Italy - Abruzzo Escape to the Continent

It's thought that that rather strange-looking wooden construction

and many more like it have encroached along this shoreline

for the last 200 years,

but where am I and what is that structure all about?

Join me in a moment to find out.

Today, we're helping a nature-loving couple who between them have only

spent one day in the region they now want to call home.

Our property search offers them plenty of options.

-It's got potential.

-It's fantastic.

-It's spectacular. It's a gorgeous view.

-Yes.

Welcome to Escape To The Continent.

I'm in Abruzzo in the south-eastern side of Italy

and this strange wooden structure is actually a stilted fishing platform.

They were built here during the 18th century as a safe way

for local fishermen to be able to land their catch - using

these long, thin spindly arms, they can cast their nets into deep

water without actually having to leave the shoreline.

They stand here proud and erect as a symbol of Abruzzo's

maritime and cultural history.

The Abruzzo region is situated in the middle of the Italian

peninsula with the waters of the Adriatic bordering its eastern side.

Often overlooked by tourists, Abruzzo offers up some of Italy's

most unspoiled scenery,

from medieval hilltop villages to ancient castles.

With a third of its territory set aside as protected national park

and reserves,

Abruzzo rightly deserves its title as the greenest region in Europe.

If you're looking for a secluded and rustic new life on the Continent

then this scenic and unspoiled region is worth considering.

So what is it about this region that's attracted our buyers?

There's only one way to find out - let's meet them.

Octave and Claire from Brighton met at night classes 23 years ago.

Octave is a site manager at a special needs school

and Claire a sports journalist for an international news organisation.

It's Claire's itchy feet that's prompting this move.

It's been a great job, I've had a great time. I've been there 31 years.

I think perhaps the time has come to take early retirement.

If we could find the right house in Italy then it would be

the perfect excuse to quit and do something else with life.

The couple have two grown-up daughters.

With both of them having left home and in further education,

it's a chance for music-loving Octave and Claire to unwind

and they couldn't have chosen a better location.

We all like the Italian way of living and food

-and the relaxing manner that they have over there.

-And the weather.

Oh, yes, and the weather.

Although Claire spent a year living in Rome and can speak Italian,

she's only been to Abruzzo once, for 24 hours.

Some people may think that we're crazy,

We've heard it's beautiful, it's got lots of national parks,

mountains, lakes, wild bears. I want to see wild bears!

And it's supposed to be a good place to buy property.

And the nature lovers hope to adopt

a slice of the good life once they move.

I have a dream in Italy of having some chickens and two donkeys,

I really want two donkeys. I've always wanted donkeys!

-You're not so sure, are you?!

-No, I'm not sure about the donkeys!

I would like to do a bit more fishing,

Despite never having visited the remote region,

there's only really one thing that concerns Octave.

My biggest concern about moving abroad would be

that there's got to be a easy route for the girls to get to us.

The recent sale of an investment property had given Octave

and Claire a nice pot of cash, so they're in a position

to move as soon as we find them the right house.

The budget for our move to Abruzzo is £210,000.

Claire and Octave would like us to focus our Abruzzo

house search inland, away from the coast and large towns.

So I'm joining our buyers by a 17th-century church

in the Gran Sasso National Park to establish a few more details

about their proposed move.

Claire, Octave, welcome to the Gran Sasso mountain range -

-isn't it spectacular?

-BOTH: It is, yes.

-So how well do you know the region?

-We've spent 24 hours here before!

-When was that?

-Last month.

-24 hours?

-Yes.

So tell me what you're looking for. What's this dream property of yours?

We are after something like a farmhouse with lots of land...

How much land, what's "lots"?

Enough to keep two donkeys, some chickens,

and grow our own fruit and vegetables. Perhaps an olive grove.

-And possibly a river at the bottom of it.

-Octave really wants a river!

Hopefully it will have fish in it, but if not,

I'll have to travel to a lake or something!

How rural do you want to be?

Something that feels rural, but is not at the very top of the mountain

and completely inaccessible.

It would be nice if there was something within walking distance,

a restaurant or a bar or a village.

-How many bedrooms, Octave?

-About three to four.

-Budget. How much have you got?

-We've got £210,000 in the bank.

We could have access to another 100,000 at a push.

It's a decent-sized budget for this area.

We've got fantastic properties lined up for you to see.

-Are you ready to see the first one?

-Oh, yes.

-Absolutely.

This way, follow me.

On a budget of £210,000, but with access to some savings,

Claire and Octave are seeking a farmhouse-style property with

enough land to keep some animals.

