Casale in Zeri
Cascinale immerso nel verde 1000m altitudine incontaminato dell' alta Toscana al confine con la Liguria a 12 km dalle 5 terre ideale come agriturismo,per amanti del trekking sentieri che si collegano all'alta via dei monti liguri e a 2 km dalla stazione sciistica di zum zeri
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Not before the basics are done
In the listingNeeds renovation- On the market for a long time
Must be done first
- Windows
See what needs doing and what each job costs
Asking €35,000 for 600 m² but the house “needs renovation” — estimated renovation €700/m² gives total cost ≈€455,000 or about €758/m², well above the local median €500/m². The site notes agriturismo/tourist potential, but this has been listed 2,387 days (stale listing), which lowers appeal.
More on the house and the area
Beautiful stone farmhouse setting on the Tuscan–Liguria highlands with scenic pastoral views and clear historic character. The main house appears roofed but several annexes and roofs need rebuilding — a charming project rather than a move-in-ready home.
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€119,000 – €211,000
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.
- Needs extensive renovation — listing and photos show outbuildings and parts of roofs in poor condition
- Some roofs/annexes appear collapsed or partially ruined
- Remote, high-altitude location so winter access/services and utility connections may be limited
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 68/100The cluster is in the upper Val di Vara on the Ligurian side of the Apennines, close to the Cisa ridge and the Tuscan-Emilian border. The Vara river basin and its wooded side valleys define the landscape here. The area touches the Parco Naturale Regionale di Montemarcello-Magra-Vara farther down the valley, but around Zeri itself the immediate surroundings are mainly mountain pasture, chestnut woods and Apennine hamlets. The nearest larger centres used for services are Pontremoli and Sarzana/La Spezia in different directions, with rail links and full everyday services outside the mountains. The area is known locally for upland pastures and scattered stone villages of Lunigiana and the upper Vara.