I was happy but not surprised to learn that Italy got its place among the 10 best places to live out of 194 countries that were analyzed by the staff of International Living.

Actually there are many reasons why your Italian property can be a life changing experience.

In Italy - especially in the countryside - you are going to get back to habits, a pace and a genuine atmosphere that in most places - especially in the large International cities - are completely lost.

I feel that - for example - one of the things that is quite amusing in Italy is the average quality of food (and vine).

In certain regions in particular, it is really very difficult to eat less than very well and at a reasonable price. It is not only a matter of cooking techniques but - generally speaking - the passion for the ingredients makes a real difference.

I am going to write on this again soon, since I think to observe a real Italian diet can change your life substantially, it is actually very healthy as well as tasty.

Soon on this matter again......

Very best regards,

Luca This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Recently, spending some time at a SPA hotel I thought again on how well the Hotel sector grew - in the last 10 years or so - to match the increasing desire of a certain type of people to stay well and to enjoy a genuine sophisticated atmosphere.

You will read what I actually think on this problem in my piece that will go on-line soon. In my opinion the concept is simple: Il caffe' e' un piacere ma se non e' buono che piacere e'? (coffee is a pleasure but if it's not good, how could give a real pleasure?)

We always look at the hotel/resort industry to inspire ourselves in the design of our Italian homes and I feel that it is amusing how the real estate sector, in particular the second homes one, has showed such a modest reaction to people's appetite for joy and convenience.

It is even more surprising if you consider that a second home itself offers endless opportunities to improve not only the joy of spending time there but also to create an environment inspired to joy and convenience, where it is simple to own your Italian home. Basically there is a vast number of aspects that can make your second home in Italy very enjoyable to use and very convenient to handle, or - if badly planned and poorly organized - very much less so ......

I wonder why we see so few examples of second homes projects designed to match people's appetite for well-being.

Maybe changes are just very slow in a sector that has traditionally been much closer to the ordinary urban real estate development, while it should inspire itself much more to the Hotel/holiday sector.

At the end of the day your second home is a pleasure ma se non e' buono che piacere e'?

Tell me what you think!

Very best regards,

Luca This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

You can get a lot more from a Realitalia property plus capital appreciation and most important the pleasure to purchase your own Italian retreat.

In accordance with Il Sole 24 Ore, probably the most important Italian Financial newspaper:
http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Finanza%20e%20Mercati/2010/01/Bot-Titoli_Stato-asta-rendimento.shtml?uuid=86c1d4fa-ff7b-11de-b8ab-74ae532c4409&DocRulesView=Libero
yesterday auction for the Italian Government bonds went well, despite returns are close to 0%.

On the Italian properties of Realitalia you can get good letting returns, thanks to the Realitalia pro management and letting service, which is an essential aspect of all Realitalia projects.

At Ville degli Olivi in Tuscany for example we expect to be able to obtain gross rental returns above 5% and - if you wish to be sure - you can actually get a rental guarantee of 4% for two years after your purchase (terms and conditions apply).

At Dominio San Sebastiano in Liguria you can also get a similar rental guarantee.

Of course we also expect that these properties, due both to their qualities and to the market trend, will offer capital appreciation in the medium term, which will add up to the letting income.

It looks like a win-to-win situation, considering that - probability for most people is even more important - you gain also the pleasure to purchase (and enjoy) your own Italian retreat.

Why people still buy Governments bonds?

Tell me what you think!

Luca This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Yesterday morning I went to meet my accountant.

His office is a 12 stores building, which I do not think is older than 30/35 years. Each floor hosts either 2 or 3 units, normally quite large. Most of them are offices.

The entrance is basically a corridor that leads to two 4 people lifts.

I waited 6 minutes and somebody told me that sometime at lunch time or in the morning you can wait more than 10 ......

It is a lack of design, the space at the entrance is unsuitable to handle the people who normally access the building, and the lifts are incapable to cope with the traffic.

Lack of design produces inconvenience (endless examples every day of our lives), in those more serious cases also danger, but I see it as an opportunity to create advantage and value.

The Intelligent Design is basically this, to create properties thought and designed with a main priority in mind: the owners' and guests' joy.

Your comments will be extremely welcome.

Very best regards,

Luca This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it