Casa di paese in Via P. Giannone, Rocca Imperiale,
Nel caratteristico centro storico di Rocca Imperiale, annoverato tra I Borghi più Belli d'Italia, proponiamo un antico locale completamente da ristrutturare, ricco di fascino e di grandi potenzialità. L'immobile è privo di bagno e impianti ed è composto da un unico ambiente con un antico camino originale, che conserva…
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 €19,900 for 57 sqm, the ask is €349/sqm, but the unit is completely to renovate, with no bathroom or systems, so I estimate about €1,100/sqm renovation; effective cost is roughly €1,449/sqm. That is far above the low Calabria farmhouse baseline of €272/sqm, but the historic-center setting in Rocca Imperiale and 4 km from the sea support a still-good score for a small character project.
More on the house and the area
The old stone borgo setting and original fireplace give it real rustic character, and the price is undeniably tempting. But this is essentially a raw historic shell: one bare room with no bathroom, no systems and no livable finish. Dreamy as a restoration project, not yet a home you could realistically move into.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Our read of the photos, €1,100/m², falls in this band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€22,000 – €34,000
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.
- Completely to renovate
- No bathroom or utility systems visible
- Single raw room only
- Likely suited as a project rather than immediate living
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 67/100The cluster is on the Ionian side of northern Calabria, with low coastal hills and the plain at the mouth of the Sinni close by. The Ionian coast is within a few kilometres. Rocca Imperiale has a medieval centre on a hill and a castle above the town. The nearest larger centre for everyday services is Policoro in Basilicata, which has shops and a hospital; the A2 and the rail line are farther inland and along the coast respectively. The area is known for citrus cultivation, especially the limone di Rocca Imperiale IGP.