Casa colonica in Aieta
Casa colonica in Aieta. Needs renovation.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovationSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Price €20,000 plus an estimated €700/m² renovation (€56,000) gives a total ≈ €76,000 or ≈ €950/m², far above the regional baseline of €244/m². Property is 5 km from the sea and has 15 photos, but the listing omits rooms/bath/build year details, so it looks overpriced for the renovation required.
More on the house and the area
Lovely, authentic hill-village setting with cobbled streets and a dramatic sea/mountain view from a window. The building itself is a derelict farmhouse: lots of original character but a full structural and interior rebuild is needed before it becomes a livable home.
Certified wiring, water and drainage, a heat source, a roof that keeps the water out, one working bathroom. Facade, insulation, a second bathroom and the floors wait.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Our read of the photos, €700/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€16,000 – €28,000
Wiring, water and sanitary work of any kind, heating, air conditioning and gas go to a registered firm by law, and so do flues and the air openings for gas appliances. That labour stays in the bill. Yours is the stripping out, plaster, paint, floors, tiling and carpentry.
Labour is 61% of a renovation price on average and 67% at the median, across 191 items of the Emilia-Romagna 2025 public price list. Materials are the rest. An averaged price list, not a quote.
Materials you buy yourself carry 22% VAT; supplied by the firm doing the work they go at the 10% renovation rate. On a €30,000 materials bill that is €3,600 of extra tax.
Household wiring installed before 13 March 1990 counts as compliant if it has a main breaker with overcurrent protection, protection against direct contact and a 30 mA RCD. Having a firm bring the existing wiring up to that and certify it is the cheapest lawful route.
Bringing a house that has stood empty back into service: new water, sewer and electricity, plus the practices. The same sum on an 80 m² house and on a 300 m² one, which is why a €40,000 house is not a €40,000 project.
Show more
Water 1,800 · sewer 2,500 · electricity 700–1,600 · CILA 1,000 · cadastral filing 500 · structural design 700 · Legge 10 report 900 · safety coordination 1,800
No mains drain: add €2,000–4,500 for a septic tank. Listings never say, so ask.
- Heavy renovation required — ceilings/roof and some floors appear damaged or missing.
- No visible bathroom/kitchen or finished services in the photos.
- Possible structural/clean‑up work and new roof timbers needed.
- Access is by narrow cobbled village alley (pedestrian) which may limit works/logistics.
Estimate from the listing and its photos, not a survey. Treat it as the starting point for your own quotes. An Italian builder's quote is normally written without VAT and without design fees, so add about a quarter to any figure a firm gives you.
The area around
Location score 78/100The cluster is on the Tyrrhenian side of the southern Apennines, with steep forested slopes above the Riviera dei Cedri. The coast near Praia a Mare and the Gulf of Policastro is within about 15 km, with a rocky shoreline and views to Dino Island off Praia a Mare. This stretch lies inside the Pollino area, and the Pollino National Park reaches the inland mountains nearby. The nearest town of size is Praia a Mare, which provides the main shops, services and rail access for this part of the coast. Aieta is one of I Borghi più belli d’Italia. The area is known for the cedro cultivation of the Riviera dei Cedri and for the meeting of mountain terrain and Tyrrhenian coast over a short distance.