properties umbria

Eurochocolate Perugia 2012

2012-10-25T02:06:00.001-07:00

The Eurochocolate festival of Perugia is the biggest chocolate celebration in Europe. www.eurochocolate.com

From 18th to 28th October 2012 Perugia - This year's edition of the popular Eurochocolate event will run in Perugia from October 18th to 28th, with an innovative thematic take on the established programme that will concentrate on social networking and smartphone app technology. Info: info@eurochocolate.com.

www.umbriaonline.com

UMBRIA FILM FESTIVAL, MONTONE, ITALY - THIS WEEK

2012-07-10T03:03:00.001-07:00

The 16th year of festivities in this tiny and delightful walled hilltop city. One of the ten most beautiful towns in Italy. This year Ralph Fiennes is being presented with the Keys to the City for his contributions to world cinematography. The Italian cinema has had innumerable international successes in the last 60 years, and many of them are examined in detail on the site www.reelstreets.com where the locations are discovered and comparative then and now photographs show the changes in architecture, street furniture, vehicles, clothes, styles and food and feeding habits, a celluloid social survey. The accommodations offered at www.villamoscatelli.com and www.lapreghiera.com are of an excellent standard, and are only some 12km distant, and for a really long stay the properties at Palazetto, on the site www.propertiesumbria.com are worth investigating, and are only some two km from the town centre of Montone. Films, spaghetti, wine, sunshine and classical Italian countryside hospitality will make this Umbrian Film Festival another classic.

Pasqua in Umbria

2012-03-28T02:56:00.001-07:00

Siamo tutti in attesa delle festività pasquali in Alta Valle del Tevere, in Umbria Italia
e nella nostra lussuosa e accogliente “Gues house” con 9 camere da letto,
Residenza d'Epoca La Preghiera, un monastero del XII, un complesso recentemente ristrutturato, circondato di un splendido giardino,
dove abbiamo felicita e onore d’offrire un soggiorno di due o tre giorni ad un prezzo speciale per l’apertura della stagione di 75 Euro a persona a notte, colazione inclusa. L'offerta è per due camere lussuose e confortevoli con il bagno, per due notti, o una camera per 3 notti.
Vi chiediamo di consultare il nostro website www.lapreghiera.com
e contattare via e-mail per una richiesta di prenotazione al info@lapreghiera.com

Ogni città e villaggio sta preparando manifestazioni gastronomiche, culturali e religiose, tra cui sfilate serali drammatiche & religiose in costumi medievali a Cortona, Mercatale, Gubbio, Perugia, Umbertide, Montone, Città di Castello e Assisi il Venerdì 6 aprile.

Concerti di musica classica e cori si esibiranno in moltissime chiese il Sabato e Domenica 7 e 8 aprile, con l’ingresso libero.

Il weekend si concluderà con i festeggiamenti pasquali e cibi tradizionali di Pasquetta .

I dettagli degli eventi si possono trovare sugli website d’ ogni città.

Per chi desiderasse prolungare il soggiorno sino a una settimana offriamo uno splendido cottage Self Catering www.villamoscatelli.com da 900 Euro a settimana per un bellissimo cottage complessivo di una cucina , soggiorno e l’uso di una splendida camera matrimoniale, 1500 Euro a settimana per stessa villa ma con uso di 3 camere da letto, con possibilità di ospitare da 6 a 8 persone.

Il complesso si trova sulla strada privata e tranquilla ma asfaltata, con facile accesso, a 400 metri dal villaggio Calzolaro e cinque minuti dall'uscita Promano della E45
Siamo a meta strada tra Roma e Firenze, vicini a Perugia, Gubbio, Cortona, Assisi, Montone, Città di Castello e Umbertide

La Preghiera è disponibile anche per i matrimoni nella cappella privata situata nel giardino, seguita dalla reception . Per i dettagli www.weddingsumbria.com

Ci sono splendide passeggiate in campagna, e ottimi ristoranti a gestione familiare, sia in città che in campagna, distanti cinque minuti in auto o a piedi.

I borghi medioevali finalmente stanno prendendo la vita con i fiori che sbocciano, dopo un lungo freddo e pieno di neve inverno.

Venite numerosi a partecipare alla rinascita e caricare le pile con l’energia del sole caldo il cielo azzurro, dove l'unico rumore che troverete è il canto degli uccelli!

Liliana Tunstill

La Preghiera

Calzolaro, PG

Easter in Umbria

2012-03-27T07:48:00.002-07:00

We are looking forward now to the Easter festivities in the Upper Tiber Valley, in Umbria, Italy and at our luxury 9 bedroom guest house, Residenza d’Epoca La Preghiera, a XII century small monastery elegantly restored and set in beautiful grounds, we are offering a two or three day stay at a special start of season price of 75 Euro per person per night, including breakfast. The offer is for two en-suite sunny rooms for two nights, or one room for 3 nights, any day during the month of April, subject to availability. Please see our website www.lapreghiera.com and email us for a booking enquiry. Longer stays also available.

Each town and village is preparing gastronomic, cultural and religious events, which include impressive and dramatic evening religious parades in medieval costume with huge bonfires en-route in Cortona, Mercatale, Gubbio, Perugia, Umbertide, Montone, Citta di Castello and Assisi on Friday 6th April.

Classic concerts and choirs will be performing in many of the churches on Saturday and Sunday 7th and 8th April, with free entry.

The weekend will culminate with Easter festivities and traditional food on Easter Monday.

Specific details of the events can be found on the websites of each town.

If you would like to extend your stay, or can’t make it to Umbria for the Easter weekend, you will receive a warm welcome at La Preghiera at any other time, for your early B/B Spring holiday, or for a week’s stay at the luxury cottage in the same grounds, see Villa Moscatelli on www.villamoscatelli.com from 900 Euro per week (1 bedroom) to 1500 Euro per week (3 bedrooms).

We are situated on a quiet private road with easy access, 400 metres from the village and five minutes drive from the Promano exit on the E45 north-south route half way between Florence and Rome.

La Preghiera is also available for weddings in the chapel situated in the garden, followed by the reception afterwards. Extra accommodation for guests available. www.weddingsumbria.com

There are wonderful country walks, and very good family run restaurants in the towns or the countryside, within a five minute drive or walking distance.

The medieval hilltop villages are coming alive with flowers and bustle after a long snowy winter.

Come and join in the re-birth and energize in the warm sun and clear blue skies, where the only noise is the bird song !

Liliana Tunstill

La Preghiera

Calzolaro, PG

HOW TO BUY A PROPERTY IN ITALY or even…UMBRIA

2012-03-06T00:51:00.001-08:00

Firstly, obviously, you've got to find the right property, and equally important you've got to find the right area. Italy is really a number of independent states roughly joined together by almost the same language, and just buying into any old area may not be the best thing to do. Have a few days holiday in some of the locations that appeal. Want all-night disco dancing and falling down drunk? Then perhaps Umbria isn't for you. No, not perhaps, definitely. And what is idyllic for a couple of weeks lazy holiday could become something of a bore when you want your computer repaired and the only way is to ship it out on the back of a mule! Explore the area, how do the locals regard you, what are the shops like, how many iron bars are there on ground floor windows, how many burnt out cars and derelict factories can be seen, is there a motorway for easy access, or escape, where can you fly from, are there buses and trains, and would you worry about your mother being left alone in the town centre after dark when the wheel has fallen off your car?

So, you've settled on an area, but can you afford it? Look in the windows of the local estate agents, look at the pages in this site, look on the internet, and, unless you can speak Italian, you'll need to find someone who can explain in your own language what is going on. So, a local agent. How long have they been in business, how many English speaking clients have they got, can you meet some of them, how many houses have they sold, and how many client accounts are they handling, and have handled?

No, I'm really serious, here you are about to commence upon one of the more exciting or frightening things that maybe you've ever done in your life, in a foreign language, with foreign law; and, for you stay at home Brits, even foreign money, and you're about to hand over perhaps a quarter of a million Euro on the strength of a bright smile, and all without investigating the background of this person.

Where will they meet you, do they have an office, and where do they live? Old bright eyes may meet you in the lobby of your hotel because "You'll get lost in the maze of small streets". A map perhaps? He/she will meet you at the bar, the motorway exit or the town square, "It's nearer to the house/s that we're going to look at". But if they have no substance what's to stop them doing a runner with your money? Your cash isn't paid to a lawyer, but to the agent, and, because you'll want to save fees, taxes and the like, it's often paid in cash, which the agent will hopefully pay on to the vendor. And, you're not paying down a silly £100.00 deposit as a show of goodwill, good faith etc, No you're paying between 25 and 33% of the purchase cost…………which is a lot of money. Beware.

So, this dream house you're looking for, be realistic about your budget, there really are very few bargains waiting for you to come along, if it was such a good buy someone else would have already bought it. The agent will often have a queue of people just waiting to press their hard earned cash into his hands, in order to buy this piece of real estate that he has set your heart on, but no, he won't sell to them, he likes you, so would rather you had it, but you'll have to hurry! Beware.

Take your time, make a comparative listing of points out of ten for shape and possibilities; size and maybe enlargement; position, whether it is high or low, near or far, and the condition of the roads, and what they'll be like in winter; and lastly the price, which is often in proportion to the size, and, if it's too cheap there is bound to be a reason. And, really lastly, the heart factor, why does one fall in love? The feelings, the vibes, the intangibles, these too are important. Take lots of photos and give each house an easy name so that you can remember it later.

So, you've selected the property, checked the agent, paid the deposit, signed the Compromesso, the formal Act of Agreement; and now you are really compromised to buy, for if you don't, you'll lose your deposit, yes, all of it. If however the seller can't really sell you the house by the appointed day, more or less, he has to give you all your money back, plus a 100% forfeit. So both sides have to think long and hard before they sign and pay or accept, the money. Oh, by the way, did old bright-eyes give you a written or printed list of all the fees that you will be expected to pay on the day of the sale? He didn't? How remiss of him, obviously an oversight. You are responsible for the surveyor's fees, the lawyer's fees, the VAT or IVA, the Registry Office fees, the agent's commission, and, unless someone else has already paid, all and any back taxes due on the property, and in a few cases a mortgage could not have been fully cleared, or extinguished. Beware.

So, the house is bought and paid for, you've paid everyone who has asked you and now you want to get cracking rebuilding your house. Sorry, I know it's a bit late, but did bright-eyes get agreements from adjacent property owners to the effect that they have renounced all claims to your land and garden? Why? Because adjoining contatini, farmers, do have the right to buy any land sold AFTER the Public Act has been completed, and at the price declared on the Public Act, which is often a lot less than the real price that you actually paid. Remember how keen you were to agree to defraud the tax authorities so as to keep your VAT, registration costs, legal and other fees as low as possible?

Sorry about that, but now you really are ready to start, but aspetta, wait, stop, permissions are needed for everything you intend to do in or around your house, garden or land. You have got these of course, haven't you? Various levels of bureaucrats exist; some even in uniforms, and with guns; who are there to help, or hinder, assist, or confuse, sympathise or penalise, and all of them to cost you money, for permissions or fines. Said money re-circulates in order to keep them, the bureaucrats, more than fully employed, and have their wages paid. Here is where your friendly surveyor starts to earn his keep. He/she who, hopefully, can speak English should have discussed the restoration or refurbishment of the property long before it was bought and sold. The applications can't be lodged until the property is in your name, but, to save some time, can be drawn up well in advance, and can be discussed at local planning level. These documents will seemingly take for ever to arrive, but, once in your hand you can start work, which we'll do in the next nail-biting, cliff-hanging episode.

Or, to save you some time, come and look for yourself, and ask all the difficult questions.

2012 International Wine Tourism Conference & Workshop in Perugia, Umbria

2012-01-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

The 4th Annual International Wine Tourism Conference & Workshop will be held in the city of Perugia in the rustic central Italian region of Umbria on Jan 30 – Feb 2, 2012.

Three days with over 40 talks, presentations, panel discussions and workshops combined with opportunities to taste world class wines makes this an experience not to be missed.

IWINETC is the leading international event for the Wine tourism industry taking place from Monday 30th January to Wednesday 1st February 2012 in the stunning city of Perugia, Umbria, Italy.

For more info visit: www.iwinetc.com
http://www.italialiving.com/articles/food-wine/2012-international-wine-tourism-conference-workshop-in-perugia-umbria/

Italian Property Market Predictions for 2012

2012-01-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

This week we talk to Italian Property expert, Linda Travella, to understand what to expect in the Italian property market in 2012.

I see the market for buying property in Italy staying buoyant for the first 2 quarters of 2012. We already have clients booking to view property for sale in Italy, in January, which is something that does not happen every year, as it is normally a quiet month. The last quarter of 2011 is the busiest it has been for 4 years with a surprising amount of enquires and sales of Italian property. These are not all coming from the UK but from an international clientele, including clients from Russia, Canada, USA, Norway, Switzerland etc. The most buoyant market is from €350.000 to €500.000 and then €750.000 upwards, with various clients in the bracket over €1.000.000.

In general clients are realizing that they will receive less income by putting their savings in the bank or pensions and have seen over the years that by investing in the right type of real estate in Italy they can obtain rental income whilst using the property themselves. We suggest that to obtain a reasonable capital return, clients keep their Italian property for 3 years but 5 years would be optimum as there is no capital gains tax in Italy after 5 years.

I believe that the first quarter of 2012 will show the same sort of levels of interest as the last quarter of 2011 in Italy, save major economic worldwide issues. I am finding that UK clients that have been interested and viewed in the past are returning to purchase as the sterling is stronger against the Euro. If this continues in 2012 I feel that more UK clients may return in the middle and lower price bracket but I see the higher end of the market continuing to fare the best with UK and international clientele.

Other overseas markets

There is a very mix bag of markets at the moment with clients looking for bargains in Spain and finding them, and the American market seeing an improvement. France is fairly quiet with some good buys to be found on the Coté d’Azur. If you are feeling brave you could try Greece whilst Turkey has seen a downturn in the last 3 years which has not yet recovered.

****

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy-featured/property-review/italian-property-market-predictions-2012

Antiques

2011-12-15T02:39:00.000-08:00

Strange the requests that we get when attempting to run businesses here in middle Italy. Several recently from people restoring houses, here in Umbria, in the US and also in England, from people requiring original farming and countryside implements, tools and equipment.
We've gathered together some 80 pieces, hand tools, farming machinery, wine making equipment, kitchen ware and the like.
Some photos are attached and if you'd like a list, with prices, let us know.

PROPERTY PRICES

2011-09-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a couple of clients recently who have been disturbed by the increase in prices of my properties. They tell me that there is a crisis and therefore prices shouldn’t increase. I’ve explained to them that they have had almost three years to get their act together, get off the fence and put their money where there mouths are. But no, three years after many of my prices were halved they are still thinking about a possible purchase.

I have explained many times that country properties in Umbria, of a family size, about 150 sqmt are now exceedingly difficult to find, and as for one with a vineyard, cypress-tree-lined drive and a few outbuildings for a knock-down price, forget it. Prices in this area are underpinned by the peasant farmers who still own much of the stock, crises don’t worry them, they live off the land, and they know that Rossi or Verdi or Giuseppi, over the hill, four years ago got X millions ( they still talk in Lire) for his house, and, often with an impressive thump on the table, with a fist, they won’t take a penny less!

There are no new houses allowed to be built in the local countryside at all, under any circumstances, ever! And that is that. However one could buy a much larger building than is required, enlarge it, which is legal, divide it, sell half and see a good return on one’s investment, either restored or not.

Property is a commodity, like gold, rare earths, cocoa and maize. The only difference being, because of the variety of influences which affect property prices, there is no global price, it can’t be listed on the stock exchange and it doesn’t fluctuate on a minute-to-minute basis, but it does rise and fall according to supply and demand.

If I own twenty equal houses and sell one of them then I have realised 5% of my assets, but the market for houses is still buoyant, so I imagine I’m allowed to increase the price of the other houses by 5% because the stock is 5% more rare and there are customers out there.

If however I only have the twenty original houses and I look upon them as my pension fund, then I only need to sell one a year for the next twenty years to keep me in the necessities of what pensioners require, a pair of slippers, a pot of tea and the TV Times. But in twenty years what will be the value of your pound, dollar, rand or euro?

As the value of money decreases, so the value of commodities increase, unless there is a glut in production, or new methods of production are discovered. And this is why lots of people are now, at this very late stage investing in gold, which is still priced in US dollars which have lost some 50% of their value against an apparently shaky Euro, during the last five years. And that is why the prices of my properties, my investments have, and are, continuing to increase.

But no one berated me when the prices went down. I wonder why?

Would you like a copy of property prices in the Upper Tiber Valley of Umbria over the last quarter century? Also of monetry values over the same period for your currency, compared to the others, and gold?

