Today we chat to ItalyBuyingGuide.com reader, Ian Ledger who bought a traditionally trullo in Southern Italy back in 2007.
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
After extensive renovation, Trullo Talily is now a fully functioning holiday rental. Ian tells us about what inspired him to take on the task and how he found the process…
Why did you choose to buy a second home in Puglia? Did you know the area well before buying?
When my wife and I first got together, we talked about the coned roofed trullos you find in Puglia and how romantic they are. A couple of years later we booked a week out there and we looked at up to 20 places a day. By the last day we had given up hope. During the same time Channel 4 presenter, Amanda Lamb, was staying in our accommodation in Sussex, and mentioned she had bought a place out there and gave us the name of someone to talk to. Within hours of catching the flight home, we found Trulli Talily. There is a tradition of naming homes after the ladies in the family so we called it Trulli Talily, after our two daughters (TA for Tabitha and LILY for Matilda Lily).
When did you buy the property?
We found the place in October 2007, signed on the dotted line in January 2008 and completed all of the renovation work by May 2008. With the help of friends and great local contacts we achieved in four months what takes most people four years.
What state was the property in when you bought it and what have you had done to get it to its current state?
It was completely uninhabitable, but it had a lot of rustic charm and having scoured the whole region we knew the location was the very best spot. Between contracts, I went out to manage the build, took some friends to help and slept rough… and it was the only year for 20 years that it snowed! Recently we obtained planning permission for a swimming pool which we plan to add next year.
How do you manage your property from the UK?
Using our experience of holiday lets in the UK, we manage all of the bookings ourselves. We advertise on sites like Holiday Lettings, who bring in most of our business. We are lucky enough to have some amazing friends in the community, who help with cleaning, meet and greet services, welcome packs, maintenance and paying bills.
Do you do anything to make your trullo stand out from others for rent in the same area?
It’s hard to get across to people who haven’t been, but the location is truly wonderful and can’t really be beaten in the region. “Habitable” in Southern Italy means running water and maybe power. There are some lovely properties around but we have gone the extra mile with high end finishes whilst maintaining the rustic charm.
Have you got any anecdotes about guests who have stayed at the trullo?
A recent quote “For breakfast we enjoyed fresh passion fruit picked a few yards from where we sit on your land. For lunch we wander up the track 100 yards to see one of the neighbours in the community to buy a litre of amazing vino and a box full of fruit and veg for a couple of euros. For dinner we contemplate heading out to one of the thousands of amazing restaurants but more often than not opt to pop down to the local town for a single portion of an anti-pasta pre-starter for one (for eight Euros, after which we couldn’t eat another thing). We’re in heaven.”
For details of property for sale all over Italy, visit the Italy listing on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying and restoring property in Italy is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.
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The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc