Purchasing a home in Italy is a dream of many. In the 1990s, Tuscany was the most popular region, as well as a more affordable alternative to France, following the publication of the 1989 book “A Year in Provence,” which inspired the rustic farmhouse fantasy. Many British and American citizens began buying old farmhouses surrounded by cypress and olive trees, while in the US, people renovated their kitchens with a “Tuscan farmhouse” theme. Then came Frances Mayes’s memoir, “Under the Tuscan Sun,” which chronicled the complex but romantic work of renovating a house in Cortona, and an industry fully bloomed.
Today, Italy’s hot spot for expats is Puglia. When Tuscany was taking off in the 90s, the region of Puglia was struggling even to welcome tourists, but all that has dramatically changed, and prices there have risen sharply.
I regularly receive questions about where to find the best home-buying opportunities in Italy. (My answer: Le Marche, Abruzzo, and Cilento.) I can help you hone in on where to settle in Italy, thinking about lifestyle, access, and budget, but I know nothing about renovating a house. If I ever do buy a home in Italy, I will have a budget dedicated to hiring someone who has the skill and patience to navigate the commune for me, because permits and paperwork are not my thing.
To offer you a more informed perspective, I interviewed Massoud Katebeh, a licensed engineer in both the United States and Italy. Originally from Tehran, he studied engineering at the University of Florence, where, like me as an art history student, he had the opportunity to study right inside the Duomo. We discuss the intersection of engineering and art, as well as the rigorous process of becoming a professional engineer in Italy.
We then discuss the challenges of renovating homes in Italy, why it is necessary to engage professional architects and engineers, and what makes a home renovation project different in Italy than in the US. Finally, Massoud shares his thoughts on whether it’s best to buy a new home with all the modern conveniences built in, or take a chance on renovating an ancient structure.
If you’d like to get in touch with Massoud for a nuts and bolts perspective on your Italian dream home, you can find him at mgkengineering.com
The Destination Deep Dive devoted to Florence is now available.
It includes a 45-minute video that guides you through everything you need to know, including highlights, tourist traps, the best time of year to visit, what to see, where to eat, and where to take a day trip, as well as a detailed 5-day itinerary.
You can easily modify this to suit your travel dates. If you want a well-researched and thoughtful trip but don’t have 30 hours of research time available, this is the shortcut. That’s about how much time it took me to put this together, and that doesn’t include the year I lived in Florence and many times I’ve returned since. There are also two bonus cheat sheets, one devoted to the foods of Florence – because it’s not the pizza and pasta people typically associate with Italian food – and a second dedicated to lesser-known sites where you can truly access the soul of the city.
If you’re a paid subscriber, you are invited to the launch for each month’s destination deep dive for free, which includes a Q&A, and then later, when the presentation is formalized, along with a detailed itinerary and bonus content, you get 50% off. I’m about to publish the Matera Deep Dive, and on October 15th at 8 pm ET, I’ll be debuting the Naples Deep Dive.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
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