Castles in Italy for sale

Own a Real Castle in Italy

Italy, with its long history of independent cities and feudal organization, is full of castles. Some of them are impressive monuments heavily walled, a symbol of the power of the local lord on his land. Others merge the need for defense with the love for the rich decorations and luxurious lifestyle that has always been part of the Italian lifestyle, well before Italy existed as a united country.

The Odescalchi Castle, on the shores of the Bracciano Lake, in Latium, hosted the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. It was a fable-like backdrop to a fable-like ceremony.

Italy hides thousands of castles, ranging from the wall surrounded structures from the middle ages that were home and fortress for the nobles, to the more modern fortified palaces and villas built up to the late 19th century.

And many of these castles are up for sale. A few know this, even fewer think about it, but yes: you can actually buy a castle in Italy. They are never cheap of course. And even when they do seem to be cheap, they really aren’t: think about the expenses for taxes, bills, staffing the place, restructuring it. But if money is not a problem and you want to invest in a piece of Italian history, buying a castle can be the best investment of your life.

Some castle owners transform the building into a hotel – often a luxury one. Others use it to boost their reputation while doing business: think about it, receiving your business associates in a castle! Renting to rich tourists or to movie productions are also popular options.

Sometimes your choices are limited: many castles are protected historical places, subject to legal bindings and the owner cannot use it for all purposes. For particular important places, not only can you not transform the building from a house, to a hotel, but you are also legally bound to keep the castle in good shape, doing – and paying for – restructuration and refurbishing work.

Of course, you can simply enjoy the castle’s life and use the building as your retirement home in Italy. In any case, buying a castle in Italy is a unique experience and opportunity. And, hard as this can be to believe, could even be easy to do.