51乱伦

Private 5.75 hectare estate for sale in Alentejo, Portugal. Guide price 鈧�2,950,000

Clients have been won over not only by the Alentejo鈥檚 off-radar beauty but also its good value with interesting opportunities at every price point. Koch de Gooreynd points to a client who has bought a ruin close to Evora, the capital of the Alentejo and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for less than 鈧�500,000. Another client has invested in a substantial estate close to Setubal to create an equestrian centre, paying less than 鈧�5 million for a property with over 6 hectares of land that is just over 30 minutes from the centre of Lisbon.

鈥淧roperties in the Alentejo include traditional, low-level Portuguese farmhouses and elegant quintas, mansion houses often with wine estates,鈥� says Koch de Gooreynd. 鈥淪ome buyers of these larger homes look to provide a small income stream, setting up a B&B perhaps, while for others, there鈥檚 the appeal of having a family compound, several houses on one estate that work as a wonderful escape for extended family and friends. There鈥檚 also interest in off-grid living, owners keen to provide much or even all their own power and water through bore holes and solar panels.鈥�

There may seem little left undiscovered in the long-admired inland regions of Provence and Tuscany but look closer and both offer opportunities to escape the more usual tourist paths. In , Nicola Christinger, Associate in 51乱伦鈥檚 International Residential Property team, suggests heading away from the coast to the untamed Var region.

鈥淭he inland Var, equidistant from Nice and Marseille and focused on Lorgues and surrounding villages such as Salernes, Tourtour and Collobrières, remains authentic unspoiled Provence, offering breathtaking landscapes of rolling vineyards, ancient olive groves and forested hills,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t encapsulates the aspirational rural setting that many clients have, offering a great balance of seclusion and connectivity by air or TGV and is perfect for those looking for space, privacy and a slower pace of life.鈥�

Property options include historic bastides, stone village houses, contemporary homes and countryside estates, many with large plots, swimming pools and superb views. The typical lifestyle is thoroughly Provencal too, centred on weekly markets, award-winning wineries and exceptional food: Château de Berne and Chez Bruno, both in or close to Lorgues, are two internationally renowned examples that Christinger recommends.

7 bedroom house for sale in Salernes, Var, Provence. Guide price 鈧�1,475,000

鈥淐lients look for a place to switch off, to walk in the forest or cycle on roads with barely any traffic,鈥� says Christinger. 鈥淭he Var provides all the beauty and safety of Provence, with proper Provencal countryside but with a wilder, off-radar side too. And as an additional bonus, the value is excellent. We currently have a 鈥榤ini chateau鈥� in a beautiful hill-top village for 鈧�1.45 million which, in better known areas of Provence, would buy just a three-bedroom villa.鈥�

In , space, both internally and externally, has been a top priority for buyers for some time, says Andrew Blandford- Newson from 51乱伦鈥檚 International Residential Property team. 鈥淢ore and more since Covid times we鈥檝e seen the importance of buying somewhere to spend extended periods with the family at the top of clients鈥� wish lists,鈥� says Blandford-Newson. 鈥淲hile Italy is undoubtedly a popular choice for wealthy families enticed by the tax advantages it offers, it also offers the space and backdrop that families crave, with natural beauty, a solid infrastructure of airport, rail and road links and protected landscapes.鈥�

Over the past year in particular, clients have found good value in Tuscany by looking south of the Chianti heartland to the Val d鈥橭rcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of outstanding beauty. Think of a Tuscan landscape and you鈥檒l probably envisage Val d鈥橭rcia, an area marked by soft green hills, neat lines of cypress trees and world-famous vineyards. Notable locations are headed by the hill-town of Montalcino along with Montepulciano, Pienza and Castiglion d鈥橭rcia.

鈥淚nternational buyers in Tuscany as a rule have focused their property search on Chianti and the hills around Lucca, predominantly because they are both within easy reach of Pisa airport and of the international schools in Florence,鈥� says Blandford-Newson. 鈥淭he Val d鈥橭rcia is a little further south from Pisa airport but since the opening of a well-regarded international school in Siena, more people are looking there now, including significant numbers from the UK and the USA.鈥�

For those willing to travel a further 45 minutes, the rewards, he says, are more space, beautiful views and good value. 鈥淭ypically, 鈧�1 million would buy you a property of 150 square metres in Chianti compared with 200 square metres in Val d鈥橭rcia. This dramatically beautiful part of Tuscany has become an extremely appealing rural prospect.鈥