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Colourful, romantic Campania has captivated visitors for
more than two millennia. With property prices ranging from
sky-high to cheap-as-chips, there’s something here for every
buyer.

Warm, fertile Campania was christened the ‘happy land’ by the

ancient Romans, many of whom hoped to own a holiday villa or
to retire here in campania felix. It’s still a very happy land –
blessed with gorgeous geography, teeming with fruit and
flowers, and packed with historical sites. The Amalfi Coast,
Cápri and
Sorrento are here, three near-mythically beautiful – and largely unspoilt – holiday
destinations. Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum are here, each home to astonishing and
extensive Classical-era relics. Italy’s third largest and undisputedly liveliest city, Naples,
is here. So are Italy’s best pizza, ice cream, pasta and tomatoes. As the source of so many
of our common stereotypes about Italy, Campania is arguably the country’s most
stimulating and memorable region. It’s a romantic, glamorous, chaotic and intensely
colourful place.

Between 1997 and 2007 [the year of writing], property prices

doubled across Campania. They are still rising, albeit more
slowly. While some famous coastal beauty-spots are
prohibitively expensive or lack anything for sale, there are
some very appealing parts of Campania where property is still
reasonably priced – both on the coast and in the hilly
hinterland. Far inland, meanwhile,
prices drop to very low levels. Despite being one of Italy’s most visited regions,
Campania attracts comparatively few British buyers. In particular, it sees hardly any Brits
settling down to live here full-time. Perhaps many would-be buyers are put off by the
increasingly outdated thought that this very Southern Italian region is plagued by poverty,

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corruption, and bureaucratic sloth. Numbers of British buyers are growing, however, and
it’s likely that Campania’s popularity will continue to increase over the coming years.

LONGSTANDING APPEAL
Campania’s magnetic appeal is perhaps the oldest and most enduring of any Italian
region. The ancient Greeks were the first to succumb, washing up on Campanian shores in
the 8th century B.C. They liked the place so much that they decided to stay, and from here
they infiltrated the rest of the Italian peninsula – introducing the vine and the olive, and
wowing the indigenous people with the idea of an alphabet and written language, among
other innovations. The Romans were the next big name to colonize Campania, filling it
with villas and settlements to thrill many generations of future archaeologists. When the
18th-century Grand Tourists set the fashion for gallivanting across Europe, Italy was their
main target and Campania their ultimate goal. “See Naples and die!” they cried, certain
that he who had not beheld the exotic glories of Campania could not say he had truly
lived. The enthusiasm persisted throughout the 19th and 20th centuries too, with
innumerable European artists, writers and celebrities tumbling through chic, invigorating
Campania – the wind tousling their hair as they cruised the Amalfi Drive.

One of Campania’s greatest attractions is, of course, its

glorious geography. This region enjoys many physical
blessings. Its coastline is long and varied, being relatively
straight and flat in the north and south, with wide open
stretches of sand, but steep and intricate in the centre – from
Pozzuoli to Salerno. Here the coast sinuously breaks into
various bays, headlands, cliffs and dainty coves, not to mention
three beautiful little islands. Campania's immediate
hinterland sports a few fertile plains and lots of rolling hills, each ultimately rising to meet
the high, rugged mountains of the deep interior. As you’d expect, the region is quite
crowded down by its waterside, and almost deserted far inland. With 5,700,000
inhabitants, Campania is one of Italy’s most populous regions, but the vast majority of the
people here live within easy reach of the sea and, in particular, of teeming, sprawling
Naples.

Abundantly fertile thanks to its rich volcanic soil, Campania

enjoys a thriving agriculture and produces some of Italy’s best-
quality foodstuffs. This, together with the region’s huge appeal
to tourists, might incline you to think that Campanians could
easily live off the fat of their land. It’s true that tourism and
agriculture are mainstays of the region’s economy, but
unfortunately Campania still has a problem with unemployment
and poverty.
About 18% of its population are jobless, despite the swathes of heavy industry ringing
Naples. There are slum pockets in and around this otherwise beguiling city, spoiling the
idyll of Campania a little. Deep inland, a few old semi-abandoned villages are another

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depressing sight to some. To others, they are a romantic vision of picturesque decay. Or
indeed, a development opportunity.

