House Hunter: 'I want a house on a hill in Italy'

Dag Andersson, his wife and children want to buy a second home in Italy, where they plan to spend one or two months each year. They may retire there one day, too. They have a budget of £600,000 but do not know where to start their search

"We want a property in Italy, preferably in Umbria or Tuscany. We'd like something with beautiful views, but the garden does not have to be enormous, as long as there are open fields and a lot of space around the house which, preferably, should be high up on a hill.

"There are five members of our family - two adults and three children - and we're likely to have a constant flow of visitors, so we need a minimum of four bedrooms. Our children are small, so the house has to be child-friendly, and it should be in good condition, since neither of us are very practical. We'd like a swimming pool and a terrace which we could use for barbecues and sunbathing.

"We're after a sunny location, no more than 20 minutes by car from a town or village, and there should also be nice restaurants in the area. We'd like to be close to an airport, too; either Florence, Rome or Pisa, preferably no more than one and a half hours away.

"We can pay up to £600k and want to be in a safe area. We would also like a local property-management company to take care of it when we are not there, in terms of cleaning and repairs. Can you help us? It is so difficult to know where to start the search."

LINDA'S ADVICE

"Like many buyers Dag mentions Umbria and Tuscany, as these are places that most people are familiar with, yet he also wants somewhere which is very accessible. Umbria is two hours away from any airport so this may not be the best location for him and he should bear in mind that anywhere which is very high up on a hill may not prove to be that accessible, either.

"All of the properties I'm suggesting are ready to move into immediately and all are well under budget. Dag is sensible not to want anywhere which needs total restoration as often people say they want this, then find that all their supposed "holidays" are spent working on the house. The first property does require partial restoration, but we could arrange that for him locally and this property is such a "one off" that it would be worth doing. Country properties like this are very difficult to find so close to the coast and it really is a gorgeous house with masses of land to install a pool. It is in Volterra, south of Pisa, less than an hour from the airport and set in typical Tuscan countryside of rolling hills. The second house is in West Tuscany. It is 9km above the walled town of Lucca where there are lots of wonderful restaurants, and it has beautiful views of the valley below. It was built in the 18th century and is encircled by woodland and olive trees so that Dag would not be overlooked. This property has a little detached cottage, an old vat store (which used to hold wine) next to it which is completely habitable and which could be used for guests; after all, if you have a lot of guests, you don't want them under your feet. At £350,000 this is very good value and although Dag would have to install a pool, there would be plenty left within his budget to do so.

"My last suggestion would be to look in a completely different area, which few buyers are familiar with, La Marche. You certainly get a lot more for your money, but it doesn't have the same cachet as Tuscany. It would depend on how fixed Dag is on location.It's also less accessible in that there is only one airport, Ancona, and so it is a bit more rural. Dag would be able to get something fantastic for much less than his budget here.

"Property number three is a farmhouse in a hilly area with fine views in La Marche. The main house has four bedrooms but there's another building attached which has another five bedrooms, which again could be used as guest accommodation. It's just one kilometre from San Ginesio, which has all facilities on offer, and Ancona is just an hour and 20 minutes away. There's also plenty of land for a pool.

"As for using a management company, this would only be necessary if Dag wants to rent out his house. Otherwise, we'd use our connections to find a neighbour, or someone who lives nearby to come in and do the garden and the repairs; we find this usually works better."

Linda Travella is director of Casa Travella, 01322 660988. www.casatravella.com

THREE PROPERTIES FOR DAG TO VIEW

Property one: Country house in Volterra, southern Tuscany

Price: £365,000

Agent: Casa Travella.

Agent's details: Located in almost an acre of land, this is a large, detached country house reached by a private road with gated grounds. The property is 2km from the nearest village and just 25km from the coast. The house is in good condition, apart from the top floor, which is structurally sound but requires some restoration. There are three floors plus a vaulted cellar, with internal and external access to the house, which would make an ideal children's playroom or separate guest quarters. There are currently three bedrooms but the top floor, which is around 125sq m, would convert into another two or three bedrooms. The terrace has panoramic views.

Property two: Country house at Aquilea, near to Lucca, Tuscany.

Price: £350,000

Agent:Casa Travella.

Agent's details: This 18th-century property has excellent views of the Serchio valley and is encircled by lovely coniferous woodland. The main house has been restored and has seven rooms, three bathrooms and 6,000sq m of land containing fruit and olive trees. The main house has two floors and the architecture is typical of a Tuscan ancient country house built with stones and bricks. Annexed to it is a wood-store/garage and an underground water tank fed by a natural fountain. Adjoining it is a modern cottage (right) which was restored in 1993.

Property three: Farmhouse near to San Ginesio, La Marche.

Price: £297,000

Agent: Casa Travella.

Agent's details: This is a 200sq m farmhouse with a separate two-storey building nearby. The property is set on a hillside and commands fine views of the surrounding hills. Both buildings are restored and fully habitable. The two-storey farmhouse has four bedrooms and the separate building has another five bedrooms and bathrooms. The property includes 2.4 hectares of land with electricity, telephone and water laid on. The property is located about 1km from San Ginesio, a little village that offers many services, including post office, bank, pharmacy, shops, bars, restaurants and tennis courts.

DAG'S VERDICT

"These properties sound interesting, particularly numbers one and three, but we would still prefer somewhere which already has a pool, as it's hard to visualise what each property would look like with one. I like getting value for money, so am definitely interested in considering La Marche, although as some of our relatives and friends would be travelling from Sweden the closest airport is a consideration. It is more complicated for them, as they don't have the same range of cheap flights that we do in the UK. But we like the idea of not being in a truly busy town and being somewhere peaceful."

If you would like House Hunter's help, write to House Hunter, The Independent, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS, or e-mail househunter@independent.co.uk