Abode Christmas carol service 13 December 2013

We would like to thank of those people who made the effort to come to our second Abode Christmas carol service in the beautiful church of San Crescentino in Morra, near Città di Castello on Friday evening! 

We think the service went wonderfully and a good time was had by all. This was thanks in no small part to the abundance of mince pies supplied by Sally Millington and cheerfully gobbled by the 80 strong congregation. 

Our by-now-famous Abode mulled wine, brewed by Nick and Paul, courtesy of Jamie Oliver's recipe and Nonna Gelsa's kitchen, also went down a treat on a cold winter's evening. For those of you who were unable to make it, we look forward to seeing you next year for our 3rd edition!

For those of you that still don't know, our Christmas Carol Service is tomorrow at 6.30pm in Morra. If you would like to come please either email (info@abode.it) or call 00390759417554.

Here's a picture of us making the mulled wine yesterday in the kitchen of Nonna Gelsa. One of our favourite restaurants.

Mince pies and mulled wine at the ready, it's that time of year again!

After the rip-roaring success of last year's Christmas Carol Service the Abode team have decided to do it again. The Oratorio of San Crescentino in Morra will once again be filled with the sound of traditional English Christmas carols and, if last year is anything to go by, there will a few hoarse voices on Saturday morning!

If you haven't received an invite, or if you have merely forgotten about this wonderful event, then do try to find the time to join us at 18.30. The service is due to start at 19.00 and will be conducted by Archdeacon Jonathan Boardman who is making a special trip up from Rome.

Home made mince pies and mulled wine will be served afterwards so there will be ample time for a Christmas catch up, maybe with people that you haven't seen since last year. To re-cap - 18.30 - 19.00 at the Oratorio of San Crescentino in Morra (Comune of Città di Castello). Be there or risk being put on Santa's naughty list!

 

   

Our new facebook page is finally active.  It's amazing how one has to spend so much time nowadays updating and communicating. Lets hope we can get enough likes in the first few days. If you haven't seen it yet please go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Abode-Italy/149367818556189 and like our page.

Many thanks,

The Abode Team.

World Cup 2014 draw results.

Italy is drawn in Group D and will play England in their first world cup match. Let's hope we can repeat our 2006 performance. 

Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon

Group B: Spain, Holland, Chile, Australia

Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan

Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

Group F: Argentina, Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria

Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea

Italian Property | Real Estate Report 2012/2013

Let's take a look at the market for Italian real estate in Tuscany & Umbria in 2013, and some comparisons with 2012. In broad terms the volume of residential sales in the first half of 2013 was lower than the same period in 2012, by an average of 13% for the 10 provinces of Tuscany and 17% for the 2 provinces of Umbria.

Table 1 - Sales by province in Tuscany 2012 and 2013

Perugia performed significantly better than its provincial cousin Terni, in Umbrian terms, with only a 10% drop in sales compared to nearly 25% for Terni.

Table 2 - Sales by province in Umbria 2012 and 2013

The better performers in Tuscany were the provinces of Lucca and Siena, with a 7% and 8% drop respectively, while the Grosseto and Arezzo fared less well, with drops of 20 and 21%.

Table 3 - Percentage drop by province in Tuscany between 2012 and 2013

Overall however, both Tuscany and Umbria in the first half of 2013 experienced a fall in sales of roughly 15% compared to the same period in 2012.

Table 4 - Percentage drop by province in Umbria between 2012 and 2013

The province with the highest sales, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Florence, with an average of 1,800 residential sales every quarter. Arezzo by comparison has roughly a third of that figure per quarter, but then population wise Arezzo is 3 times smaller than Florence, so the per capita figures are actually almost identical for the two provinces.

Despite the obvious negative connotation of these figures, throughout 2013 we at Abode have seen strong growth in inquiries and the general feeling in the market has been positive.

We look forward to being able to bring you some more comparative information once figures are available for the second half of 2013.