They'd like three to four bedrooms to accommodate their daughters

when they come to stay, and Octave hankers after a river

or lake within the grounds

and ideally, all located within walking distance of a village.

We've lined up three classic Italian properties to tempt them with.

Our final mystery offering should prove that where there's a mill,

there's a way!

But will it be enough to inspire them to take the plunge?

Our first property is located in Carapelle Calvisio,

perched on the foothills of the Gran Sasso mountain.

This house overlooks the town, and I'm hopeful that it's

somewhere Octave and Claire will feel really at home.

And here we are, property numero uno.

-Oh, wow!

-Wow!

-Yes!

It's over 100 years old and I would like to know what you think.

Oh, it's quite small. It looks small.

It's very sweet and it looks from the outside like it's very well

-cared for.

-Yes.

-But there doesn't seem to be much land.

Just beyond the neighbour's house is a plot of land of 300 square metres

on for £13,000. That is an option.

You'd get that separately if you wanted to live here.

You could buy it, keep your donkey over there.

-Shall we go and have a look?

-Yes, please.

At first impressions, this characterful stone-built property

may appear small, but there's more to it than meets the eye.

And in you come.

Oh, it's very sweet.

The accommodation is spread over three floors and the entire house

has been restored, retaining many of the original features.

It's currently let as a holiday home.

We descend the stairs into the living room.

Now, we are in the depths of this property,

so this is the living room with this fantastic vaulted brick ceiling,

built in a really traditional Italian way.

Stone walls.

-What you think about this room?

-I think it's built to our size.

-It's sweet, very sweet. Small.

-Slightly small, yes.

But very nicely done. Beautifully done. I love all the exposed stone.

Clearly,

the snug nature of our first property is causing some concern.

It may be that Octave and Claire are thinking about the space needed

when the girls come to stay.

The living room leads to the kitchen and doors onto the garden.

So here we are in the kitchen, and this time,

the vaulted ceiling is made out of brick. What do you think?

It's beautifully done. It's very sweet.

I think it would be lovely in the summer with these doors.

It worries me slightly it might feel a bit claustrophobic

and a bit gloomy in the winter.

I think we're more used to having a kitchen with more light

coming in than just these two doors.

Also on this floor, you've got a beautiful bathroom

and a utility room.

-But there's more to show you!

-OK.

The sleeping accommodation is back upstairs,

with one bedroom off the entrance hall

and a further two good-sized bedrooms on the top floor

of the property, one of which could be Octave and Claire's room.

And into...the master bedroom.

-Oh, this is nice.

-Yes.

This room has got a lovely size to it

and this beautiful ceiling.

-It's a nice room.

-It's an absolutely lovely room.

Beautifully done out and I love the balcony. It's a fantastic room.

More to see, follow me.

A better reaction to the bedrooms,

but as we head out into the garden, I'm a little concerned,

as they've already indicated it's too small for them.

Let's hope the view wins them over.

Out we come into the garden.

Now, Octave, you wanted to see the view. How is that for a view?

Um...

CLAIRE GIGGLES

There aren't any...mountains, as such.

-Look at it! Are we looking at the same thing?

-It's beautiful.

It is beautiful, yes.

But it seems a shame when you're in the Gran Sasso mountain range

not to actually see any mountain peaks.

The hills are lovely,

but they're not the mountains.

It's so quaint.

It's got an almond tree, a plum tree, it's got a grapevine

and this fantastic apple tree...

-Here you go, Claire.

-Oh, dear!

-That's for Claire.

-Thank you!

-And that's for you, Octave.

-Lovely apples.

-I get a grape!

-You get a grape! So you've seen the property.

But what you don't know is how much this house is on the market for,

so Octave, what do you think the price of this house is?

I would say about £160,000.

160,000. And how about you, Claire? What do you think?

I wouldn't say much different, maybe 170,000.

OK, well, you're both wrong. By quite a bit, actually.

-Oh.

-It's more expensive.

-Is it?

It's on at £195,000.

-I'm astonished, given how little land there is.

-Yes.

Under budget by £15,000,

we've had a lukewarm response to what is

a beautifully restored rustic mountainside property.

Arranged over three floors, the accommodation includes

a vaulted kitchen and living room and three bedrooms.

-Finished with property number one.

-Yes.

-Are you ready to see some more?

-Yes, definitely.

-Let's go.

-OK.

Our next house is close to the town of Penne,

around 20 miles from the Adriatic coast.

The town features a well-preserved medieval centre.

Our property sits in the foothills of the Apennine mountains,

enclosed by beautiful olive groves.

Welcome, my lovelies, to the next property.

