L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 L'Italo-Americano W h i l e t r a - v e l i n g a c r o s s the pond remains, at least for the moment, still a d r e a m , d r e a m i n g a n d planning aren't forbidden and, certainly, they aren't dangerous. On the contrary, b u s y i n g o u r m i n d s w i t h s o m e t h i n g p l e a s a n t a n d oriented towards a virus- free future, may be a healthy and relaxing way to spend some time. F o r m a n y I t a l o p h i l e s , moving to the Belpaese or, at least, buying a holi- day home there, is the ulti- mate goal: Tuscany, Liguria, Rome! How amazing would it be to wake up every mor- ning surrounded by their b e a u t y , b u t t r u t h i s r e a l estate in our most popular cities and regions is more expensive than everywhere e l s e a n d , e s p e c i a l l y i n a urban context, life can cost quite a lot — this isn't all that surprising: the same happens everywhere in the world, when you think of it. However, in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, more and m o r e I t a l i a n s h a v e b e e n considering "the big move" from their city abodes and t h e i r f r e n e t i c l i v e s , t o a slower-paced, simpler exi- stence in the countryside, an idea Italy-lovers from all over the world have been toying with for a long time. And so, Italians and non- Italians are today on the same page, at least when it comes to real estate, but how to choose the best spot t o c a l l h o m e , w i t h o u t breaking the bank? Idealista, an internatio- nal real estate agency active also in Italy, has recently compiled an interesting list o f t h e m o s t c h a r m i n g Italian provinces where one can buy a home on the cheap. More specifically, they listed all the Italian p r o v i n c e s w h e r e y o u c a n buy for less than 1000 euro per square meter (around 1200 USD). W e c a n b e g i n w i t h a bang, because it seems the cheapest region in Italy is also one our foreign visitors love a lot: Sicily, which has 5 provinces on the Idealista l i s t , C a l t a n i s s e t t a , E n n a , A g r i g e n t o , R a g u s a a n d Siracusa. Caltanissetta is home to 63.000 people and is a town rich in history, all the way back to the times of the Arab conquest. In its p r o v i n c e , l o c a t i o n s l i k e Mussomeli with its castle a n d S u t e r a , o n e o f t h e Borghi più belli d'Italia, are k n o w n f o r t h e i r b e a u t y . Caltanissetta is also near two other provinces mentio- n e d a b o v e , A g r i g e n t o , known for its ties with Greek c i v i l i z a t i o n , a n d E n n a . Siracusa is an amazingly beautiful spot, known for its characteristic old town cen- ter and for its many — and still visible — connections w i t h t h e G r e e k s . I n d e e d , Siracusa was founded by the Greeks themselves someti- mes around 734 BC. S u r p r i s i n g l y e n o u g h , however, the cheapest pro- vince in the country is not i n t h e S o u t h , b u t i n t h e b e a u t i f u l n o r t h w e s t e r n region of Piedmont, where Biella offers homes for as little as 650 euro per square meter (770 USD). Home to the Alps, Turin and great c h o c o l a t e , P i e d m o n t h a s three other provinces on the list, Vercelli, Alessandria a n d A s t i , t h e h o m e o f m o s c a t o a n d s p u m a n t e . Vercelli and Biella are loca- ted in the northern part of the region, just above Turin: while they are both part of t h e P i a n u r a P a d a n a , t h e Alps offer an amazing corol- lary to their green landscape and they are only a stone's throw away. B a c k i n t h e S o u t h , C a l a b r i a e n t e r s t h e l i s t with four provinces. Now, C a l a b r i a i s a n a m a z i n g r e g i o n , w h e r e t h e r o u g h c h a r m o f t h e A p e n n i n e s meets the blue of the sea (think of Tropea): here, the p r o v i n c e s o f R e g g i o C a l a b r i a , C o s e n z a , Crotone and Catanzaro all offer homes to buy at less than 1000 euro per square meter. Calabria is famous for its delicious food and for being a bit of a paradise, b e c a u s e f r e e f r o m t h e hoards of tourists that cha- racterize places like Sicily and Tuscany, so it may be the perfect option if you are looking for tranquillity. In the centre, we find out t h a t I t a l y ' s l e s s e r k n o w n region, Molise, is an ama- zing place to be, if you want to save some cash. Both of its provinces, Isernia and Campobasso, are part of the list. Molise has been b a t t l i n g t h e p r o b l e m o f depopulation for quite some time, in spite of the beauty and quaintness of its villa- ges and landscape; and this is why, a few months back, it offered financial support to those who agreed to move there and open a business. Just like Calabria, it'd be a great place if you want to experience Italian life at its best and its purest — and the cost of life is very reaso- nable. A n d w h a t a b o u t t h e region of our capital, Rome? Beside the Eternal City — which is, with Milan, the most expensive city in the country — there are still plenty of places to discover and to call home in Lazio, if you fancy: the provinces of Rieti and Frosinone, for instance. Rieti and its sur- roundings will remind you a l o t o f t h e i r n e i g h b o r , Umbria, while you could set- t l e n e a r t h e A b b e y o f Montecassino if you chose Frosinone. But the real gem of the Idealista list is the province of Lecce, in Apulia. The region is a true beauty and still relatively untouched by mass tourism. Lecce itself is c o n s i d e r e d t h e p e a r l o f s o u t h e r n I t a l i a n b a r o q u e a n d h o w c a n w e f o r g e t Otranto, inspiration for the f i r s t g o t h i c n o v e l o f a l l times? The whole province of Lecce is part of Salento, the heel of Italy's booth, an area known for its natural beauty. L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , t h e p r o v i n c e s o f R o v i g o , i n V e n e t o and B e n e v e n t o a n d A v e l l i n o , i n C a m p a n i a . R o v i g o i s a small, but very pretty town, a perfect place for a slower paced lifestyle, but without renouncing to the comforts of city life. The Po delta is in its province and it's known f o r i t s n a t u r a l p a r k . B e n e v e n t o a n d A v e l l i n o bring us back to the south of Italy: the first is known for i t s R o m a n h e r i t a g e , o f which many vestiges are still extant in the city and its pro- vince, the second for how green it is and for the pre- s e n c e o f m a n y m e d i e v a l castles. So, you see, that dream o f m o v i n g t o I t a l y c o u l d become reality more easily, if you just go controcorrente and pick one of these loca- tions! On a budget for beauty? Italy may have the perfect location LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE FRANCESCA BEZZONE Morano Calabro, in the Cosenza province, one of the cheapest in the country if you want to buy a house ( © Morpheus62 | Dreamstime.com)

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