The coast of Abruzzo is anything but monotonous: there are flat sandy beaches highly organized for tourists where is possible to rent beach umbrellas, deck chairs and have a bar/restaurant available all day and also part of the night. These beaches have bay watchers and life guards for safety issues. There is always some entertainment going on on these type of beaches: beach volley, live music, dance lessons, sport lessons. Fun is guarantee.

But if you prefer a quiet spot to relax listening to the placid waves of the Adriatic Sea, Abruzzo coast can offer solitary wild beaches where is possible to spend a laid back day, walking the dog or simply reading a book.

There are dramatic coastlines with high cliffs and pebbly beaches of unique beauty such as Punta Aderci, a suggestive Regional Nature Reserve established in 1998 and located in the town of Vasto. This part of the coast of Abruzzo is characterized by rock cliffs overlooking the sea. There are numerous species of marine life and the many bird species that nest in the reserve.

The Adriatic Sea has a water’s temperature that is very mild; in summer it reaches 28 degrees. It is possible to bath from the end of April to the beginning of October. Abruzzo offers one of the highest densities of blue flag beaches in Italy.

But what is very unique on the Adriatic shore is the Trabocchi coast, a UNESCO World Heritage-protected famous for its traditional wooden fishing structures – the Trabocchi.

Buying a house in Abruzzo

 We too would like to share our experience of, not only buying in Italy but also the very smooth process of buying through Abruzzo Rural Property and, in particular, our Agent, Monia.

My cousin and I have Italian blood running through our veins and so it was only natural that we both wanted to have our own little getaway in Italy if only to get back to our roots.

 We therefore started our search in early 2015 and saw 12 houses over two days before falling in love with our beautiful house in the small village of Tufillo with its breathtaking scenery and warm, welcoming people.

The “buying” process went so smoothly because we were in such safe hands with Monia. The way she just dealt with everything for us, from negotiating with the owners, signing the papers, meeting with the Notario, to handing over the keys and introducing us to our wonderful builders, in such a calm manner was just so helpful and we could not have done it without her. Everybody going through a similar process should have a “Monia” supporting them as you will not find anyone more efficient and professional than she is. She even took us to the bank to help us open up an Italian bank account – would we get that service from a property agent in the UK?  I don’t think so!

Anyway, nearly one year on and our house is almost complete so here are some photos below showing the house as it looked before, during the works and after:

From Iceland to Abruzzo: Why I bought a house in Colledimezzo?

 Our real estate agent Monia asked us if she could blog about us and the house on the hill in the little fairy village of Colledimezzo.

Of course it is our pleasure to share with everyone our experience of how it is to have one foot in Italy and one in Iceland. In our opinion Abruzzo is "a slice of heaven", we just love it!

We love the wonderful villages and the breathtaking views, the friendly people and their healthy attitude to life. The fresh and tasty food, its absurdly good. The lovely clean beaches that are not to crowded plus of course that which is most important for us Icelanders the good weather.

The first word you learn in Italy is "con calma" or slow down, in the beginning that was very difficult for two over stressed Icelanders!

We probably looked like mental patients to the villagers when we run up and down all the infinitely many steps from the house up to the bar many times a day even during the hottest hours of the day when no one was outside, to check out our e-mail and facebook status (the only internet connection is at the bar). In between painting doors, windows, walls and of course all the endless cleaning.

Dairy La Fonte Nuova, traditional cheese from Casacalenda in Molise region

           

 Brave man Mr Giovanni Nomaro; In 2000 he decided to start a dairy in Casacalenda, in Molise region. His dream was to produce fresh cheese, mainly pasta filata cheese, “spun paste”, like mozzarella, although Molise had not any tradition of mozzarella making...

Since then, the dairy has started to collect prizes and rewards in Italy and abroad, the walls of Giovanni's shop are now filled with prizes won by his dairy products, all produced with the highest quality standards.

The cheese is produced only with fresh local milk, the milk used is raw in order to confer unique flavors to the dairies. Giovanni’s cheese is the result of his region, his land, genuine and natural without any type of preservative.