Agenzia immobiliare di lusso a Umbria

Abode Srl si prefigge l'obiettivo di divenire il punto di riferimento per tutti i clienti che desiderano acquistare o vendere tipologie di immobili che necessitano del massimo impegno professionale: nelle località più incantevoli e suggestive d'Italia proponiamo dimore storiche, ville, palazzi, castelli e casali. Abode Srl vanta un'esperienza decennale nel campo immobiliare ed è specializzata nella consulenza per la compravendita di immobili di prestigio rivolti ad una clientela italiana ed estera molto esigente. L'amore per il nostro lavoro fa sì che trattiamo ogni proprietà come se fosse unica.

Ci siamo altresì resi conto che la ricerca di immobili di lusso va di pari passo con la voglia di soddisfare altrettante esclusive esigenze da parte del singolo cliente: restauro conservativo, progettazione e realizzazione di piscine e giardini, arredamento d'interni sofisticati.

Per questo motivo siamo preparati ad indirizzare i clienti che ce lo richiedono nella scelta dei migliori professionisti del settore per la realizzazione di tutto ciò. Noi di Abode Srl aggiungiamo alle nostre spiccate doti di professionalità, dinamismo e competenza un grande amore per la nostra terra e le sue bellezze.

Si può vivere senza un castello?

Sono oltre 55.000 gli immobili italiani categorizzati come dimore di lusso e nonostante il settore immobiliare abbia sofferto notevolmente nello scorso anno (-18% il valore delle compravendite del 2009 rispetto al 2008), questa nicchia continua a registrare un incremento notevole e il suo valore ha ormai raggiunto i 52 miliardi di euro.

La vera sorpresa è che il lusso sembra essere diventato una nuova frontiera. Basti pensare ai castelli (medievali o più recenti) in vendita sui siti web di agenzie immobiliari come la nostra, che trattano immobili di pregio. Anche i prezzi risultano piuttosto vantaggiosi, ma pensate al fascino di vivere fra le mura che hanno ospitato dame, cavalieri e chissà, magari anche qualche fantasma.

E' interessante rilevare come questi immobili di prestigio risentano poco dell’andamento del mercato immobiliare o degli scenari macroeconomici in generale, restano comunque immobili per poche persone, quindi meno influenzati dalle leggi di mercato di domanda ed offerta. Ben più rilevante per definire ed anche formare il valore dell’immobile, sono fenomeni di moda o tendenza: due esempi sono la scoperta dei borghi tra Umbria e Toscana, oggi con valori pari alle zone centrali delle grandi città e, ben più recente, la riscoperta delle ville storiche sul lago di Como anche grazie a diversi articoli su attori famosi, che scelgono quella zona per la loro residenza italiana.

Ecco uno dei nostri castelli in vendita su abode. 

(Il fascino rimane inalterato, il prezzo invece scende notevolmente).

Abitare un castello, ammettiamolo, non è semplicissimo e finiti i tempi di dame e cavalieri il rischio era che, se non tutelati, questi immobili finissero vittime del tempo. Oggi invece si assiste a una loro rivalutazione e trasformazione. Alcune volte diventano strutture di accoglienza, altre abitazioni di lusso, altre ancora vengono frazionate ricavandone diversi appartamenti. Insomma, non solo esiste la possibilità di visitare o trascorrere qualche notte in un castello, ma anche quella di farlo diventare casa vostra!

Case di lusso in chiese sconsacrate: una nuova tendenza del mercato immobiliare

Il nuovo lusso? Vivere in una chiesa sconsacrata. La settimana scorsa vi avevamo parlato di castelli diventati abitazioni di lusso, adesso anche le chiese che non sono piu’ adibite al culto religioso, potranno diventare delle abitazioni: e’ la nuova tendenza del mercato immobiliare.

Chiesa Piantrano www.abodeitaly.com è un'opportunità unica per acquistare una chiesa e un casale in pietra nel cuore verde dell'Umbria, con una vista mozzafiato sia dell'Umbria che della Toscana.

E' molto raro che si riesca a trovare una chiesa sconsacrata con accesso interno ad una residenza di grandi dimensioni.

