Rustico in Arlena di Castro
Rustico in Arlena di Castro. Habitable, accesso per disabili, arredato.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Price €39,000 for 70 m2 but estimated renovation (€200/m2) makes effective cost €53,000 (≈€757/m2) vs regional baseline €575/m2, so it is pricier than typical. Description says habitable and well photographed, but the facts list 0 bathrooms which is a contradictory claim to check.
More on the house and the area
A simple, habitable farmhouse tucked into an olive grove with handsome exposed beams and a large open room with fireplace — lots of rustic character. The building is liveable as shown but very basic (no bathroom visible, concrete floors), so expect to add services/finishes. Excellent value for land and setting if you want a low-cost, usable country home.
Decoration, tired fittings, a bathroom or a kitchen. The house is liveable as it stands.
Our read of the photos is €200/m². There is no published price band below €350/m², so the range is that figure widened by the spread of the lightest band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€5,000 – €8,000
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.
- No bathroom shown (baths = 0) — you may need to add one
- Very basic finishes (concrete floors, simple utilities) — cosmetic/modernisation likely
- Rural, private location — check access/utility connections and permits
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 61/100This is inland Maremma on the Volsini tuff plateau, with cultivated fields, olive groves and low wooded ravines. Lake Bolsena lies within about 15 km to the east, and the Fiora valley is nearby to the west. The area sits close to the edge of the ancient volcanic district around the Volsini mountains. Tuscania is the nearest substantial historic town, with a large medieval centre and the well-known Romanesque churches of San Pietro and Santa Maria Maggiore. Tarquinia is also nearby for daily services and has the UNESCO-listed Monterozzi Etruscan necropolis. This part of northern Lazio is known for Etruscan archaeology, tuff villages, olive oil and livestock farming.