Win Your Own Italian House

Bugnara, Italy

Competition Now Closed

For the low price of E50 a ticket, someone is going to win my beautiful home in Bugnara, Italy.  I have lived here for 10 years and although I love the house, it has become too big for me on my own.  There are 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. I also spend quite a bit of time back in New Zealand these days so need to move on to something smaller. 

I have so enjoyed having many friends and family come to stay, all of whom have fallen in love with this part of Italy.  For all of us that live here in Abruzzo, we say that it is Italy’s best kept secret.

 

The local wine, Montepulciano di Abruzzo is one of the best wines I’ve tasted and the Abruzzo cuisine is rustic and honest. They excel in their cheeses, salami and truffles.  Living in Italy is as romantic as it sounds, wake up to the sunshine nine months of the year with a bit of snow thrown in for winter.

Read on to see more about my house and the surrounding area. The competition is open for 12 months starting 1 September 2020, from midday GMT+2.

 

The house is over 200 sq mt in size. Its set on three floors with three different entrances. Renovations were done 10 years ago, with the electric cables put inside the walls instead of running open everywhere, re plastering inside and painting. The house is in good condition and very livable. There is no garden which means you have all your time to explore the amazing region.

There are several opportunities for this property:

  • You could keep the house as it is for family and friends.
  • Divide the house into three separate apartments. The ground floor is already set up for this. The top and middle floor could very easily be divided by a wall. I had this priced a couple of years ago and it was approximately E450. One of the larger bedrooms on the top floor already has the fittings for a kitchen, including gas and electricity for a stove. This room is large enough for a dining table plus lounge and TV area.
  • You could either rent them out individually or make a B&B or AirB&B. There is excellent rental potential for both summer and winter as we’re only 1⁄2 hour from some of the best ski resorts.
  • You could live in one and rent out the other two for income.

Bugnara, and area

Bugnara is a medieval village in the province of L’Aquila, set into a hillside as so many Italian villages are. It is situated close to the heart of central Italy.

In 2007 it was listed as being one of the most beautiful villages throughout Italy. Bugnara is only 1 ½ hours drive directly east of Rome and about 50 minutes from the east coast beaches and there are some of the best ski resorts within ½ hour drive.

We are approximately 8 minutes from the larger historic town on Sulmona which has wonderful markets on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Fruit and veg, sweets, cheese’s, salami’s, fish and pork vans. Clothes, shoes and handbags and many other interesting stalls to wander around.

About the Area

Festivals

Every year, each village has its own festivals during the summer months. We have several here in Bugnara, starting with the pecorino cheese festa, then the tartufo (truffle) festa and the big one in August, the Romantica. This festa runs for 24 hours. Prior to starting, florists come from all over Europe to decorate the village with amazing floral displays. The population swells from 1,000 to up to 16,000 for the night. There are many bands playing all over the village with food stalls everywhere. There are other festa’s throughout the year, mainly saints days, where a religious effigy is carried through the village followed by the villagers, praying and singing.

Sulmona

Sulmona has several large festivals, one being held in the summer called the Giostra (jousting) held in the main Piazza and the other one called Madonna della Scarpa, held at Easter where they run the Madonna through the Piazza to great shouts of joy and benevolence. A must-see, regardless of religious affiliation.

Activities & Recreation

There are mountains for hiking and horse riding, skiing and fabulous beaches and lakes, you can ski in the morning and go to the beach in the afternoon. The amazing thing is, we’re not inundated with tourists that flock to other parts of Italy. There are miles and miles of hiking, cycling and horse riding tracks around our valley but there is nothing more satisfying than sitting down in the piazza after shopping at the markets, enjoying a nice cappuccino or glass of wine in the sunshine, among the medieval buildings while you watch the local activity.