Treasure in Tremoli

We had been dreaming of the Italian life for many years before we finally committed. Francesca is Italian and we determined that we would not become one of those 'buying abroad disaster stories' that you continually hear about, how could we with Francesca's knowledge gained in childhood, of the Italian property market? Two years down the line and I'm pleased to report that with the help of Tony and his builder extraordinaire, Giuseppe, it hasn't happened. We managed to purchase the house of our dreams and are well on our way to converting it into our own Calabrian idyll. For us it's going to be our permanent home, not a holiday home so we needed to be completely certain we were doing the right thing.

I'm almost ashamed to say that we bought the first house we looked at, but it's true. We had been searching online from our home in Newcastle for quite some time. I remember spotting the house in Tremoli one dull Saturday morning whilst watching football focus on the BBC. Francesca liked the look of it as well. The price was right, it needed some work but it definitely had potential. Nothing happened for a year but we continued to look online and kept going back to the house in Tremoli. We needed to have a look. Arrangements were made and we visited Scalea to check out the area, meet Tony and see the house. Suspicions were raised when I discovered he was a Manchester United fan but as he had Italian origins Francesca said not to worry and off we went past the skips in Villaggio La Bussola towards the stunning mountains of Santa Domenica Talao and on to Tremoli. 

First impressions of the house were great. It was everything we hoped it would be despite the fact that it needed work. Tony held nothing back and told us everything he thought it needed. Daunting as it was we both realised at that point that he could be trusted and decided that this was the place. 

A year later after much deliberations we finally did the deed and bought the house. Cautious of the fact that the house needed work we were concerned that much could go wrong and we could be adding our names to the 'nightmare abroad' articles. Tony introduced us to Giuseppe and the man has been fantastic. All the work done so far has been completed as requested, on time, on budget and to an exceptionally high standard. He knows not to listen to me (why would he, I can't speak Italian?) but follows Francesca's instructions most of the time and as a result our house is taking shape and looking fantastic. 

There's still a way to go. Some finishing touches to the outside. We've had to have quite a bit of stabilising work done, and a load of concreting, finished off with a patio and paving in local mountain stone. Giuseppe has done the work to last and we have no worries about completing the job. Both him and Tony have really gone the 'extra mile' in helping us with not just work to the house but in a whole range of other things.  When we have needed help and advice they have been there for us. We need a sport shop, we call Tony or Giuseppe, we need information on residency, we call them, best beaches, eateries, car hire, literally anything and we know it's not too much trouble. Giuseppe and his wife have become friends. They understand the difficulties foreigners face when buying abroad and have for us made the whole experience as painless as possible. As a result the dream continues despite the fact that Tony still doesn't realise Manchester United will continue to have a negative impact on his reputation...

- Brendan & Francesca

If you would like to find your own Italian dream, visit Calabria Property Consultants where you will find something to suit your needs.