Palazzo - Edificio in Bivongi
Palazzo antico di 3 piani più cantine, terrazzo grande, 7 vani più 2 bagni e ampia cucina, nel suggestivo centro storico di Bivongi.
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 €55,000 for 280 sqm, the ask is just €196/sqm; with a typical needs-renovation budget of about €700/sqm, effective cost is ~€896/sqm. That is well above the local sub-€100k baseline of €356/sqm, but the large historic-center palazzo with terrace and cellar space adds some appeal; still, it has been on the market 1,605 days, so the score is capped and flagged as stale.
More on the house and the area
This has real old-palazzo character: a tall historic facade, arched openings, iron balconies and a large roof terrace in a village setting. But the building looks quite worn externally, with clear decay to plaster, woodwork and balcony edges, so this reads as a serious renovation project rather than an easy move-in home. At €55k for 280 sqm it has strong romance-per-euro, but the wow is mostly potential today.
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€55,000 – €98,000
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.
- Needs full renovation before comfortable living
- Facade and balconies show visible deterioration
- No interior photos to confirm condition of rooms, kitchen, or bathrooms
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 FACTS appear inconsistent: Bivongi is in the inland Stilaro valley on the Ionian side of Calabria, in the Serre Calabresi. The Stilaro river runs through the area. The valley rises into the Serre Regional Natural Park within this radius. The area is known for Monte Stella and for the Byzantine monastery of San Giovanni Theristis just outside the village. The nearest larger town in daily use is Stilo, which has a substantial historic centre and the Cattolica church. This part of Calabria is known for chestnut and olive country in a wooded mountain valley rather than for a plain or urban belt.