Italian “Spys”

2011-07-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, Spys, not spies. This refers to a collection of caricatures produced by Leslie Ward, for the Vanity Fair company, between the 1860’s and 1914, and he used “Spy” as his trade mark. Carlo Pellegrini also produced a prolific amount of work and his Vanity Fair cartoons are signed “Ape”.
Many of these illustrations now command high prices, and a good selection are to be found in La Preghiera, www.lapreghiera.com.
An enlarged history of these fabulous works is contained in www.soldierssoldiers.com, under prints and postcards.
And why Italian Spys? Well, Pellegrini was Italian, and Vanity Fair produced sketches of a number of notable Italians, including King Emannuelle, the Duke of Aosta, men of the day, ambassadors, visitors, musicians and artists, and our businesses are in Umbria, Italy.

What would you do with a million if you won the lottery?

2011-07-20T04:04:00.000-07:00

So, they asked, “What would you do with a million if you won the lottery”?

What indeed? Keep it under the bed? In a tin box in the garden shed? In pounds, dollars or euro? Buy gold? Silver? Rare earths? Invest in shares?

It really is a bit of a problem.

Gold is now higher than it ever was, when priced in dollars, but, as the dollar has lost some 50% of its buying power in the last 5 years, where does that leave the true value of gold. Look back over the last 20 years, to the last price spike and you will see that the return on investment over that period is only some 3.5%. Big deal! Silver seems a better bet, but the price is controlled by a very efficient cartel, a silver Mafia, so what chance do you stand? Rare earths, what do you know about them, can you buy it by the bagful, or do you need to invest in shares through a broker? Perhaps Bernie Madoff could advise you, or Goldman Sachs who are currently under investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission for all sorts of shenanigans. And what about all those tungsten bars that may well be in the middle of the world’s gold reserves.

Dollars values are falling almost as quickly as they can print them, with the Asians getting rid of suitcases-full in European property purchases, See Richard Ellis’ and Savilles’ reports. Pounds too are falling fast and are now approaching parity with the Euro. The Euro, even with the Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Irish and Spanish problems remains strong, and the prospects of more Mediterranean countries joining the EEC shortly will only increase the market for home grown goods. The really fantastic news that Russia and Europe will take down border controls and abolish visas within the next five years will add several tens of millions of prospective consumers to Europe. But, yes, money ain’t what it used to be. And in five years time the value of a Euro will be less than it is today, and that’s called inflation.

The Americans and British are spending squillions on wars in foreign countries, and are killing lots of people, when their own poor are poorer, when their hospitals and schools need more funding and their politicians become more and more inept, corrupt and self seeking.

Throughout modern history, since the Industrial Revolution, money has been generated by the land owners, who branched into property, then manufacturing, and later, retail trading. High Street retail is being hit by on-line buying, and manufacturing undercut by the Asians, but property still seems to be king. Again, see Ellis’ and Savilles’ reports of Asian investment in prime city centre commercial properties. Rents can be adjusted to allow for the depreciations of inflation, fiat, or paper promises, but dollars, pounds and euro cannot be re-valued, upgraded or inflated.

So, OK, a million is what you asked about investing, so city centre prime commercial properties are not for you, so what then? USA…………mmmmm, no! UK………..mmmm, no! Europe…….mmmm, mebbee. But which part? Spain and Portugal, sure if you want wall to wall drunken holidaymakers, but then for that you could go to Cancun, or many of the Mediterranean islands. In France and Germany, the climate isn’t too good, and in newly joined EEC countries, the language, the law, the culture, mmmmm? So really it comes down to Italy.

The area south of Roma is too difficult to cope with, n’Draga, Camorra and Mafia do exist, they are not just on the films or in Chicago. The sea-sides are every bit as crowded as anywhere else with Germans, Brits, Dutch, Scandinavians, Russians and Ukranians slowly cooking with a thin layer of basting. The north of Italy is surprisingly wet with the average rainfall in Milan being slightly higher than Manchester. Which leaves the middle, the old Holy Roman Empire, Lazio, which is full of Romans, Tuscany which is full of Brits; so much so that it is often referred to as Chiantieshire; and the Marche, full of mountains, ravines and sea-side strips which are rapidly being over developed, like Spain and Portugal. Which really only leaves Umbria, which with hills or mountains on all sides, no seaboard, no navigable rivers, no real railways, and, until recently no highways, motorways or airports. Undiscovered by the masses, and still full of traditional charm and courtesy, with its own culture of respect, hospitality and cuisine. The birthplace of western art, and Giotto, Rafaello, Michaelangelo, Luca Signorelli, Piero della Francesca all lived, worked and painted in Umbria. And if it wasn’t for that little scrap of a man, Saint Francis, the Christian religion, with the cruel, vindictive, overpowering and corrupt church fathers, would have gone down the tubes long ago.

Why Italy generally, well all musical terms, many musical instruments and a huge amount of composers came from this country, Marco Polo and Columbus, started here, the word opera, which means work, is adopted world wide. Design, food and motor cars all helped to create Italy as a cultural centre.

In Umbria, and our Upper Tiber Valley, no new building permits in the countryside are issued, have been issued in the last twenty five years and won’t be issued in the future, If one has an existing building, a plot, or a ruin, one can rebuild, and enlarge if required and as they ain’t making any more medieval ruins, and lots of people would like one, the pressure is on the existing stock, and rarity multiplied by desirability is what causes prices to increase.

Or you could put your money into stocks, shares or bonds………..or back a horse……or, a couple of weeks ago, invested in Murdoch.

But better still, invest in Umbria.

See also the April blog on www.propertiesumbria.com

Events

2011-07-17T01:44:00.000-07:00

Well it seems you missed the Umbria Jazz Festival, held in Perugia last week, Prince, BB King, Sergio Mendes and Liza Minelli headed the cast, and dozens of other groups appeared, played and performed in concerts, in the open air, on street corners and in the piazzas.

