. Three south-facing guestrooms come with their own entrances, bathrooms, and lofts.
Renovations carried out between 1994 and 1999 have preserved the rustic charm of this villa, with stone facades, wooden frames, and terracotta floors.
Umbria’s rolling hills covered in oak and chestnut forests have earned it the nickname “The Green Heart of Italy.”
This is a lot of house for $642,500. But then, Umbria is a great place to look for incredible-value real estate like this.
Umbria often gets overlooked in favor of Tuscany, and so real estate here is much cheaper. According to figures from an Italian real estate company for June 2024, prices in Tuscany average €2,483 per square meter. Yet in neighboring Umbria, prices are less than half this, averaging just €1,159 per square meter. That’s around €108 per square foot.
Which means if you’re looking for a large rural escape, Umbria can offer some hugely affordable options.
Here’s another estate on the market here…
This Umbrian villa comes with 8.6 acres of parkland, providing a serene escape. Listing here.
If you’re looking for something a bit more modern, this three-bed, three-bath villa is also on the market in Umbria.
Spanning 2,797 square feet, Villa Ginestra is in excellent condition and features a spacious living area with a fireplace, kitchen, dining room, and veranda terrace. An underground garage of 688 square feet provides parking for two cars.
The villa is surrounded by 8.6 acres of fenced parkland, planted with olive and fruit trees, creating a serene, private environment.
The towns of Umbertide and Città di Castello are only 10 minutes away by car, and you can be in large towns like Montepulciano, Assisi, and Todi, in just over an hour.
The villa is on the market for €420,000 ($440,667). See the full listing here.
Villa Ginestra is in excellent condition. It’s on the market for €420,000. Check out the full listing here.
As these listings show, rural Italy has some incredible estates for sale…ones that offer a home with acres of land, all for less than the median home sales price in some U.S. states.
Of course, these Italian estates are a little off the beaten path. They’re away from the places that are home to the “George Clooney real estate”—destinations that attract the global elites and the hordes of tourists like Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast etc.
But this seclusion can be part of their appeal…
And it goes to show…once you look beyond the obvious destinations, you can uncover deep value and get your very own sprawling estate in Italy for far less than you might have imagined.
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
P.S. If you’re interested in any of these listings you should hire an attorney and do your own due diligence. We haven’t done any due diligence on them.
P.P.S. For more listings of affordable overseas dream homes, click here to follow our Your Cheap Dream Home Instagram account.
Your Daily Dream Home
Corfu Town, Corfu, Greece
This cozy one-bedroom apartment is situated in the heart of Corfu’s Old Town, and less than a mile from the airport. The apartment is on the fourth floor and is being sold fully furnished. It has an open-plan kitchen/living area, a bathroom, and comes equipped with A/C units.
Corfu Old Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage site containing a unique blend of Greek, Venetian, French, and British architecture spanning several centuries. You’ll find narrow cobblestone streets winding between tall honey-colored buildings with red-tiled roofs, wrought-iron balconies, and shuttered windows.
The town sits between the sparkling sea and rolling hills covered in olive groves and cypress trees. The bustling Spianada Square, the largest square in the Balkans, serves as the town’s hub for cafes and people-watching. The town is known for its exceptional seafood restaurants, traditional tavernas, and vibrant nightlife, particularly along the seaside promenade. The Venetian-era cricket ground, a legacy of British rule, still hosts matches, making Corfu the only place in Greece where cricket is played.
