Terratetto unifamiliare in Castiglione di Garfagnana
Nel cuore della verde Garfagnana, in località Isola Valbona (Castiglione di Garfagnana), proponiamo in vendita una splendida casa di campagna in pietra. Grazie alla sua ottima disposizione e alla presenza di ampi spazi accessori, questa proprietà è la soluzione ideale sia come prima casa, sia come casa vacanze o…
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
At €65,000 for 115 sqm, the asking price is €565/sqm, but with a typical needs-renovation budget of about €700/sqm the effective cost is ~€1,265/sqm, far above the local baseline of €650/sqm. The main house is usable, but the extra 20 sqm dependance needs restoration and does not offset the high all-in cost.
More on the house and the area
The wooded Garfagnana setting gives it a pleasant mountain-country feel, and the large terrace plus separate little garden/dependance add real lifestyle potential. But the house shown is visually quite plain, with limited visible historic character, and this is a usable-but-dated home rather than an instantly dreamy one. It feels like a solid liveable base with charm and potential, not a scroll-stopping beauty.
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€23,000 – €41,000
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.
- Main house looks plain rather than photogenic despite the green mountain setting.
- Needs renovation and updating; only described as habitable, not turnkey.
- Dependance appears basic and likely needs significant restoration before real use.
- Outdoor space is split, with the garden/dependance about 50 m from the house.
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 78/100The Apuan Alps are within this area, and the northern Tuscan-Emilian Apennines frame the Garfagnana valley. The Serchio river runs through Garfagnana. The Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano lies nearby to the north, and the Parco Regionale delle Alpi Apuane is nearby to the southwest. The nearest ski area is at Careggine in the Garfagnana/Apuan side, with larger Abetone lifts farther away and not part of the immediate landscape. Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is the nearest town of size, with rail access, shops and services. Barga is nearby and is listed among I Borghi più belli d’Italia. This area is known for the Garfagnana mountain valley landscape, chestnut country, and fortified hill villages.