You also missed the Bonsciano Fly-In. Light aircraft and enthusiasts converged on Umbria a couple of weeks ago for a three day festival. Great stuff if you like small planes.

The Perugia International Chocolate Festival is coming up in the Autumn, so try not to miss that as well.

So, are you still sitting on the fence and watching your money disappear?

2011-06-28T01:06:00.000-07:00

Bernanke wants to increase the debt level of the USA, which will, once again, devalue the dollar, and the pound; with the Uk “special relationship”, which means going to war, and buying squillions of US bonds. The biggest foreign holders of U.S. treasury bonds are China, Japan, and the UK.

Have you ever studied, read about, or even know or care about the collapse of the Weimar Republic, Zimbabwe currency or the Argentine currency debacle? Bernanke of course is the Fed Head, the man who said don’t worry about the value of the dollar, we can always print more and ship in more paper money by helicopter!!!

"The U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at no cost." (He referred to a statement made by Milton Friedman about using a "helicopter drop" of money into the economy to fight deflation.) Bernanke's critics have since referred to him as "Helicopter Ben" or to his "helicopter printing press." Bernanke / Wikipedia.

I hope we all know and understand that if you have an economy of a certain size and a given amount of money, and you increase that amount of money, then each unit of money is worth less, continued increases in the money supply, “fiscal easing” or “quantitative easing”, makes the money worth less and less, until it really is
- worthless.

So, to reality, you’ve got no spare money, you’re concerned for the future, but you still want a property in Umbria, central Italy, and this is where it began, you visited my website, www.propertiesumbria.com and liked what you saw.

Some of you even visited, and stayed at www.lapreghiera.com or even www.villamoscatelli.com whilst viewing houses and the surrounding countryside.

But, I hear you mumble, property is also a risk. Absolutely, but here in the Upper Tiber Valley of Umbria, we can’t build anything new in the countryside. We have a fixed, finite and limited amount of historical and original buildings scattered about the area that we can remodel and restore. This is our economy, and, in any economy, if more people want a certain item, and one can’t make more of them, then the pressure on the available few items; in our case, buildings; eventually forces up the price. And, if the worst came to the worst you could always live in it and plant potatoes, tomatoes and chickens, and survive. Try building a house out of paper, paper money, dollar bills or pound notes.

A house we made earlier, and intend to do again with 004 Casetta, and also 889 Meotti, once we’ve finished the 930’s series of houses at Palazetto, Montone, is on site 009 Pian di Marte, and at a good price.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll take the plunge, before the deluge of fiat money overwhelmes you.

Hope so. See you soon in sunny Umbria.

And remember, sitting on the fence can give you splinters....you know where.

VALUES

2011-06-20T03:15:00.000-07:00

Gold, cash, money, silver, property.

There are various interpretations of the word value. There is the value of human relationships, family values, religious values and moral values, all of which, I’m informed, are gradually crumbling away.
Then there is the value of the freedom of speech, maybe this is a moral value, but it is a value that many people do not have, but with the coming of computers and the internet, mobile phones and digital cameras, this freedom is seriously impinging the power of the dictators. Mubarak, Egypt; Bashar, Syria; Gaddafi, Libya; Thein Sein, Burma; Mugabe, Zimbabwe; Salih, Yemen; and all the rest, and even in Italy the press is not completely free, and is mainly controlled by the premier “Bunga Bunga” Berlusconi.
This later value is fine for the philosophers, politicians and newscasters, but doesn’t relate to the value that is of the greatest worldwide interest, the value of money. Call it specie, fiat, bullion, stock, shares or bonds, this aspect of money has more daily column inches in the press than any of the other values combined, ergo greatest world-wide interest..
But, what is the real value of these flimsy and ephemeral articles on which we base our belief for our future, our children’s future, and that of generations as yet not considered. Bullion, generally regarded as the greatest hedge, and the safest investment, suddenly, in mid-May lost some 17% of its value. Safe? Whoops!
We are running out of fuels, sea levels are rising, food prices are becoming beyond the reach of the poor, and the big financial houses, when interest rates are so low, still have the power to charge 30% or more interest on debts incurred with credit cards. These same banks, which include Barclays, UBS, Citigroup and Bank of America, are all under serious investigation, for insider communications, by the various financial regulatory bodies. The Santander bank; remember the old Abbey National; is in such difficulties that in many parts of South America, if you apply for one of their credit cards you can obtain discounts on goods subsequently purchased, of up to 50%. This discount isn’t given by the shopkeeper, but it is a desperate attempt on behalf of the bank to keep bringing in cash and increasing their customer base.
The MBNA bank, and others, by skilful manipulation of the terms and conditions which none of us ever bother to read, now have a scheme in which your minimum monthly payment no longer covers the interest charged, which means you will pay forever if you can’t break the cycle.
So, apart from taking to the streets, attacking financial institutions, declaring bankruptcy or creating some form of mayhem, which doesn’t help the situation, but for a while is a great way to let off steam, what can one do? The poor, unhappily, can do nothing except gradually become overwhelmed by a mountain of debt and monthly repayments, which will probably follow them to the grave.
The value of British money verses the Euro; remember a few years ago when the Brits used to scoff at Euroland, and the Yanks would ask “ How much is that in real money”; has fallen by almost 50% in the past half dozen years. The US money is even worse off. Ah, you say, what about Greece and Portugal? What about them? Have you seen the figures for children living, or existing, below the poverty line? The once great, I use the diminutive, Britain, is amongst the worst of the European nations. Charity should begin at home.
The pound and the dollar are still falling, despite all the dire predictions about the break-up, or breakdown, of Europe and its monetary system. And, what is more, the buying power of the Euro ain’t what it used to be either, food, fuel and the general cost of living continue to rise.
So, lets take gold or silver, no, you take them, look at the 30 year track record and you’ll see what rotten investments they really are, yes, they’re at an all time high, when based on dollars, which are at an all time low. Imagine the paper profit you could have made if your gold was priced in Zimbabwean money. You’d be a squillionaire! But of course, as I mentioned, these commodities fell back by seventeen and a half percent in early May. Did you buy on the way up or sell on the way down?
Maybe you’d be better off backing a horse, or buying shares in Parmalat or Enron, or bonds from Bernie Madoff.
Seriously though, bricks and mortar are still really your best bet, but bricks and mortar, not plasterboard on pinewood frames stapled together and covered with tar-paper. But where to buy? Florida has ten years supply of houses waiting to be sold, in dollars, so prices will probably remain low for years to come. They also have tornados. Spain has more houses, with or without planning permission, or gas, or water, or electricity, or drainage, than they know what to do with. North Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey have language, law and culture so very different to Western Europe that it is not easy to communicate, or to understand, notwithstanding their revolutions.
So, we’re left with France and Italy. If you’re happy with the superior French attitude, then fine, but of course all the really desirable parts were snapped up years ago, long before “A Year in Provence” became so popular among the straw-hated, rugby-shirted, crimplene-clad English. Which leaves Italy. The north is either wet or sticky, Milan has more rain than Manchester. Calabria and the south are booming, Jerry and his builders are slapping up houses on every available plot, with, or in some cases, possibly without, the required and necessary documentation. Tuscany suffers from a glut of Brits, Germans and Americans, which is fine if you want to start your own small ghetto of like-minded nationals, but has suffered so much from the publicity attracted by “Under the Tuscan Sun”, that a riposte has been written by a local native Italian called “Under Too Much Tuscan Sun”.
So where then? Umbria, that’s where. Still for the most part old fashioned, low key, traditional and honest, with many of the values that some of you are looking for. Still undiscovered by the mass of tourists. The birthplace of Western art and responsible for the re-birth, the renaissance, of Western religion. Mass developments for tourists don’t exist, only pre-existing properties can be restored, no green-field sites are available for speculators and therefore the existing property values remain constant.
Most properties for sale in the countryside are owned by local farmers, who generally inherited them from their families twenty, thirty or more years ago, and if the price they want isn’t currently available, then they’ll wait until it is. After all they’ve waited half a lifetime so far, and another few years won’t make any difference. The prices therefore remain steady and the old equation of desirability / availability remains in force. As long as more people want an item than there are items available then the price / value remains. There are untold amounts of paper money in the world which the people in charge really do not want, so it falls in value, the reverse is true of property in the green heart of Italy. ”Showcased”, to use an unfortunate phrase in popular usage, on the site www.propertiesumbria.com.
And, if it all goes really wrong, at least you can shelter from the storm in a stone-built late medieval house, rather than wrapping yourself in paper money, or burning it to keep warm, or even using a gold brick for a pillow.

