Terratetto unifamiliare in San Marcello Piteglio
La CASA DELLE TORRI Nel cuore di Popiglio, un piccolo borgo toscano immerso nella storia e nella tradizione, si trova LA CASA DELLE TORRI. Attraversando antiche viuzze lastricate in pietra, tipiche di questa terra unica, si raggiungono due appartamenti collegati da un ingresso comune per complessivi mq. 170…
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
Asking price is very low at €400/m², but the second unit needs renovation and still lacks a bathroom, so I estimate about €500/m² renovation over the usable 125 m², bringing the effective cost to roughly €900/m². That is above the local low-stock baseline of €650/m², but the property offers two units in a historic Tuscan village with services nearby, 50 photos, heating, cellar and panoramic views, which supports a solid but not standout score.
More on the house and the area
This has real borgo magic: a handsome stone townhouse in a historic Tuscan village beside a striking church, with mountain-roofscape views and authentic character. Crucially, it is not a ruin—part of the property looks basically usable now—but it is not fully turnkey because the second apartment needs substantial work and new bathroom installation. At €50k, the beauty-to-price ratio is very appealing.
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.
Our read of the photos, €500/m², falls in this band.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€15,000 – €25,000
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.
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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.
- Only one of the two units appears ready-ish to use; the upper apartment needs real renovation and a bathroom to be created.
- Interiors shown are simple rather than spectacular, with dated finishes.
- No private parking; public parking is about 100 m away.
- Steep stone-lane access may be inconvenient for daily loading/unloading.
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 Serchio valley with the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines close around it. The Lima river runs through Bagni di Lucca and joins the Serchio nearby. The area is known for wooded valleys and historic thermal baths. Within about 15 km, the nearest larger centre is Borgo a Mozzano, which has services and the Ponte della Maddalena, known as the Devil's Bridge. Lucca is the main city for a wider range of services but it is farther away and does not affect the score. The nearest ski terrain is on the Abetone side of the Apennines, well beyond the local radius and reached by a substantial mountain drive.