Thursday,
September 13, 2007
Tuscany Now Drawing Upscale Time Share
Resorts rather than Farmhouse Buyers
The
ANNOTICO Report
With
I
am not a big fan of Timeshares. They are a Bonanza for the developer,
and a Burden for the buyer. It is however important for you to know what is
happening.
The
September
14, 2007
APPROACHING Casole d?Elsa,
at the end of a long drive from
Yet, in the
Those determined
to secure their own prime Tuscan plot can be reassured by a clutch of restored
farmhouses now up for sale at Castello di Casole, an estate near Casole
d?Elsa, a hill town of 3,000 souls within sight of
that Blair family favourite, San Gimignano.
This is prime
The 16 original casali, gently
restored using local terracotta tiles and natural stone, but decorated with
reference to the deep-sofa-and-widescreen-TV
This
is not cheap, even by Tuscan standards. But the Castello
di Casole properties are scattered throughout a rare
and glorious Italian estate of 4,200 acres, once owned by a Sienese family, the Bargagli, and later by Luchino
Visconti, the Italian director best known for The Leopard. Buyers
can range over the vineyard and olive groves, hayfields and woods. The estate,
designated as a game reserve, is rich in boars, hares and pheasants: this is
life as the nobles lived it, gun in hand.
Expect to need a
hire car: access to this delightful working estate is via a network of unmade
roads and, for now, you will need to drive the ten kilometres
to Casole d?Elsa,
home of the Michelin-starred Il Colombaio, if you
fancy eating out.
At the heart of
the estate, an 18th-century castello, with a
12th-century water tower, is surrounded by coils of plastic pipe and piles of
sand. But by spring 2009 it will form a 41-suite five-star hotel, with a spa,
bars and formal gardens; in addition, an old deconsecrated church will be
converted to a wedding chapel. Final details of the scheme, which should rival Castello del Nero further north in Tavarnelle
Val di Pesa , are still under negotiation.
Buyers at Castello di Casole have thus far
been mostly time-poor North Americans, who are more inclined to buy in fractions ? the preferred method of
sale at Castello di Casole.
Reassured by the hotel-like extras, such as a concierge service that can
arrange cooking classes, private chefs, sightseeing tours and activities for children,
the buyers have spent ?330,000 to 442,000 E-lbs (and
also committed to an 8,150 E-lbs annual charge) for one tenth of a
four or five-bedroom property, with pool and guest quarters, in which they are
allowed to spend four weeks a year.
One of the rewards
of ownership is a share of its delicious private-label wine, blended from the
grapes cultivated on site. Tuscan winemakers may be having their sleep turned
sour by the technological efficiency of their
...FOR LESS
THE trattoria at Borgo di Vagli, a restored hamlet that nestles at the end of the Niccone valley in
The honey-coloured cluster of 21 properties set in 32 acres of
rolling countyryside has been developed by a
Turin-born civil engineer, Fulvio Di Rosa, who once worked with the
world-renowned modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer. But it is his painstaking
renovation of historic Tuscan homes that has attracted attention recently.
Frances Mayes, whose book Under The Tuscan Sun
has sold by the barrowload, is a personal
friend and has watched Di Rosa transform the houses from picturesque ruins into
luxury homes. His method, she says in her book Bringing Tuscany Home, is
to stay true to the character of the village by asking, whenever a decision had
to be made, ?how would the original owners have solved this problem? By that
one deceptively simple guiding principle, he stays true to the spirit of the
place that one feels so strongly in the village. I?ve watched and learnt from the restoration at every
stage. His is the best work I?ve
seen.?
It is a
philosophy that is reinforced when you meet Di Rosa. Clambering over the steep
gradients of the village, he enthusiastically relives his efforts to maintain
the hamlet?s integrity. ?I was always seeking authenticity. I didn?t want people to walk past these homes and think
something strange had happened to them. I am passionate about
Set back from the
main road by a winding lane, Borgo di Vagli ("village of the valleys") offers a marvellous escape from the modern world, although the
stunning hill town of
"With the
rise in popularity of second home ownership, property prices have risen 15
times over in the past 20 years. Not only are there fewer properties of
quality for sale, but the prices now make entering into the market restrictive,? he says. "I believe
fractional ownership is a natural progression and a wonderful way to enjoy
Under the scheme,
buyers purchase one tenth of a specific property and can book stays in three
ways during the course of a year ? planned
reservations with the chance to book up to 21 days, of which 14 can be
consecutive; space available reservations for stays of up to one week; and
short-notice stays where an additional week can be booked any time within 14
days of the scheduled arrival date. The prices for fractional ownership are
55,000 E-lb(60,000 E-lb from October 1) for a
one-bedroom property and 75,000 E-lb for a two-bedroom property.
Annual management
fees are 1,200 E-lb for one-bedroom and I,520 E-lb for
two-bedroom properties. The only additional cost is a one-off checkout fee on
departure which covers the daily (and optional) housekeeping service.
If the figures
are complex, you will have time to ponder them at "I'cch?
c'?, c'?," which is run by Nina, a resident of
the hamlet who moved away and has returned to offer marvellous
Tuscan dishes cooked over an open wood fire.
JOHN CLARKE www.borgodivagli.com
TUSCAN TIPS
Tuscany's most
popular area has been Chiantishire, between Siena and
Florence, but rising prices are driving investors to Grosseto in the south,
Lucca in the west.
To buy outright,
it is becoming easier to get euro mortgages locally.
Barclays (
IT?S THE CLUB WITH A DIFFERENCE
IN THE mid1990s
businessman Stephen Wise took his wife on holiday in
This niggling
inconsistency sparked off an idea that led Wise and his partners (including Mike
Balfour, founder of Fitness First, and Patrick Henchoz,
founder of Esporta) to launch the Hideaways Club.
The club seems to
incorporate the advantages of other schemes. As a member, you're a shareholder
in a company that owns a portfolio of dream properties, from villas in
Be warned,
though: you'll need a spare 200,000 E-lbs or so for the joining fee. The fees
from new members will be used to expand the portfolio to 100 properties over
five years, says Wise. "We're aiming for a mix of developing markets where
property prices are moving rapidly, such as
The portfolio
contains a mix of locations, including ski resorts, countryside and beaches.
But holidays come at a price. That initial ?200,000 is
invested in immaculate properties; members pay an additional 10,000 E-lbs a
year, basically the cost of running them. That sum will buy you enough points
for two peak and two off-peak weeks a year ? and you?re unlikely to be
disappointed. FAITH GLASGOW www.thehideawaysclub.com
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