La chiesa misura 45mq ed ha già il permesso per essere convertita in uno studio o in un soggiorno, ha tre finestre e una porta doppia che favoriscono un'ottima illuminazione naturale. La proprietà rappresenta un investimento ideale in quanto può essere convertita in una villa di lusso. La struttura vanta una splendida vista sulla cittadina medievale di Monte Santa Maria Tiberina; a Monte Santa Maria Tiberina è possibile trovare un ristorante che propone piatti della tradizione regionale con attenzione agli ingredienti del territorio, come il tartufo nero e funghi freschi in stagione.

E' stato anche concesso il permesso di far passare la strada di accesso un po' più lontano dall'edificio, per garantire maggiore privacy.

Offerta in vendita a 550.000 € .

Curiosities of Italian Life


Formalities -- Italy used to be very formal in many ways. It still has the reputation of being formal compared to American life. There would be tons of things I could say here and tell you, but for one, there are always table cloths on tables. And that is just one of the formalities here (though a nice one, especially considering the delicious food and wine you eat here.....more delicious formalities, not bad at all)

Travel agencies.....are suffering here! With all the internet connections for travel, you don't need one to go places. You just click in Italy and hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, farm houses... and you can find everything you want by yourself. Is tourism suffering here? I would say so, but then, I am not the expert. I do know that yesterday the mountain town Norcia was filled with tourists.

BOOTS or sandals.....summertime. But that doesn't mean that girls and women don't wear boots! They do! Mostly the young girls, with shorts or skirts. But in this heat, who wants to wear boots when you can wear sandals! It's fashion, and fashion means that even boots are in, so....young girls, take your pick, feel hot or cold. It's your choice!

ARE ITALIANS LOUD? Well.....as soon as you get to the airport, from any other country, you can always tell the Italians from the rest. They are usually loud, sort of make a scene in some way (in the way they dress, quite flamboyant at airports usually, with new tennis shoes, or a hat, or loud accessories). Hate to generalize, but after our trip to Berlin, I could easily spot the Italians in white framed eyeglasses, chunky jewelry, more make-up than the women in Berlin. And yes, they do talk louder than the rest...sorry, but true.

A clean purse.....basically, inside my purse, there is a lot of confusion...always. Papers, receipts, lipstick and carrying case (sometimes in it sometimes not), wallet, little objects, a little notebook...yes, my purse is not very neat. BUT I don't throw things onto the ground, ever! No papers, no plastic, no bottles or cans, chewing gum, nothing. And THIS is something, sorry to say, that Italians do quite a lot. Women's purses are neater, because the bits of papers, etc, are just sort of "tossed" out....onto the streets if there are no trashcans around. Sad, but true.

Ice cream....is so so good in Italy. Especially Sicilian ice cream! I just discovered a place yesterday where the flavors, and the pieces of fruit in the icecream and the flavors are so so good!! Maybe it would have been best that I didn't discover this place.....

TV -- there are still those families that like to eat lunch (from 1pm or 1.30 or 2 -- for about half an hour or more) and watch tv at the same time. I personally don't like to do that at all!! Actually I don't like TV, and don't watch it much. Italian TV isn't very good, much better in the UK.

PROBLEMS....even though there are zillions of problems in this country (political, economical, personal between different groups, races, religions, philosophies of life) I feel that Italy is a pretty wonderful country. This, because of the historical buildings and marvelous views, great food, and loads of culture... everywhere you look, drive or walk.

SHUTTERS - what is so interesting about this topic? LIGHT! We sleep in the dark....and in the morning, the shutters get opened. In California I remember sleeping in rooms with so much light...in the mornng I would often awaken with the light. Not here in Italy, dark dark dark until you decide you want the sun to come pouring in....

