Casa indipendente in Frazione Donego, 12, Cannero Riviera,
Nella tranquilla e riservata frazione di Donego, sulle alture del Lago Maggiore, affascinante casa storica, completamente da ristrutturare, di circa 150 metri quadrati abitabili e altrettanti di giardino, ulteriori cantine e ampio terrazzo. La proprietà si trova a soli 100 metri dal parcheggio comunale e gode di una…
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
Historic villa on Lake Maggiore heights with panoramic lake views, 160sqm at 594 EUR/m2. Price is ~1.8x the regional median (322 EUR/m2), but Cannero Riviera is a premium lakefront location where the town-level median is far above the regional baseline, so the comparison overstates the premium. Needs full renovation (est. ~1000 EUR/m2), currently not habitable. Missing building year and energy class. 100m from parking, garden plus cellars and terrace add value. Fresh listing (1 day). Solid upside for a charming lake-view property if renovation budget is accounted for.
More on the house and the area
The standout is the sweeping panoramic view over Lago Maggiore with mountain backdrop - genuinely striking in the first three photos. The historic stone hamlet setting in quiet Donego frazione adds character. However, the property is a full gut job: interiors are stripped, filled with construction debris and clutter, and the courtyard shots show a rundown, cramped village core. 160sqm plus garden at €594/m2 is cheap, but that's offset by the total renovation required. The view carries this listing; the building itself is a shell.
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, €1,000/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€32,000 – €56,000
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.
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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.
- Completely needs renovation - gutted interior, debris throughout
- Single bathroom for 4 beds
- Steep hillside location, 100m from parking (no direct car access)
- No energy class or building year listed
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 90/100Lake Maggiore is at the door, with the steep wooded slopes of the western lakeshore rising immediately behind the village. The Cannero Castles stand on islets just offshore in the lake. The Val Grande National Park begins a short distance inland in the mountains above the lake. The nearest substantial town is Verbania, which has ferry services, lakefront districts, shops and services. This stretch of upper Lake Maggiore is known for lakeside villages, historic villas and gardens, and for the mild microclimate that supports citrus cultivation.