John Tunstill 2011

The cost of property

2011-05-26T06:01:00.001-07:00

The cost of property in our area, North Umbria is, after a two year slump, recovering. Easter saw a steady trickle of prospective house buyers anxious to secure bargains before the prices took off again. How about booking a property weekend based at La Preghiera, discussions, site visits, questions and answers.

Maybe property isn’t for you, but perhaps religion and history is. St Francis, lived and worked just down the road in Asissi, and passed up and down the Tiber Valley between his workplace and the isolated monastery of La Verna. We have many churches and religious buildings in the area and the church of La Preghiera, built on Roman, if not Etruscan, temple foundations is often used for the most wonderful and romantic weddings. The site www.weddingsumbria.com gives full details and suggestions whilst accommodation in La Preghiera or Villa Moscatelli will provide rooms to satisfy the most discerning traveller.

Not too far from La Verna is Caprese Michaelangelo where the great man was born. He learned his trade from a small man in Perugia, Perugino. Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Rafaello and Lucca Signorelli all lived and laboured in our area and may well have banged on the door of La Preghiera looking for work. They were only, then, journeyman painters after all, and would undertake commissions for bed and board. Art treasures from the time of the Etruscans up until today are scattered throughout Umbria in galleries and churches. An artistic weekend could just be the boost you need to continue the year.
If not religion, or even art, then maybe architecture. The evidence remains within twenty kilometres between Sansepulcro, Citta’ di Castello, Gubbio, Umbertide, Perugia and Cortona. Etruscan, Roman, medieval, renaissance, empire, fascist and modern, both secular and ecclesiastical architecture, local churches and monasteries, castles and keeps.

George Clooney, they tell me: if he escapes the falling pianos; lives up the road, in Venice, and will soon start on a mass murder film about the serial killer of Florence. The Monster of Firenze, but I don’t know if Georgie is a goody, or a baddy. Maybe we’ll see some comparative location shots on www.reelstreets.com one day where they already have some 500 films examined with about 14,000 stills.

Something for everyone in fact, and La Preghiera itself was started before records commenced and was finished a few years before Columbus set sail to find the Americas which the Chinese had discovered seventy years before, probably in 1421. Have you read the book?

British Pound leapt up 5 cent against the Euro this Week

2011-05-23T03:52:00.001-07:00

The Pound has jumped back up from a 13 month low of 1.10 up to 1.15, benefiting from higher levels of UK inflation (leading investors to increase their expectation of a currency boosting interest rate hike from the Bank of England) as well as Euro weakness, as the Greek debt crisis hits the headlines with renewed vigour. This difference enables us, through our currency partners, to obtain an extra €10,700 (12/5/11) for a client looking to transfer £200,000 to buy a house in Europe, or for any other reason. Email us for details.

