Palazzo - Edificio in Petrella Salto
Palazzo storico all’interno del piccolo borgo medioevale di Piagge, nel cuore del cicolano nel comune di Petrella Salto, dove ancora si vive in pace e serenità. Come in tutti gli altri borghi che sorgono incastellati in alto a controllare la vallata del fiume Salto, ricca di storia e leggende. Il palazzo, di proprietà…
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
At €65,000 for 500 sqm, the ask is just €130/sqm versus a low-stock baseline of €454/sqm in Lazio palazzi, but the listed condition is 'Needs renovation', so I estimate about €700/sqm in works, bringing effective cost to roughly €830/sqm. The historic-center setting, lake views nearby, and flexible multi-unit potential support the value, but at this size and age a major restoration project is still likely.
More on the house and the area
This is a genuinely romantic historic palazzo in a dramatic mountain borgo, with beautiful stone exteriors, a powerful setting and real period features inside. The coffered ceilings, fireplace and old floors give it serious character, but it is not move-in ready: the interiors show neglect, moisture damage and substantial restoration needs. As a dream project it has big wow, and at this price the scale and pedigree feel strikingly cheap.
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€99,000 – €176,000
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.
- Major renovation needed before comfortable living
- Interiors show damp, cracked plaster and likely system upgrades
- Very large 500 sqm palazzo could be costly to restore and maintain
- Medieval borgo setting may mean limited parking/access
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 Salto valley in the eastern Lazio Apennines, with the Monti del Cicolano around it. Lago del Salto lies within this area, a long reservoir with inlets between wooded slopes and small settlements on the shores. The Riserva Naturale Monte Navegna e Monte Cervia is nearby on the west side of the lake. The nearest skiing is the small Campo Staffi area above Filettino, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes by road, and the Terminillo lifts above Rieti are at a similar drive. Rieti is the nearest town of size, with full services, a hospital and rail links toward Terni and Rome. The area is known for mountain villages, oak and beech woodland, and the lake created by the Salto dam.