Rustico in Brienno
Rustico immerso nel verde situato in antico borgo a 20 minuti a piedi dall'abitato di Brienno (CO) Raggiungibile solo a piedi tramite mulattiera Bellissimo panorama sul lago di Como Non dotato di servizi (fonte d'acqua situata non lontano) Categoria catastale C/2
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovation- Registered as agricultural or storage, not as a dwelling
See what needs doing and what each job costs
Cadastral category C/2 means this is a storage/warehouse building, not a habitable residence. It has no services (no water, no utilities), 0 beds/baths, and is only reachable on foot via a mule track. At €532/m2 it sits well above the regional baseline of €382/m2, which is implausible given its non-habitable status and severe access issues. Converting a C/2 rustico with no utilities and foot-only access into a livable home would be extremely costly (~€1500/m2+) and require change-of-use permits. Beautiful Lake Como views do not offset the fundamental limitations. This is a trap for anyone expecting a usable home.
More on the house and the area
Stone rustico in an ancient hamlet above Lake Como with a genuine wow view over the lake from the upper window. Interior is more finished than typical for the 'needs renovation' label: exposed timber-beam ceilings, new wood floors, and a handsome stone-and-brick fireplace give real historic charm. Solid dry-stone masonry and terraced setting immersed in nature. Strong bargain optics at €532/m². The major caveat is accessibility (foot-only via mule track) and total lack of utilities, which caps broad appeal despite the scenic and characterful package.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Our read of the photos, €1,500/m², falls in this band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€37,000 – €55,000
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.
- Reachable only on foot via mule track (20 min walk)
- No services/utilities - water source nearby but not connected
- Needs renovation
- No bathrooms present
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 72/100The cluster is in the Intelvi area of the pre-Alps, with steep wooded slopes and small valleys between Lake Como and the Swiss border. Lake Como lies close by to the east, with the western branch around Argegno the main water reference for daily life. The valley roads climb quickly toward mountain pastures and ridges such as Monte Generoso on the Swiss side and the local peaks above the Valle Intelvi. The nearest town of size is Como, which provides the main rail links, services and lakeside urban centre for the area. This border zone is known for stone villages, chestnut woods and hiking terrain rather than for a single major monument or protected status within the immediate radius.