Casa Indipendente in Via Pietro Papa
Composizione Piano Terra: ingresso; Piano Rialzato : cucina, bagno, due camere; Piano Primo: cucina, tre camere, bagno; Piano Secondo: sottotetto.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovation- On the market for a long time
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €65,000 for 148 sqm, the asking price is €439/sqm, but in 'needs renovation' condition the effective cost is about €1,139/sqm after adding ~€700/sqm works, far above the Calabria townhouse baseline of €423/sqm. Being only 1 km from the sea helps, but 332 days on market is a clear negative and caps confidence.
More on the house and the area
This is a real house rather than a shell, with usable rooms, two bathrooms and a small but genuine sea glimpse that adds appeal. The exterior is plain and the interiors are very dated, with visible moisture damage and cracking, so it needs substantial refreshing before it feels dream-worthy. At the price and size, though, it has solid bargain appeal.
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€29,000 – €52,000
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.
- Clear signs of damp and peeling plaster in several rooms
- Interiors are basic and dated, needing real renovation not just decorating
- Sea view is partial rather than dramatic
- No outdoor garden/terrace and access feels tight/urban
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 73/100The area is on the Ionian coast, with beaches along the Gulf of Squillace and the lower slopes of the Serre and Aspromonte hinterland rising inland. The Torbido and Amusa river valleys open to the coast nearby. Roccella Ionica has a seafront, a historic core on the slope, and the remains of the hilltop Castello Carafa above the town. Locri is the nearest town of size, with everyday services and the archaeological area of Locri Epizefiri nearby. This stretch of the Locride is known for citrus, olive groves and a long linear coastal strip backed by Calabrian hills.