Casale/cascina in Località Casa dei Gallini, Castiglione di Garfagnana,
Immagina di svegliarti ogni mattina circondato dal silenzio dei monti, in un borgo dove il tempo sembra essersi fermato. Situato a Chiozza, a 1.000 metri di altitudine, questo casale in pietra del 1800 è molto più di una casa: è un pezzetto di storia che aspetta solo di tornare a splendere. Gli spazi del vivere Con una…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
Asking €80,000 for 170 m² plus an estimated €200/m² to modernize systems yields an effective price of ≈€114,000 (≈€671/m²), ~34% above the local median of €500/m². The stone farmhouse is structurally sound with roof intact, lots of land and 34 photos, but it needs heating/impianti and cosmetic updates.
More on the house and the area
A solid 1800s stone casale with a huge panoramic Garfagnana view, private terraces/land and a charming wood‑oven — very photogenic outside and characterful inside. Structurally sound and habitable today, it needs heating and some modernisation but could become a dream mountain home at good value.
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€11,000 – €19,000
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.
- No central heating / electrics need modernising
- Access now via pedestrian lanes with no direct car parking (seller suggests creating parking)
- Only one bathroom and some upper/attic rooms need finishing or cosmetic work
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.