case Balotti
case Balotti. Habitable, garage, caminetto, esposizione esterna, accesso per disabili, impianto tv con parabola satellitare, cantina.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
The €50,000 asking price is reasonable for a habitable 70 m² townhouse with garage, cellar and fireplace, but estimated all-in cost is about €64,000, or €914/m² versus €657/m² for comparable homes. The inland location and lack of stated energy or construction details limit the upside.
More on the house and the area
A genuinely usable Tuscan townhouse with a working-looking fireplace, exposed timber ceiling, traditional shutters, terracotta floors and a leafy outdoor area. It has real character and appears livable now, but the finishes, bathroom and exterior are modest and tired rather than beautifully restored.
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.
- Interiors are habitable but distinctly dated and would benefit from cosmetic modernization.
- Exterior walls show weathering and possible damp-related staining.
- No notable panoramic view is visible in the gallery.
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 86/100This is the tuff country of southern Tuscany, with ravines cut into volcanic rock and a dense network of vie cave around Sorano, Sovana and Pitigliano. The Fiora river valley lies nearby. The area includes the Parco archeologico Città del Tufo around Sorano and Sovana. Pitigliano is the nearest larger hill town in the immediate area, with a substantial historic centre on a tuff spur; farther out, Orvieto and Grosseto are the main larger service towns. Sovana has a Romanesque cathedral and an intact small historic centre, and both Sorano and Sovana are in the Borghi più belli d'Italia network. The area is known for Etruscan settlement remains, rock-cut roads and hill towns built directly on tuff cliffs.