Italian farms for sale

The reason that Italy has an extraordinary abundance of farms and farmhouses for sale has its origins in the move away from the land and into Italian cities after the Second World War. Many houses were left abandoned as sons and daughters had no desire to leave the towns and return to a rural life.

By the 1960's many non-Italians had begun to see the beauty in the stone buildings which often come with a barn and other agriculture buildings, and it's not uncommon for large tracts of land to surround the property.

The trend to buy Italian stone farmhouses all started in Tuscany. The area of Chianti became famous as Chiantishire and since then many others have invested in their own Italian farmhouse all over Italy.  

It would be wrong to think of Italian farms and farmhouses as being all the same. They can date back a thousand years in some cases but more usually from the 18th century onwards.

Italian farms and farmhouses are regularly found in locations with stunning scenery. The mountains of Emilia Romagna, Piemonte and Le Marche offer spectacular views. The rolling hills of southern Tuscany is the classical image people have of Italian farmhouses with avenues of cypress trees up to the door. In northern Tuscany, the Alpe Apuane of  Lunigiana provide a dramatic backdrop and of course the closer you are to the sea the more likely you are to get a view of the Tuscan Riviera.  Like everything in Italy, you are spoilt for choice.

In Tuscany, a charming farmhouse fully and superbly restored in traditional Tuscan style will have timber beams, terracotta floors and coppi roof tiles and a pool. As farm properties usually come with land, space to install one is not a problem.

It's common to find open fires, external log-fired bread and porticos that shade dining al fresco during the hot, summer months. Many Tuscany farmhouses have wine cellars (cantina) and wood stores (legnaia) and having a barn allows for expansion; a ready made annex to convert into a place for family and friends to stay in, or paying guests if you wish to earn rental income.

In Emilia Romagna stone farmhouses for sale are similar to those in Tuscany. However, whereas in Tuscan farmhouses usually have honey coloured stone, in Emilia the stone tends to be grey and originate from the rivers. The typical Emilian farmhouse has a central staircase with rooms off either side. Although sizes differ, the average would be around 150 m2 of floor area with a barn of 100 m2.  In Emilia more oak is used during the construction, in Tuscany and Umbria chestnut is preferred, or if you were well off, walnut.

Piemontese farmhouses tend to have the house and barn attached. The same beams, open, fires and terracotta floors are also seen in the farmhouses of Asti or Le Langhe.  The design, though, may be in the form of an 'L'. As the production of olives and wine are common in these areas, you'll also come across olive mills or wineries which do not have barns with haylofts and stable but storage for olives and cellars for wine. Olives mills in need of renovation often have the original millstones and machinery which has been tuned into a historical and beautiful feature in many renovated mills.

A typical Umbrian stone farmhouse is in dominant position, easy to reach through a well-maintained country road with one hectare of land with olive trees and an agricultural annex. 

Le Marche farmhouses, 'case coloniche' are brick houses usually characterized by external staircase and mainly found on the hills or ‘solaro’ that are mainly on flat land towards the sea. A farmhouse in La Marche can often have views of the Sibillini Mountains and classic hilltop towns.

Farmhouses in Puglia & Sicily are known as masseria. Large and airy and usually built in stone with outbuildings.  A traditional masseria complex  will consist of a large masseria, often to restore,  stables, barns and  gardens in picturesque internal courtyards. Masserias have high ceilings so can be perfect for the creation of mezzanine floors others have star or vaulted ceilings, an amazing feature to have in your property. Masserias often come with an olive groves or vineyards.