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Sunday May 23, 2004
The Observer
[...]
But for the best semi-bespoke bargains, cast aside all worries about the
Mafia and illegal building and head south to Sicily, where the Baroque
town of Ragusa in the Val di Noto boasts the lowest crime rate not only in
Sicily but in the whole of Italy. Though prices here have risen sharply -
by 40 per cent over the past three years in the centre of town, they are
still a snip compared with other parts of Italy.
'When it comes to tailoring a home to suit the buyer, though we are
limited by the size and location of the property, we are open to
suggestions,' says Giovanni D'Andrea of Sunway, a real estate business
that renovates and sells historic buildings in this Baroque province.
The idyllic landscape around Ragusa is a Unesco world heritage site, so it
is almost impossible to obtain planning permission for new build. But the
Masseria Torrevecchia, an unrestored sandstone farmhouse in the vast and
protected Pino d'Aleppo nature reserve, is a good example of Sunway's
flexible price offering. Buyers can choose how much they want to spend per
square metre according to the level of workmanship. Once fully restored,
with quality touches such as antique materials, hand-carved stone and
marble surfaces, the building could cost about Euro 1m.
And after years of being inaccessible to British tourists, this part of
Sicily is suddenly within easy reach. Last year low-cost airline Ryanair
opened a Stansted- Palermo route, and next month British Airways and Air
Malta will run budget flights to Catania, a 75-minute drive away., just
east of Lake Trasimeno, and are in need of some restoration. This is good
news for the buyer, as the houses and grounds can be accurately tailored
from the outset.
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