Rustico Casale in Via del Castagnolone, Ventasso
VISITE fine settimana, anche domeniche, dalle 11.30.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovation- Only a share of the property is for sale
- On the market for a long time
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €18,000 for 55 sqm, the asking price is €327/sqm, but with an estimated €900/sqm renovation the effective cost is about €1,227/sqm, far above the local baseline of €290/sqm. The roof was revised, but the listing also includes shared woodland ('non ad uso esclusivo ma in condivisione') and it has been on the market for 1,112 days, both strong negatives.
More on the house and the area
The real selling point is the mountain-and-forest setting, with a genuinely lovely valley view from the window and lots of surrounding nature. This is a real little house rather than a ruin, with roof reportedly revised and basic rooms still in place, but the interiors are very tired and show damp, so it is not move-in ready. Dreamy as a cheap mountain retreat project, more than as an instantly livable wow home.
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, €900/m², falls in this band.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€11,000 – €20,000
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 interior restoration
- Visible damp/mildew and very dated finishes
- Shared rather than fully private woodland land
- Steep access and basic exterior setting
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 Tuscan-Emilian Apennines are the immediate setting here. The Secchia valley and the ridge zone around Monte Ventasso are within this area, and parts of the Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano lie nearby. Cerreto Laghi, with ski lifts, is the nearest ski area and is roughly a 20–30 minute drive depending on the hamlet. Castelnovo ne’ Monti is the nearest larger town of the district, with schools, shops and services. The area is known for mountain pasture, woodland, hiking and small Apennine villages.