Your eyes cannot detract from that view, because it is pretty special.

-You've probably already spotted the lake.

-Oh, yes.

Let me draw your attention to the actual property.

-What do you think, Claire?

-Lovely, it looks a very good size.

It looks like a traditional house but it looks like it's been

newly done up and very well done up, by the look of it.

It's nice and clean.

Let's go inside. I'm really looking forward to showing you this one.

Come on.

A more positive reaction to this traditional farmhouse,

which has been recently renovated and extended.

We're heading to the modern wing of the property,

where the kitchen is situated.

-This is very nice.

-Yes, yes.

-Very nice.

Look, beams!

-And a fireplace.

-Yes, the fireplace is lovely.

This is a really large kitchen,

a really good size, lots of light coming in.

You've got French doors straight out onto the terrace overlooking

-the lovely garden.

-Beautifully done.

-Can you see yourselves in this kitchen?

-Oh, yes.

-Yeah.

We could just live in here, really!

Can I encourage you both to move in that direction? Off you go.

(Yes!)

It's a strong start to our house tour.

Have we finally found a winner?

But will the older part of the house provoke a similar reaction?

So, the living room. This is part of the original house,

which has got the rustic, rural, cosy feel.

-If you look up, it's got a vaulted brick ceiling.

-Yep.

And a charming little spiral staircase to go up.

So it's got a bit of character.

It's a lovely room. I like the ceiling and I like the floor.

It's a shame in a room like this not to have a fireplace or a wood

burner or some sort of focal point.

Despite the lack of fireplace,

this property appears to be drawing our buyers in.

Again, this house has an unusual layout by British standards,

with two double bedrooms on the ground floor, along with a bathroom.

There are two further bedrooms upstairs, one with a bunk bed

and a single and a three-piece family bathroom.

Plenty of space to accommodate the girls.

-So this is the master bedroom.

-This is a good size room...

It's a lovely room, beautifully done, the ceiling is very nice.

We won't spend that much time in here, really.

Only when you bring me breakfast in bed!

I'm loving the positive vibes from Octave and Claire,

so it's back outside to take in that view and the one

and a half acres of land on offer, including a nice little surprise.

-Fantastic-size pool.

-Very nice.

It's lovely. It's really lovely. It's got everything.

You've seen the house, you've taken it all in, you've seen the land,

the pool, all that comes with it.

What you don't know is how much it's on the market for.

Octave, what do you think?

This is a difficult one because of the swimming pool.

That adds value to it as well.

240,000.

-Claire?

-I think a bit more, 250,000, maybe?

-On the nose, lady!

-250?

-£250,000...for this property.

-Mm-hm.

-It's very interesting.

-It is very interesting.

Although over budget by £40,000,

our charming renovated farmhouse has intrigued our buyers.

The property comes with four bedrooms,

a light and spacious kitchen with open fireplace, and a swimming pool.

-Hello!

-Hello!

-Still smiling?

-Yes!

-That's good.

-Are you ready to leave?

-Not really, no!

Has this property given you something to think about?

-Yes, it's given us a great deal to think about.

-Most definitely, yes.

Wonderful.

OK, you can keep thinking, but we do actually have to depart,

otherwise the owner will come and have us moved off his property!

-This way!

-OK!

Before we see our final property, I'm taking our buyers to meet

some British expats who have already made the move here,

to find out how living in this region has worked for them.

They now run a self-catering holiday business on the fringes

of the Majella National Park.

Octave and Claire are also keen to grow their own produce, something

expats David and Pauline have succeeded in doing here in Abruzzo.

-Hello, David, hello, Pauline.

-Hi, Anita!

-What an amazing spot!

-And what a fabulous day for your visit.

-We've timed it perfectly.

-Let me introduce you to Claire and Octave.

-Guys, hello, welcome,

-good to meet you.

-Thank you very much. Nice to meet you.

I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for the two of you

to spend some time with David and Pauline to get to know

what it is that you're letting yourselves in for.

-Sure, it would be our pleasure.

-Yes!

The four of you go off, I'll just hang out by the pool!

-What a tough gig!

-It's hard!

-Guys, come with us and we'll show you around.

-Thank you.

-See you later!

-Bye.

Before moving to Abruzzo, David was a journalist

and Pauline worked in IT.

Their life now couldn't be more different.

Instead of being chained to a desk, they spend their days

running their three holiday villas and tending their orchard.

One of the great things we found coming here to Italy is that

with a little bit of land, you can grow a huge range of fruit and veg.

-Did you start this orchard from scratch?

-We did.

We wanted to grow English fruit and veg, like, for example, damsons,

which just don't exist here.