Cellphones - so many people have them here! And they like to get the latest models. All ages have them, and I am pretty sure that Italy exceeds the number of cellphones, has the largest number of cellphone users, or at least, is way up on the top....because in Italy, making an image statement is very important! (not that I personally like it, but that is how it is here in Italy)

Text by Sonia Tardetti for Abode Srl

Real Estate Italy

Over the coming weeks we will be posting data on real estate sales in Italy. We hope you will find this information interesting. Since 2008 the market has contracted and Italian property prices have dropped by 10% to 30%. However in some areas that drop has been greater. The middle to lower end of the market is presently stagnant. Where we have seen an increase in demand is in the Luxury Italian property market.  Good restored properties have bucked the trend and retained their value. This is because there are only so many beautiful hilltops available and building restrictions dictate that new buildings cannot gain planning in areas of natural beauty. Tuscany and Umbria are the strongest areas with Umbria now competing with its neighbour.

If you would like the latest news please call us directly. If not, the first report will be ready in a couple of weeks.

The Abode Team.

www.abodeitaly.com

We are working extremely hard on our new website which we hope you will find informative and easy to use. This is our third reincarnation. Simplicity has been the theme. It's always a huge amount of work and obviously it's important to migrate all your previous links to the new site. Please have a look and we would sincerely appreciate any feedback, good or bad. Many thanks. The Abode team.

Abode Christmas Carol Service 2013

Abode are pleased to announce that their second annual Christmas Carol Service is to take place on Friday the 13th of December 2013 from 18.30. The service will begin at 19.00 hrs and will be conducted by Archdeacon Jonathan Boardman, with the consent of the well loved parish priest, Don Giuseppe Tanzi.

The service is to be held at the church of San Crescentino in the village of Morra (in the comune of Città di Castello, PG). This beautiful church is famous for the frescoes painted by Luca Signorelli, so it really is well worth a visit. In addition to a selection of traditional Christmas Carols and readings, all guests will be able to enjoy home made mince pies and warming mulled wine.

 All are welcome but please arrive early as the church is small and seating is limited.  

Wrap up warm!

                                                 Coordinates: 43° 38' 52" N 12° 12' 27" E

As halloween us upon us!

As churches in Rome go, Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini is a fairly unexceptional one, but you will get a spooky shock if you creep down to the crypt! It consists of five dimly lit chambers, the walls of which are covered in the skulls and bones of 4,000 Capuchin friars; some of them intact and dressed in habits. The ossuary contains a crypt of skulls, one of leg bones and, perhaps strangest of all, one of pelvises. Cherubs, normally represented by the head of an infant flanked by two wings, are odd enough as symbols go, but the Capuchin version, a skull between two shoulder blades, takes some beating. There are also some interesting light fixtures which I am sure were not bought flat-packed on the shelves of the nearest Ikea store.  

A plaque in one of the chapels reads “What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be” so think on!

Several famous authors visited the crypt including, unsurprisingly, the Marquis de Sade who had “never seen anything more striking”. Mark Twain had a word or two to say about it at the beginning of a chapter in “The Innocents Abroad” and Nathaniel Hawthorne describes the crypt in his novel “The Marble Faun”. The crypt is well worth a visit but not for the impressionable. 

Autumn in Umbria

We all think of Italy in the summer; long hot days punctuated by an ice cream or two, pool side relaxation with the latest block buster novel, shorts, sun-hats, factor 15 and the odd insect bite. But guess what?  Autumn is wonderful too! The hillsides are ablaze with autumnal golds, russets and yellows and, as well a being feast for the eyes, these woodland areas also provide fabulous produce such as mushrooms, chestnuts and the most precious commodity of all; truffles!

This year Città di Castello celebrates the 34^th White Truffle Festival and from the 31^st October until the 3^rdof November the streets of the town will be fragrant with the pungent aroma of this subterranean, and very expensive, delicacy. The piazzas will be swarming with stalls selling not just truffles but also honey, oil, mushrooms, chestnuts, cured meats, cheese, local wines and more. Cookery demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions and many other activities provide a few days of entertainment and the possibility to taste and hopefully buy some wonderful local produce. Not to be missed if you are in the area.

Also running from the 1^st until the 3^rd of November is the Festa del Bosco in Montone; for three days this pretty hill top town will be awash with stalls stacked with Autumnal wares. A little less serious than the affair in Città di Castello this festa is no less delicious and well worth a visit if you can find a place to leave the car!