Anyone in the hunt for an authentic Italian village home or farmhouse should head to Umbria, where there is a growing trend for bringing old properties and communities across the region back into the 21st-Century.

The area around Umbertide, a medieval town 30 kilometres north of Perugia (served by Ryanair) is especially popular with Brits looking for a character Italian bolt-hole, already restored or in need of restoration. Run by a British couple, Fervidus White is one company that specialises in helping buyers find and restore such properties and has a number of opportunities currently available including its San Vittorino development.

Or, not far from here, halfway between Città di Castello and Umbertide, is Ciangottini Residence in Promano. This is a group of farm buildings on a bend in the River Tevere that have been turned into 14 two- and three-bedroom apartments and houses.

Meanwhile, Castello di Postignano is a 13th-Century village in eastern Umbria overlooking the Nerina Valley. Once a thriving community, it had been abandoned for 30 years until developers recently converted the village into apartments, now on the market.

To save money when buying in Umbria, foreigners are advised to use a currency specialist when transferring pounds to Italy to purchase their property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Italy, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Italy Property Buying Guide’