Piedmont Property Blog

Many of us dream about moving to Italy and making a fresh start in life. Italy has much to offer, wonderful warm local people, scrumptious food, prestigious wines and it’s fabulous climate make it a popular choice for relocation.

The reality for most of us is that to make this move successful we must generate some form of income to live. The Italian job market can be a little limited if you are not fluent in Italian – you can teach English, become a tour guide etc.

So what are the options? One such possibility is to buy a business for sale in Italy that allows you to generate and good income using your native tongue language. An interesting, lucrative business proposition is working in the tourism industry for example a bed and breakfast accommodation, Hotel or a holiday rental business.

What are the advantages of buying an established business for sale? Well of course there should be an established income in place, but also, the property in question will already be set up for business, it may already have a swimming pool, car parking area , existing clientele etc…
Expenses like these can soon mount up when starting a business from nothing often placing an additional financial strain on the business even before it has started.

A business with an established income may also help with cash flow projections for the bank if a little borrowing is required

How can the business provide additional income? It may be worth looking a properties that have vineyards and hazelnut groves. Vineyards involve more work and skilled work so if you don’t have experience then you will need to learn or you could hire someone to work the vines for you and teach you the tricks of the trade. The locals are passionate about the land and its produce and genuinely pleased to share their enthusiasm and experience. You then have the option of making the wine itself or selling your grapes to an established wine maker or a local cooperative.

Hazelnuts are another possibility – referred to in Italy as the “Lazy man’s tree”. They are much easier to maintain and require less work. Here in The Langhe most of the local hazelnut production go to Ferrero, the makers of Nutella, Ferrero Roche, Kinder chocolates etc

There are also small local businesses making local products with the hazelnuts – for example , hazelnut cake, toasted hazelnuts….

Selling local quality produce, wines, hazelnut cake, preserves etc is also an interesting addition to any tourist based business.

In addition to the income generated from a vineyard or hazelnut grove there is a certain sense of achievement, satisfaction and appreciation of nature that comes with working the land.

Business practices vary from country to country and Italy is no different. It’s essential that you deal with an Italian accountant preferably that speaks your mother tongue language. He or she will be able to guide in the right direction and help you with other matters like insurance and the availability of local grants etc.

Buying a business in a Italy is a big decision so do your research thoroughly – however it could be the best decision in your life….mixing with the warm friendly local people, enjoying scrumptious food, prestigious wines and the fabulous climate…………

We have several businesses for sale in the Piemonte region, check our website for further details.

The region of Piemonte is attracting a lot of interest from the media all over the world and as such we work closely with the press to ensure that the area gets the recognition it deserves. We are currently working again with Ville Giardini who are one of the top property publications in Italy.

Ville Giardini have decided to feature The Langhe region of Piemonte and have asked to feature some of our properties in their article. I’ll let everyone know the publication date when all details are finalised.

Alba is fast becoming a popular destination for celebrities as well as those who have an interest in food, culture and wine.

Our lastest visitor was George Clooney who popped down to Alba on his Harley Davidson motorbike and stopped for a spot of lunch at one our local bars in Piazza Savona.

Mr Clooney was kind enough to have his picture taken with three very happy ladies who happened to be in the square at that time.It was not long ago that Brad Pitt was here in the Langhe area looking for a property himself.

Alba is a charming town, full of sophistication and life, and is of course home to the world famous truffle festival in October.
Try to visit if you can.

Throughout Italy and particularly in the Langhe and Monferrato regions of Piemonte one can find many old stone buildings which have been for many reasons neglected by their current owners.

These old rustic houses or rustici as the Italians call them, usually have a farming connection and consist of an L shape building with haylofts which usually include wonderful arches.

A typical rustico will be found in a rural area and have commanding views of the local countryside and as such can make an ideal location for your dream Italian home.

These old farm properties usually feature original cotto floor tiles and vaulted ceilings. Unfortunately the condition of these houses are usually in a state of disrepair and require complete restoration.

The renovation of these rustici is an expensive process but ultimately you wind up with a property built to your specification and if restored sympathetically could prove to be a good investment over the years. Traditionally restored farmhouses also prove popular for holiday rentals in Piemonte.

You need to be or have someone fluent in Italian to manage the project and be sure to get a quote for all the additional taxes involved as these soon can mount up.

So in conclusion if you can’t find the property of your dreams here in Italy, consider a rustico and renovate it yourself.

Please our apologies for lack of posts recently but our work commitments here in the Langhe have been tremendous.

Summer in Piemonte and Italy in general are wonderful for music lovers, the long hot summers are perfect for outdoor festivals and concerts. Monforte d’Alba is currently hosting its annual jazz festival and includes artists such as the Blind Boys of Alabama and the wonderful Patty Pravo. Meanwhile just down the road Steve Hackett from Genesis fame is playing an open air gig at Asti.

This week I’m off to see two of my favorite guitarists Robin Trower at Savona and the very excellent American guitarist Robben Ford. I had the pleasure of talking to Robben a few weeks ago and he said how much he loved it here in Italy.

Many open air music events and festivals are held throughout the whole of Italy during the summer, there’s something for everyone, whatever your tastes, jazz,rock,blues,pop,classical,folk etc. For me life does not get any better than watching a gig outside in Italy with a glass of Italian wine.

Even Boney M are playing just down the road!

I’ll let you know how the gigs went.