MANY MARKETS
Dominic Hebblethwaite of the agency Live in Italy rightly says that “You can’t really talk
about the market in Campania as ‘one market’. The market along the Amalfi Coast is
completely different to that in Naples, which is completely different to the countryside of
Benevento and is completely different to the Cilento National Park.” More than most
Italian regions, Campania sees huge differences between the prices and popularity of
properties in its different areas. The region contains, in fact, some of Italy’s very priciest
homes and some of its cheapest. So it’s crucial to know where to focus your search. Let’s
start by looking at the costliest locales then work downwards.

The gorgeous Amalfi Coast area is, as you’d expect, one of the most desirable and
expensive places in Campania. Dominic notes that “There is almost no market now on the
Amalfi Coast, properties rarely come on the market and when they do the prices are
extremely high.” Villas here generally go for more than a million euros, and even though
their rental prospects are superb (several thousand euros a week), you might not profit
much as your initial outlay is so great. One or two new property developments offer rather
more affordable homes on this glamorous coast, but generally the steep landscape
prohibits much new building. Sorrento is another pricy spot with limited options, as is the
chic island of Cápri. The other two islands in the Bay of Naples, however, can be a little
easier to buy on – especially Ischia, where there’s quite a bit for sale across a fairly wide
price range. And the summertime holiday rental prospects here are very good.

It might surprise you to learn that Naples is also one of the most expensive places in
Campania. So many people want to live in this huge, lively city that property prices have
risen and risen. As an investment, Naples is a good option – but you should rent long-term
to local people rather than short-term to holidaymakers. Two-bed apartments range [in
2007] from about €150,000 on the city outskirts to nearly €800,000 for a luxury flat in a
highly desirable area like Vómero or Posillipo. The rents would be something like €600
per month up to about €2,000 or more, respectively. We Brits commonly think of Naples
as an impoverished city, but in fact there is lots of money here. If you want to buy in
Naples, make sure you fully understand which districts and neighbourhoods are the most
and least desirable.

MORE AFFORDABLE
During the period 2005-2007, many foreign buyers have turned their attention to southern
Campania – to the coast south of Salerno and the hinterland behind it. The area has a lot
going for it. The beaches are wider and emptier than further north, and the rolling hills of
the interior are very attractive. Almost the whole area is, in fact, officially National
Parkland – comprising the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park. There are lots of
quaint little villages, and lots of homes with views down to the distant sea. All well and
good, but a slight downside to this southern stretch of Campania is the long journey from

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Naples airport – around two hours.

Clare Shipston of Italian Properties notes that with the Campanian market, “The further
south you go, the lower the price.” She also points out that down in the south “As always,
the best buys are to be had by going inland a few miles. Most properties have sea views
but cost a lot less than something on the beach.” Prices are rising steadily in southern
Campania, but in 2007 one- and two-bedroom apartments by the beach tend to cost
between €100,000 and €270,000. A few miles inland, you’ll get larger apartments and
detached properties for these kind of prices. There are restoration projects, villas, homes
with land, village houses – all sorts of options. Foreign buyers down here are the usual
crew of Brits, Germans, Americans, Scandinavians and South Africans, and they tend to
prefer homes with land needing restoration.

Southern Campania is popular with Italian holidaymakers, and a property near the water
here should bring in fairly reliable summer rental returns. Inland, your clients would tend
to be exploratory-minded northern Europeans, in lower numbers. Southern Campania’s
hinterland is perhaps more an area in which to enjoy a holiday home, rather than a place
in which to try and cover all your costs with rental returns. But given the low initial outlay
for a property here, you might not need to worry too much about bolstering your finances
with rentals anyway. Buy here and you would have an affordable rural idyll with the
sunny seaside never far away and many of Campania’s famously romantic and historical
delights of within daytripping distance.

