WHEN Edward Lear visited Abruzzo in the 1840s it was a little-known region of Italy, shunned by most grand tourists, who were more taken by the delights of Tuscany and cities such as Venice, Rome, Milan and Naples. But the nonsense poet and artist was drawn by its sense of isolation and old-fashioned ways.
In his 1846 travel book, Illustrated Excursions in Italy, Lear captured sights that many in Britain had never seen before, describing the sleepy feel of the region — bang in the centre of Italy with rugged mountains and wild countryside — and complaining about the local wine, which he called “filthy beyond imagination”.
The wine, as I can attest, is much better now. Yet Abruzzo, all these years on, still lags way behind Tuscany in the tourism and second-home popularity stakes. While there has been more interest — the number of tourists to the area has risen by a third in five years, thanks to new low-cost flights by Ryanair to Pescara and Ancona (both an hour’s drive) and easyJet services to Rome (a 90-minute drive) — property opportunities have been thin on the ground.
The San Donato Golf development, on the mountainside of an unbelievably quiet area near the tiny village of Santi, 10km (six miles) west of L’Aquila, a pretty medieval town, marks a shift in the region’s approach to holiday-home projects. Development has been held back in Abruzzo, which has just 1,260,000 inhabitants, as a third of its land is designated national park. But there are parts where planning permission is possible, including the old fields on a slope overlooking a small river on the edge of Santi.
The population of Santi is “about 20”, according to Lucio Forgione, who works for Overseas Homesearch, the international marketing arm of Rio Forcella, a local Italian group that is developing San Donato. Forgione is a big fan of Abruzzo; its time, he believes, has come. “It is more genuine here than in Tuscany,” he says. “In Florence they are doing things for the tourists. Here people are doing things for themselves. In Abruzzo you get the real Italian deal.”
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San Donato will have 100 apartments — one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom and studios — starting at £76,000 for a studio and rising to £218,000 for a three-bed. Construction begins in March, with the first phase of development finishing in May 2008 and the second and third phases a year later. The project is costing €25 million (£16 million). There will be a choice of three interior design styles: Soft Country, Sport and Modern. Underfloor heating, satellite television and fitted kitchens are standard. There will be a central pool and small shop.
I am taken to the showroom, a Soft Country apartment. There are stainless-steel kitchen fittings, orangey-red sofas, oriental vases, spotlights, a white-tiled bathroom, and an iron-framed bed. I’d say the look is a little old-fashioned, but then again it’s not a Sport or Modern room. Furnishings are not included. There is an annual service charge that is likely to be in the region of 1 per cent of the purchase price, according to Forgione, who adds that arrangements can be made for letting to holidaymakers. Returns on apartments that are bought to let are expected to be 4 to 6 per cent a year. In accordance with Italian property law, capital gains tax will not apply after five years.
Only two apartments have been sold, as they have only just gone on the market; Bricks and Mortar is the first property publication in Britain to visit and write about the development, which will include an hotel with more than 100 rooms by the golf clubhouse that is already under construction.
San Donato has several selling points. The first is its isolation and peacefulness. It is truly tucked away. On my October visit the trees were turning yellow, orange, mauve and red; there is birdsong; there are rocky peaks in the distance; there is virtually no traffic; on clear nights you can see the stars. And there is the golf. At 5,000m (5,450 yards) it is a short course, but hilly and challenging; there are rarely queues and rounds cost £20. Being just three years old, it has plenty of room for improvement, and those used to the Wentworths of this world may be disappointed.
San Donato is a choice for outdoor types. Horse-riding, walking on ancient shepherds’ paths in the hills, and mountain-biking are all available; and it is just an hour’s drive to beaches on the Adriatic. The food at local restaurants, including lively places in L’Aquila, is first rate.
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Santi is, as Lear himself found in Abruzzo, sleepy. Perhaps this is one of the quietest spots close to a major capital city in Europe . . . and the wine’s not bad either.
Overseas Homesearch, 0800 6520769, www.overseashomesearch.co.uk
www.invest-abruzzo.com
www.regione.abruzzo.it/turismo
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