Rustico in Rossa
Nel cuore del paese, in una posizione caratteristica e ricca di fascino, proponiamo un'autentica baita tipica del Settecento, completamente indipendente e circondata da un terreno di proprietà di circa 250 mq. Un immobile dal grande valore storico e architettonico, ideale per chi desidera recuperare il sapore della…
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
Price is €35,000 for 160 sqm (€219/sqm), below the local stock baseline of €263/sqm, but the listing explicitly says completa ristrutturazione, so I estimate about €1,100/sqm renovation, making the effective cost roughly €1,319/sqm. The score stays decent because it is fully independent, central in the village, with land and strong character, but this is a heavy restoration project rather than a cheap livable home.
More on the house and the area
This has real mountain-borgo atmosphere, lovely stone character and a genuinely beautiful alpine setting with some land. But the photos show a full project rather than a livable home: dark empty interiors, rough upper floors and no visible finished bathroom or kitchen. Dreamy as a restoration vision, not yet as somewhere you could realistically move into.
All the services redone, bathrooms, kitchen, windows. The structure is left alone.
Turnkey, facade and insulation included.
Our read of the photos, €1,100/m², falls in this band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€63,000 – €94,000
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.
- Complete renovation needed; interiors are raw and partly derelict
- No bathroom or kitchen shown, so it is not currently a usable home
- Upper structure/roof areas look aged and may need major structural work
- Steep mountain setting and tight village access may limit easy everyday use
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 74/100The cluster is in the upper Valsesia under the Monte Rosa massif, with steep alpine valley sides, larch and beech woods, and scattered hamlets on terraces above the Sesia basin. The Sesia river system is the main water feature of the valley. The Alta Valsesia and Alta Val Strona area is protected as part of the Alta Valsesia and Alta Val Strona regional park. The nearest ski lifts are in the Alagna Valsesia sector of Monterosa Ski, roughly 30–40 minutes by road, with smaller local lifts historically in the valley. The nearest town of size is Varallo, which has services and the Sacro Monte di Varallo, a UNESCO site. The area is known for Walser settlements in the upper valley and for access toward Monte Rosa.