DEEP INTERIOR
The very cheapest stretch of Campania is its deep interior. There is some astonishingly
good-value property here if you look carefully. You could easily secure an attractive old
place in a lively town or village for a five-figure sum, and be within an hour to ninety
minutes from places like the Amalfi Coast, Naples and so on. If you’re interested in
buying in Campania’s deep interior, then it’s important to explore the area and get a feel
for what’s where. There are a few dispiriting spots with an air of abandonment to them –
the locals having all left for jobs in Naples. But there are also many thriving places
surrounded by glorious mountain scenery. (Many people find that that the countryside is
especially striking in the area round Benevento and Ariano Irpino.) Campania’s interior is
a potent slice of ‘real Italy’, where local people live a slow-paced, traditional lifestyle in
picturesque old towns and villages which seem to have stayed unchanged for centuries.
Communities are tight-knit and family values prevail.

Deep in Campania’s interior, you could get a one-bedroom apartment in a medieval

village for €30,000, a one-bedroom village house for about €40,000, and a two-bedroom
house in the country for about €50,000. It really is that cheap. [Prices are from 2007.]
Many of the properties in these price brackets are fully habitable – occasionally even fully
furnished. Others need only a small amount of renovation work. But if major restoration is
your thing, Campania’s interior also holds a wealth of potential projects for you to choose
from – all at a very low initial outlay. As you might expect, the holiday rental prospects

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for this part of Campania are fairly low (although certainly not non-existent). But as you
would spend so very little for a property here, it’s likely you wouldn’t have to worry about
meeting your costs with holiday rentals anyway.

So what’s the catch? Well, there isn’t one really. Campania’s interior isn’t for everyone –
there are a few threadbare villages; there’s almost no English spoken; and the climate isn’
quite as benign as it is on the coast, where winters are milder. There’s also a slightly
greater risk of earthquakes, but this really shouldn’t deter anyone since all of the Italian
peninsula is an earthquake zone. The Italians live with the risk of earthquakes as we
British live with the risk of rain. Italian laws dictate that roofs and walls are strengthened
against seismic events. If you’re buying in Campania’s interior (or anywhere else on the
Italian peninsula), do check that your property is fully up-to-standard with anti-earthquake
precautions. And if you’re restoring an old property, be sure to seek advice on this from
your builders or architect. To ignore the risk of earthquakes altogether is to be very short-
sighted indeed.

MODEL VILLAGE
One interesting project deep in Campania’s interior that deserves a mention here is the
‘Medieval Hamlet of Calitri Project’. A small property development company called
Tricali has been working together with local councillors since 2004, sensitively restoring
many of the old borgo homes of this thriving little town about eighty minutes’ drive from
Naples, and selling them as holiday homes. Only local craftsmen and traditional building
materials are used in the restoration work, considerably adding to its appeal. The project
has been quite a success, with non-locals (including foreigners) snapping up these
excellent-value borgo homes and enjoying their time in Calitri as a welcomed part of the
strong local community. Apartments with one, two or more bedrooms in Calitri’s
medieval borgo tend to go for about €30,000 to €50,000. Tricali doesn’t act as an agent
selling the properties [and request that would-be buyers do not contact them directly], but
relies instead on various brokers through whom buyers can make enquiries and purchases.
Among the various brokers they use are: www.realpointitaly.com, www.escapes2.com,
www.sunandskihomes.co.uk, and www.italianhomesandholidays.co.uk.

So, whatever your budget, it seems there’s something that could suit you in Campania.
This colourful and varied region has a great deal going for it and deserves far more British
buyer-interest. Having beguiled all sorts of visitors for the last two millennia, isn’t
Campania worth your consideration?