Or, you could go to the High Street banks, and get the worst rate possible, and then a further undisclosed charge when the back office processes the transaction. Better by far are the British Post Office, clear clean rates, no hidden charges, cash in your hand, and a saving of over £800.00 on a € 10,000 exchange!

Aussie Dollars at all time high against the Euro.

Considerable savings to be made by trading your Dollars now if you are planning a holiday in Umbria or anywhere else in Europe. Highest rates now being achieved by our banking friends. Contact us for money saving details. You don’t need to book a holiday with us at lapreghiera.com or villa moscatelli.com or even buy a house from us at propertiesumbria.com or get married through weddingsumbria.com in order to benefit from safe and regulated currency transactions, not handled by the High Street banks, and not through high-rental City of London firms.

British Pound leapt up 5 cent against the Euro this Week

2011-05-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

The cost of property in Umbria

2011-05-23T03:41:00.001-07:00

The cost of property in our area, North Umbria is, after a two year slump, recovering. Easter saw a steady trickle of prospective house buyers anxious to secure bargains before the prices took off again. How about booking a property weekend based at La Preghiera, discussions, site visits, questions and answers.

Maybe property isn’t for you, but perhaps religion and history is. St Francis, lived and worked just down the road in Asissi, and passed up and down the Tiber Valley between his workplace and the isolated monastery of La Verna. We have many churches and religious buildings in the area and the church of La Preghiera, built on Roman, if not Etruscan, temple foundations is often used for weddings. The site www.weddingsumbria.com gives full details and suggestions whilst accommodation in La Preghiera or Villa Moscatelli will provide rooms to satisfy the most discerning traveller.

Not too far from La Verna is Caprese Michaelangelo where the great man was born. He learned his trade from a small man in Perugia, Perugino. Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Rafaello and Lucca Signorelli all lived and laboured in our area and may well have banged on the door of La Preghiera looking for work. They were only, then, journeyman painters after all, and would undertake commissions for bed and board. Art treasures from the time of the Etruscans up until today are scattered throughout Umbria in galleries and churches. An artistic weekend could just be the boost you need to continue the year.

If not religion, or even art, then maybe architecture. The evidence remains within twenty kilometres between Sansepulcro, Citta’ di Castello, Gubbio, Umbertide, Perugia and Cortona. Etruscan, Roman, medieval, renaissance, empire, fascist and modern, both secular and ecclesiastical architecture, local churches and monasteries, castles and keeps.

George Clooney, they tell me: if he escapes the falling pianos; lives up the road, in Venice, and will soon start on a mass murder film about the serial killer of Florence. The Monster of Firenze, but I don’t know if Georgie is a goody, or a baddy. Maybe we’ll see some comparative location shots on www.reelstreets.com one day where they already have some 500 films examined with about 14,000 stills.

What are other tourist/tourism sites saying/doing/writing ……latest tourist news

Some Property News

2011-04-26T03:45:00.000-07:00

New planning legislation in Cyprus could encourage more unscrupulous developers to break the law, says a local expert, leaving buyers to pick up the bill for planning permission and title deeds after the sale. Not so in Umbria, clean clear and proven titles. See the European Parliament list of Italian trans-national property purchase problems, not one registered in the Upper Tiber Valley of Umbria, the home of Properties Umbria for almost 30 years.

Fractional offerings are becoming more and more popular. Buy, in fractions of a year, a week, a month, etc at a heavily discounted rate for life ownership. The La Preghiera luxury “residenza d’epoca” between Umbertide and Citta’ di Castello is being turned into a fractional ownership property. Now under the same management for more than twelve years, La Preghiera, (on site ref 006) can offer up to 50% financing to prospective buyers. Enjoy the benefits of possibly the most attractive large house in Umbria. You probably deserve it.

Property in Umbria is moving again. Expect price increases after the Easter rush, and, as you look at comparative web-sites you will notice that the vast majority of properties between Perugia, Cortona, Sansepulcro and Gubbio have not had their prices reduced, as many of them are owned by local farmers, and, as they haven’t sold anything in the last 40 years, a couple more years of waiting means very little. What is more, “ neighbour Rossi got € X00.000 for his property three years ago. And I won’t take a Lire less!!!”

Owners of illegal Spanish homes demand audience with MEP. Still endless bad news for Spainish properties. Be safe, buy in Italy. Be safer, buy in Umbria.

Easter parades on Good Friday

2011-03-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Easter parades on Good Friday are prevalent in all the towns and cities in Umbria, starting in the evening, at about 9 o'clock.
Large bonfires are lighted along the route or the procession, and impressive hooded monks with loud rattles accompany the religious icons and the shrouded Christ.
The solemnity and large numbers of participants, the medieval streets and candles on the windows all instill a feeling of awe to the spectators, and it is well worth a visit to absorb the true atmosphere of this celebration.

Недвижимость в Италии, Тоскане и Умбрии

2011-03-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

Bыбирая недвижимость в Италии, прежде всего нужно определиться с регионом.

Объекты недвижимости и образ жизни в регионах принципиально различаются.

Как утверждают эксперты, итальянский рынок недвижимости от кризиса пострадал незначительно, благодаря консервативности экономики страны.

Очень привлекательными регионами для инвестиций в недвижимость Италии считаются Тоскана и Умбрия.
В Умбрии стоимость квартир начинается от € 800 за квадратый метр, где на россиян приходится 13% общего числа покупателей недвижимости (третье место после представителей Великобритании и Италии).

До 2008 года цены в Тоскане и Умбрии уверенно росли на протяжении двух десятилетий, однако кризис внес свои коррективы, и сейчас цены в регионе на 20% ниже своих пиковых значений.

По мнению экспертов, Италия интересна тем, что практически все регионы являются ликвидными с различной степенью интенсивности.

