Villa in Frazione Messasca
Tipica casa in pietra ristrutturata nel cuore della Val Bognanco Se sogni una vera casa di montagna, ricca di fascino e pronta da vivere, questa caratteristica abitazione in località Messasca saprà conquistarti fin dal primo sguardo. Le antiche murature in pietra a vista, le travi in legno originali, il suggestivo camino e gli ambienti caldi e accoglienti creano...
What it really costs
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €79,000 for 94 sqm, the ask is about €840/sqm; with only light update risk for a described renovated stone house, the effective cost is roughly €940/sqm. That is far above this catalog's Piemonte villa baseline of €320/sqm, but the home appears genuinely livable, attractive, and well-presented (24 photos, terrace, mountain character), which keeps it in the good-not-cheap range rather than a bargain.
More on the house and the area
This is a genuinely atmospheric mountain stone house with exposed masonry, big old beams, a fireplace and a warm alpine feel that photographs beautifully. Crucially, it is not a shell: kitchen, bathroom, heating stove, finished floors and furnished rooms make it clearly usable now, even if some spaces are compact and rustic rather than polished. The small terrace/view over the rooftops and valley adds real dream value.
Decoration, tired fittings, a bathroom or a kitchen. The house is liveable as it stands.
Our read of the photos is €100/m². There is no published price band below €350/m², so the range is that figure widened by the spread of the lightest band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€3,000 – €5,000
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.
- Compact kitchenette and modest bathroom
- Steep internal stairs/loft access may not suit everyone
- Mountain hamlet setting may mean limited year-round convenience
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 cluster is in the Bognanco valley in the Lepontine Alps, with steep forested slopes, side hamlets and high ground rising toward the Swiss border. The Bogna stream runs down the valley to Domodossola and the upper Ossola basin. Part of the area falls within the Veglia-Devero Natural Park system, and the Alpe Monscera and San Bernardo areas give direct access to alpine pasture and hiking terrain above the valley. The nearest ski areas are small local lifts in the Ossola valleys and larger domains such as San Domenico, reached by a mountain drive of about 45 minutes from the valley floor. Domodossola is the nearest town of size, with rail links, shops, services and a substantial historic centre. The area is known for alpine spa history at Bognanco and for mountain walking routes into the Ossola high valleys.