But on the other hand, you find you can grow fairly exotic

things like pomegranates, like lovely juicy figs...

So we grow a mixture.

David and Pauline also grow olives, a common Abruzzo crop,

and Octave is keen to find out how much work is involved.

Olive vine, do you tend to them yourselves?

They're incredibly labour-intensive.

We deliberately didn't go for too many,

because it is hard work.

-We've got eight.

-And how many litres of olive oil would that produce?

From our trees last year

we picked about 130-odd kilos of olives.

From that, we got about 25 litres of oil.

Unless you want to be an olive farmer,

and you will need things like tractors,

there's a lot of work involved.

With Octave left mulling over the realities of olive farming,

I joined the group for lunch,

where we're gaining further insights into life in Abruzzo.

What about the cost of living?

The nearest restaurant to here, you can get a two-course meal with

as much wine as you want, coffee, and it will be ten euros a head.

-And it's really good.

-It's good, it's home cooking.

The interesting thing about Claire

and Octave is that they know they'd like to live in Abruzzo,

but they've only spent 24 hours here.

-You're still trying to figure that out.

-We are.

We don't want to be too far from Rome airport because we've got two

daughters in England and they would fly in and out of Rome.

Never try to come from Rome to here by train.

There's a fantastic coach service from central Rome to

a town near here which takes three hours.

That's the only focus for me.

To make sure that my children can come and see us.

Me and Claire will get along fine.

-Well, you've got along fine for 20 years, so!

-We should be all right!

As long as I've got a little space to go and play records...

an hour away from here!

Listen, you know that if you come here, you'll have two friends

here already, which will be two more than we had when WE arrived!

-Exactly! You know what? Cheers to that!

-Cheers, here's to friendship!

-Salute!

-ALL: Salute!

Some useful tips from David

and Pauline on living in what is a relatively remote part of Italy.

But before committing to a property purchase in any part of the country,

there are a few practical considerations to bear in mind.

In Italy, you need to put 8% of the property price to one side

for solicitors' costs, stamp duty and agents' fees

on top of the figure you're paying for the house.

When it comes to business,

be aware that the country's notoriously complicated bureaucracy

means there's likely to be piles of official documents

to absorb and even taxes to pay before starting up.

Finally, as with any legal transaction,

be sure to seek sound professional advice.

And so to work off our tasty al fresco lunch,

it's back to the property hunt.

Our final offering is located just outside the town of Arielli,

a ten-minute drive from the Adriatic coast.

Seeing as it's mystery time,

we're going to dispense with the mountain views

and give them something a little more down to earth.

Octave and Claire's budget is £210,000, but they do have

some extra cash they can dip into for the right property.

Our mystery house, with its water-related heritage,

might be the one they'll have to push the boat out for.

-Oh, wow! This is lovely!

-Isn't that something?

-It's beautiful!

-Yes.

Here we are, an original 17th-century water mill.

It's absolutely gorgeous, I'm almost speechless.

It's just beautiful, really beautiful.

And the sound of the river.

And the house looks nice from the outside.

Let's go inside and have a look. Come on.

Follow me.

Hidden away within an atmospheric forest valley,

the property lacks the mountain view that Octave and Claire wanted,

but that doesn't seem to be a problem at the moment.

-And in you come.

-Oh, look at that! Look at the fireplace!

Wow, this is huge!

-I've never seen a fireplace like that!

-And the river!

-And you can...

-He's not often lost for words!

-Yeah!

It's just so...

unexpected and so unusual. I haven't got a bad word to say about it.

-So for you, this is great?

-Lovely, yes. Absolutely lovely.

Yeah, I haven't got a bad word to say about it.

Our buyers seem a little stunned by our mystery property

and it is a lot to take in, not least the four-metre-long fireplace.

The spacious theme continues in the kitchen.

-This is sweet.

-A stone kitchen.

-It is, yes, it's bricked.

A really decent size, lots of light,

-doors straight outside for your alfresco dining.

-I love it.

I love the combination of traditional and modern,

because it's a very traditional Italian style,

but beautifully newly done out with a modern twist.

The cooker and sink are fine, but the rest I'm not sure about.

Maybe it's just because I'm used to having work surfaces.

So you don't agree on everything?

-Oh, no! Very few things!

-No!

Perhaps Octave is already thinking about what this house might cost.

But Claire is clearly enchanted

and he'll have a job convincing her otherwise.

There are three bathrooms in this property - one downstairs

and two on the first floor.

There are also four bedrooms, all on the first floor,

offering a more conventional layout than our other properties.