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www.italianhomesandholidays.co.uk
www.abode.it

[All quoted prices accurate in 2007]

Naples
Italy’s third largest city and one of the most densely-populated places in Europe, Naples is
a genuinely beguiling place where common descriptions like ‘colourful’ and ‘exuberant’
are not just euphemisms for ‘impoverished’ and ‘dangerous’. This is a truly invigorating
and compelling city with stunning food and great shopping – all incomparably set on a
wide, volcano-backed bay. There’s space for many parts: a lively historical quarter; some
very well-heeled suburbs; a bit of slum chaos; a sprawl of coastal industry. Because so
many people want to live in Naples, housing is in great demand – which means
surprisingly high property prices and very good rental returns. The cheapest one- and two-
bed apartments go for between €100,000 and €200,000. In more central or popular
districts, these ask €200,000 to €300,000. Vómero and Posillipo are among the loveliest
and priciest areas, and a two-bed apartment here would set you back around €500,000. (So
much for Naples being an impoverished city!) Summer holiday rentals are pretty good,
with one-bed apartments averaging €600 a week; a two-bed about €1,100. Or you could
rent long-term to locals. one- and two-bed apartments rent for €400-€1,000 per month, but
up to €1,800 per month in a place like Vómero.

North and West of Naples

You’ll probably want to avoid the impoverished and industrial area immediately to
Naples’ north. Head west out of the city instead, and you enter a strange, volcanic
landscape punctuated by craters, hot springs and steam vents – with towns like Pozzuoli
prone to subsidence. The coast round here is relatively appealing (especially at Miseno),
and rich in Classical remains. North of Cumae, however, the seaside is mostly
overdeveloped up to the border with Lazio. Few tourists or property-buyers venture inland
round here, but towns like Cápua and Caserta are pleasant enough (and little Sant’Agata
dei Goti is positively charming). A wide fertile plain dominates the area, grazed by herds
of buffalo whose milk is used for mozzarella.

The islands
A trio of lovely islands frames the Bay of Naples, each with its own distinct character.
Cápri is the most famous of the three, an enchanted chunk of limestone draped in flowers
and greenery – once a playground for the super-wealthy, and now a daytripper’s paradise.

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It’s arguably unspoilt by all the attention, and away from the main town’s boutique-lined
centre, the people here lead fairly normal, traditional lives. Larger, less glamorous Ischia
is just as popular as Cápri but feels less crowded. Its biggest fans are German and
Scandinavian tourists, who lap up Ischia’s beaches, volcanic thermal springs and quiet
mountainous hinterland. Tiny Prócida is the least visited, but also perhaps the least scenic.
Property is hugely expensive on all three islands, but priciest on Cápri, where there’s
rarely much for sale. Ischia has more on the market, with prices ranging from €170,000
for a tiny 2-bed house to €620,000 for a 2-bed apartment. Holiday rental returns are
excellent on Cápri and Ischia, and so-so on Prócida. Expect a 1-bed apartment on Cápri to
rent for €1,500 a week in the summer.

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

Light-hearted Sorrento has been a favourite of Brits and other visitors for more than a
century. Its lively clutch of lanes sits on a cliff-edge with wonderful views across the Bay
of Naples. Many lovely walks over Sorrento’s leafy headland beckon from the town
centre. Property is expensive here, but not quite so much as it is a few miles further south,
along the Costiera Amalfitana – frequently described as ‘Europe’s most beautiful stretch
of coast’. The Amalfi Coast is a dazzling 20km or so of steep, flower-strewn terrain
plunging into a turquoise sea, supporting semi-vertical villages of pastel-coloured villas.
It’s heady stuff, with hefty price tags. Properties here rarely come on the market, but if
you’ve got the cash and manage to grab a place, you’d be looking at superb rental returns.
A three-bed villa in a prime location would usually ask €1 million or more, but you could
rent it for €4,000 a week in the summer. Best of all, while the Amalfi Coast is undeniably
popular and crowded in the summer, access is relatively difficult and the terrain naturally
restricts much new building – so the area is unlikely ever to be spoilt by overdevelopment.
An investment here should have a sound future.

