Autentica casa a schiera in un idilliaco borgo
Questa casa a schiera, indipendente su due lati, si trova nel piccolo borgo di Zarli, nel comune di Stazzema, a circa 1.000 metri di altitudine. Immersa in un suggestivo paesaggio montano, la proprietà offre un’esperienza abitativa autentica in un ambiente incontaminato, ideale per chi apprezza la natura e il fascino…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
At €45,000 for 55 sqm, the asking price is €818/sqm; with a typical habitable-home allowance of about €200/sqm, the effective cost is roughly €1,018/sqm versus a low-stock baseline of €650/sqm, so it is not cheap on numbers. Positives are the terrace, mountain views and authentic village setting, but the house is at 1,000 m altitude in a pedestrian borgo with no car access or parking, which limits demand and practicality.
More on the house and the area
This is a genuinely characterful little mountain house, with gorgeous old timber ceilings, rustic stone details and a sweet terrace facing green hills. Crucially, it is a real livable home rather than a shell: there is a fitted kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and heating already in place. The wow comes from authenticity and setting more than luxury, with the main trade-off being its tiny size and car-free, remote access.
Decoration, tired fittings, a bathroom or a kitchen. The house is liveable as it stands.
Our read of the photos is €200/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€4,000 – €6,000
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.
- Very small at 55 sqm with simple, basic rooms.
- Pedestrian-only access; the house is not reachable by car.
- Mountain borgo location at 1,000 m is beautiful but quite isolated.
- Interiors are habitable rather than polished, so some refreshing is likely.
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 first Apennine hills inland from the Versilia coast, with wooded ridges and narrow valleys. The Serchio valley lies nearby to the east, and the Apuan Alps rise within this radius, with higher limestone relief around the southern edge of the range visible from this part of the province. Much of the surrounding territory falls in or against the Parco Regionale delle Alpi Apuane. The nearest town of size is Lucca, which has a complete walled historic centre and full services. This area is known for chestnut woods, hill villages and stone-built settlements of the Lucchesia interior.