But I want to show Octave and Claire the master bedroom.

I think it's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

-Does the bed come with the house?

-It does.

It's original early 1900s antique bed.

You could have the windows open in the summer

and go to sleep to the sound of the river.

The outside of the house is pretty special

and I'm dying to show it to you.

The garden extends to 2½ acres

and is entirely surrounded by trees.

There's an outside bread oven, a large pond

and plenty of room to build a swimming pool.

And of course, the river that would have once powered the mill.

The lower-ground floor of the mill with its classic arched

entrances is now divided into a garage and store rooms.

This is a unique property,

but there's still the small matter of cost to consider.

-What do you think?

-About 300,000?

-And Claire?

I'd go a little bit higher, 320,000.

OK. The actual price is...

-You're good at this! 320, goes to Claire.

-Oh, gosh!

-320,000.

That's another Amaretto you owe me!

-That is a lot.

-It is a lot.

It's over your budget, it is.

But you have that pool that you've got of £100,000.

We thought it's the mystery.

It's got land, the river, rustic charm, it's been modernised,

it's got all of those things.

But, yes, the price reflects it.

Now that you've seen it all, Octave, what do you think of it?

-I can see that Claire likes it!

-What do YOU think of it?

-What do

-I

-think of it? It's got potential.

What's the question mark, then?

The question mark is how much work I'd have to do.

You would have to clear some of the trees out,

-just to make it a bit more light.

-Easily done. Yes.

I mean, it would all be yours to do whatever you wanted to.

You could have your donkeys, chickens and whatnot.

Why are you looking at Claire? Don't look at Claire!

We have to come to an agreement about it.

Maybe a little bit of reassurance that she's not goading me

into doing something! No, it's a nice property.

Over budget by a significant sum,

our converted water mill would mean Claire and Octave

spending all of their extra savings.

The accommodation includes a spacious open-plan living area

with a stone fireplace and four bedrooms

and all in a secluded forest location.

-Hello!

-Hi!

-That's it, that's all the properties, seen.

-OK.

-Are you ready to go and sit down and pow-wow

-and dissect what you're thinking?

-Yes.

-Yep.

-Let's go.

-So, Claire, Octave - all the properties have been viewed.

-Mm-hm.

-Yep.

-What about your favourite? Octave, what's your favourite?

Why don't you ask Claire her favourite?!

I don't want ask Claire her favourite!

I would have to say yes, the last one we saw.

How much of you saying you like the water mill most is

because you know that Claire loves it?

-And it's fine if that's the reason, but is that the reason?

-Um, no.

Basically, the river for me, the river is there.

Also, the option of having a swimming pool as well.

I think we're going to have to go back and have another look.

How interested are you in the water mill?

It's no good asking me because I'd go and sign the papers right now!

-Really?

-Yes, and I know that's probably far too impulsive, which is

why it's good that Octave is much more practical than me.

-That's so exciting!

-I know, but...

Tell me what's going through your mind.

I'm besotted with it. It's perfect.

So potentially, Claire,

-could we have found your dream home in Abruzzo?

-Possibly, yes.

But I know what I'm like and I'm inclined to jump before I think.

Which is where I need Octave to bring me down to earth a bit.

I'm sure there's all sorts of things we would need to think about,

not least of which is the price of it, because if we managed to

get the money together to pay for it, we'd have nothing left.

If we've got the finances to do it, then yes.

-It could be the one?

-It could be, yes.

As we'll be coming back in a week's time,

hopefully one of the girls will come with us

and we'll have a third eye...

-Whose side will she take, Mum's or Dad's?

-She won't, she's normally...

I know exactly what she'll say.

She thinks we're old and decrepit

and couldn't cope by ourselves in the forest.

She'll think it's far too remote!

-But she's quite romantic, isn't she?

-Yep.

-I think she'd like it.

-That's really thrilling.

I think the two of you have got an amazing adventure ahead of you.

In six months' time, if I come to the South Downs, will I still

see you there?

Um, you can phone and it may be redirected to Italy!

-Let's drink to that.

-Cheers!

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Claire and Octave had only ever spent 24 hours in Abruzzo

before their time with us

and now they know for certain that this is the region

they want to spend the rest of their lives, and who could blame them?

It's got everything - mountains, the sun, the sea.

But in terms of properties, what a turnout!

From telling us they wanted to be on a hill with a view

of the mountains and olive groves in front of them, to falling in love

with that water mill at the bottom of a valley, surrounded by forest.

Do join me next time for another Escape To The Continent.

If you wish to escape to the continent

and would like our help,

please apply online

at bbc.co.uk/beonashow