Southern Campania
South of Salerno, Campania’s coastline begins to lose some its steep drama, but it
compensates for this with some great stretches of sand and much thinner crowds. Inland,
there’s lovely hill country peppered with unspoilt villages and small towns, often with
commanding views of the sea in the distance. Almost all of southern Campania’s coast
and interior is classified as National Parkland. This whole area has been quietly growing
in popularity with foreign buyers over the last few years – and deservedly so. Prices are
still reasonable here, and there are lots of property options, including restoration projects.
Down on the seaside, one- and two-bed apartments ask between €80,000 and €270,000. A
few miles inland, you might get a two-bedroom villa with land for €270,000, or a
tumbledown old house with land asking €50,000 or so.

The interior
Campania’s mountainous interior is a different world to the region’s much-loved coast.
Rarely visited and very thinly populated, the towns and roads here are small and slow, the
lifestyle quiet and traditional. As you might expect, property prices can be very low
indeed. There’s some very handsome countryside up here – forests and rugged mountain

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landscapes steeped in silence. The land is especially attractive around Benevento and
Ariano Irpino. Property-wise, there are lots of prospects: farmhouses, village homes,
rustic buildings, townhouses – restored and unrestored, old and newly-built. Good-sized
country homes ask as little as €50,000, and rarely more than €200,000. Holiday rental
prospects would be limited, but you’d have a peaceful and inexpensive retreat to call your
own – just an hour to ninety minutes from Naples.

Our Home in Campania

Sara-Jane Gray and her husband Kevin own a four-bedroom property in the old borgo of
Calitri, about eighty minutes inland from Naples.

“We’d been looking for about three years,” Sara-Jane explains. “We’d considered Liguria,
Umbria, and so on. Then I was surfing the net and came across a project, where a small
company had gone in with the municipal council to renovate houses and regenerate an old
part of Calitri. I did my homework, and even went to a UK firm of solicitors and said ‘I
don’t understand why these houses are so reasonable, what’s the catch?’ Turns out there is
no catch, it’s just because so many people have moved away, and the Italians don’t
commute the way the English do. If they go away to Naples to work, then they want to
live in Naples, not an hour and twenty away.

“We bought our house in Calitri three years ago. We were either the first or second buyers
in the whole project. We paid about £45,000, and we can sleep twelve. It’s a three-storey
townhouse, on the side of a mountain. It has two entrances; a fully-equipped studio
apartment downstairs; and upstairs three bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a lounge
with a cathedral ceiling. Calitri is a bustling little town. Traditionally, the borgo was
where the poor people lived – crowded, high up, with few amenities. When people could
afford it, they went down the mountain and built new houses. The Italians like everything
new and shiny, whereas we British like everything rustic and quaint. The borgo has
always been alive and vibrant, and there are lots of Italians there. I love it.

“Normally we visit about five or six times a year. We explore the local area – there’s a
lake and stunning mountains – and also go further afield. But the closer you get to the
coast, the more anglicised it gets, and we like to be in Italy. It’s wonderful for the

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children. There’s an intensely strong sense of community here, and a huge respect for
family. Because the house was so inexpensive, renting is not something we have to do to
cover costs. But we do rent out the studio apartment, and the rentals market is pretty good.

“The developers, Tricali, use only local tradespeople and artisans in restoring these
properties, so they create local wealth, which the townspeople love. Calitri isn’t a place
for buyers who want every amenity and lots of English spoken. The houses are renovated
and furnished, so you don’t have to drag furniture through the borgo, but you are going to
have to speak some Italian, because it’s a traditional Southern Italian town.”

As well as organizing events in Italy, Sara-Jane acts as a broker for Tricali’s homes.
www.italianhomesandholidays.co.uk

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