Инвестиция в квадратные метры Италии может быть сейчас выгодна еще и потому, что курс евро по отношению к доллару и рублю снижается. "В 2010 году мы не ожидаем роста цен на недвижимость в Италии - в первую очередь это связано с проблемами в Евросоюзе. Сейчас из-за падения курса евро цены уже снизились как минимум на 10%. Поэтому те покупатели, которые хранили деньги в долларах или рублях, на запланированную сумму могут купить объект побольше, чем если бы они покупали четыре месяца назад",- считает президент международного агентства недвижимости Gordon Rock Станислав Зингель.

Недвижимость в Италии можно купить и в кредит. По данным международного ипотечного брокера Lowell Finance, ипотечный кредит в Италии иностранцам можно оформить сроком на 5-30 лет, получив максимум 60% оценочной стоимости недвижимости. При этом плавающие процентные ставки составят 3,5-4,2%, фиксированные - 4,75-5,5%.

Cоотношение ежемесячного платежа по ипотеке и ежемесячного дохода должно составлять не более 35%. Оформить кредит можно только после получения прав собственности на объект.

К списку обязательных документов относятся идентификационные документы: загранпаспорт, свидетельство о рождении, браке и т. д. Для подтверждения дохода необходимо представить трудовую книжку, справку в свободной форме с места работы с указанием занимаемой должности и оклада, справку 2-НДФЛ за два года, подтверждение других видов дохода, если такие есть. Для владельца бизнеса или руководителя компании необходимо представить учредительные документы и отчеты о деятельности компании за последние два года. "Если заемщиком выступает руководитель компании или владелец бизнеса, то обязательным требованием является юридическое заключение о подлинности представленных сведений. Если есть аудиторская отчетность о деятельности компании, то нужно еще заключение аудиторской компании о ее подлинности. Если такое невозможно (например, для общества с ограниченной ответственностью), то необходимо обратиться в независимую юридическую компанию для получения подобного заключения",- рассказывает Кирилл Долгинский.

Также нужно представить выписку с банковских счетов, рекомендательное письмо от банка (лучше от двух) и информацию о текущих кредитных обязательствах - для этого в обязательном порядке требуется представить выписку из бюро кредитных историй. В банке нужно предъявить оригиналы документов и их переводы на английский и итальянский языки официальным переводчиком. Заемщику потребуется открыть счет в итальянском банке, в котором оформляется кредит, при этом на счете должна быть размещена сумма в размере около двух ежемесячных платежей. К дополнительным расходам при оформлении кредита относятся оплата административного сбора банка (1-1,5% суммы кредита), оценка объекта (как правило, в диапазоне €40-800) и страхование недвижимости (до 0,4% суммы кредита).

Помимо расходов на оформление кредита заемщику нужно быть готовым и к другим тратам:
регистрационный налог (до 7% стоимости объекта)
кадастровый и ипотечный налоги (до 3% стоимости)

www.propertiesumbria.com
www.lapreghiera.com
www.villamoscatelli.com

Clooney Brings Italian Murder Mystery to Theaters

2011-03-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

With a villa on Lake Como and a former Italian showgirl as a girlfriend, it can be safely assumed that George Clooney has a soft spot for Italy. Now, with a new movie deal on the table, he’ll get to spend more time in the country, filming The Monster of Florence on location.

Clooney has signed on to bring a famous Italian murder mystery to the big screen. The Monster of Florence is based on a book that recounts the true story of 8 couples who were found murdered around Florence between 1968 and 1985.

Clooney will play Douglas Preston, author of the 2008 book about the mysterious killings. Preston moves to Italy to investigate the murders and teams up with Mario Spezi, an Italian crime journalist. While Preston and Spezi are trying to find the real "Il Mostro," they find themselves accused of crimes by Florence police.

The screenplay is still being adapted, which means Clooney has downtime to spend with Elisabetta Canalis before he has to report to Florence for filming this fall.

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/george-clooney/clooney-brings-italian-murder-mystery-theaters

Eurochocolate festival in Umbria

2010-10-19T00:06:00.001-07:00

Once again, time for the delicious Eurochocolate festival of Perugia 2010 which takes place in the ancient centre, for 10 of the sweetest days imaginable, from 15-24October 2010.

Armani international designer of the year

2010-09-10T03:38:00.001-07:00

Giorgio Armani was named as International Designer of the Year at the GQ UK Men of the Year Awards in London on Tuesday.

Mr Armani's close friend, the film director Martin Scorsese, presented the award, saying that Giorgio Armani had succeeded in his own desire to “make the world a little more beautiful every day.” Martin Scorsese also said that he himself wore Armani clothes because of their casual elegance, fluid lines and sense of absolute timelessness. He reminisced about the two weeks he spent with Giorgio Armani making the documentary “Made in Milan” and said they were among the best weeks of his life.

Mr Scorsese said that there were two eras in Hollywood – BG and AG, “before and after Giorgio” - and pointed to the film “American Gigolo” as the one in which Armani's costume designs changed the way actors dressed forever. He also said that Armani had invented the concept of dressing actors for the red carpet.

Giorgio Armani's sponsorship and charity work were also mentioned and Mr Scorsese said that the designer had not hesitated to support the World Cinema Foundation which restores and preserves neglected films from around the world. Mr Scorsese said that Armani had been a great friend of the cinema and was a “towering original”. He thanked his friend for his “incomparable sense of beauty”.

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/fashion/armani-international-designer-year

Letters to Juliette

2010-08-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Letters to Juliette, with Franco Nero, Vanessa Redgrave and Amanda Seyfried and made in Verona, New York and Siena, which is just up the road from where we live and where more than twenty internationally famous films have been made including Brother Sun-Sister Moon, My House in Umbria, Tea With Mussolini, Romeo and Juliet, Under the Tuscan Sun, The English Patient, Quantum of Solace and Gladiator.