Palazzina da ristrutturare
Immerso nel verde della collina reggiana, ampia palazzina da ristrutturare. info al 3315285724 Francesco
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 €60,000 for 844 sqm, the asking price is only about €71/sqm; with a typical renovation budget of ~€700/sqm for a property explicitly described as 'da ristrutturare', the effective cost is about €771/sqm. That is still roughly 3.1x the local baseline of €248/sqm, so it is not cheap on an all-in basis despite the huge size; score is capped at 75 because it has been on the market for 274 days.
More on the house and the area
Set in a green hillside area, the property has scale and some practical appeal, especially for the price. But the real building shown is a tired 1950s block needing heavy renovation, with no visible character features or proven livable interiors. The renderings suggest potential rather than current wow.
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€167,000 – €296,000
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.
- Major full renovation needed
- No interior photos to confirm habitability
- Exterior looks worn and partly stripped back to brick
- Renderings may not reflect approved or finished outcome
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 Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, with Monte Ventasso and the ridge country between the Secchia and Enza valleys within the local landscape. The area falls in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park. Cerreto Laghi, the nearest ski area, is in the upper Secchia valley at roughly 25–35 minutes by road from much of Ventasso. Castelnovo ne' Monti is the nearest larger town, with everyday services and a substantial historic centre; the Pietra di Bismantova lies near it but outside the immediate 15 km landscape for much of the comune. The area is known for mountain pasture, chestnut woods, small stone hamlets and Parmigiano Reggiano from the Apennine zone.