Our favourite historic properties for sale in Italy

Claire Butler

September is European Heritage Month, and with this year’s theme devoted to architecture, what better excuse to browse Italy’s finest historic homes? Nowhere else offers such a sweep of civilisation: Italy has 60 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other nation. To buy here is to own a slice of that history, to live not just among frescoes and vaulted ceilings but inside them.

We have gathered fifteen of the most beguiling properties on the market this month, from medieval castles and Renaissance villas to farmhouse hideaways with pizza ovens and frescoed ballrooms. Whether you dream of Tuscan vineyards, Umbrian towers or Ligurian sea views, these are homes that make history not only visible but habitable.

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A vaulted hideaway in Ostuni

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For those who think exposed stone and vaulted ceilings beat plasterboard and spotlights any day, this two-bedroom farmhouse delivers in spades. With its original chianche floors, pizza oven, and sweeping views of the Valle d’Itria, it’s the kind of rustic charm estate agents usually call “authentic”—except here, it actually is. A little modernisation (and perhaps a pool) would turn this into the Apulian retreat of your imagination.

Price: €105,000
Location: Ostuni, Brindisi, Apulia
Special features: Star-vaulted ceilings, original stone floors, fireplace, outdoor pizza oven, 5,500 m² of land, air conditioning
Close to: 5 km from Ostuni’s famed città bianca; 10 km to sandy Adriatic beaches; 40 km to Brindisi airport; easy reach of Locorotondo, Cisternino, Alberobello and Lecce

 

Fit for a Bourbon king (literally)

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If frescoed ceilings, terracotta floors and the faint whiff of Bourbon royalty (Ferdinand IV stayed here in 1798, no less) appeal, this 18th-century apartment in Palazzo Tronconi is your cue. Sunlit rooms, exposed beams and valley views complete the picture—no restoration drama required.

Price: €130,000
Location: Arce, Frosinone, Lazio
Special features: Historic Palazzo Tronconi (1700s), frescoed ceilings, original terracotta floors, exposed beams, two bathrooms, balcony
Close to: Walking distance to shops and amenities in Arce’s centro storico; 90 minutes to Rome; easy reach of Lazio’s hill towns and the Abruzzo National Park

 

Frescoes, firewood and a famous painter’s cradle

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Born in the 1600s and once home to Gaetano Lapis, this stately palazzo in Cagli offers frescoed salons, marble staircases and vaulted cellars begging for wine barrels. Three levels of historic gravitas—with just enough courtyard to sip a quiet espresso afterwards.

Price: €375,000
Location: Cagli, Pesaro and Urbino, Marche
Special features: 17th-century origins, frescoes by Venanzi Alessandro, marble staircase with cast-iron balustrade, vaulted wine cellars, terrace, courtyard
Close to: 33 km from Urbino; 63 km to the Adriatic coast; 73 km to Perugia airport; easy reach of Assisi, Florence and Rome

 

Art Nouveau elegance with a whiff of fresco

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This restored early 20th-century villa in Sigillo comes with original stucco, 18th-century frescoes, terrazzo floors and even a vaulted brick tavern for the serious entertainer. Surrounded by a leafy park, it is as grand as it is liveable.

Price: €540,000
Location: Sigillo, Perugia, Umbria
Special features: Early 20th-century villa, Art Nouveau details, 18th-century frescoes, vaulted brick tavern, 2,800 m² park, additional outbuildings
Close to: Walking distance to Sigillo’s centro storico; 27 km to Gubbio; 49 km to Assisi; 43 km to Perugia airport; near Monte Cucco Regional Park for hiking and paragliding

 

Lake views with cherries on top

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This late 19th-century Art Nouveau villa gazes across Lake Iseo towards Monte Isola, offering fresco-worthy views, sweeping terraces and a beamed attic for brooding in style. With 20,000 square metres of land, you might even justify a vineyard.

Price: €990,000
Location: Bergamo, Lombardy
Special features: Built 1870, Art Nouveau design, terraces with lake views, vaulted tavern, large grounds, private parking, beamed attic
Close to: 300 metres to Tavernola’s lakeside promenade, shops and pier; 10 minutes to Sarnico; boat trips to Monte Isola; 35 km to Bergamo; 75 km to Milan

 

A medieval feud, a papal neighbour and now, you

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Once home to quarrelling Ghibellines and later passed to a Renaissance confraternity, this 13th-century palazzo now moonlights as a stylish B&B. Expect vaulted history, contemporary flair and the Duomo practically on your doorstep.

Price: €1,200,000
Location: Viterbo, Lazio
Special features: 13th-century origins, restored historic palazzo, contemporary design flourishes, four bedrooms, eight bathrooms, former B&B, artistic interiors
Close to: Steps from Viterbo Duomo and medieval centro storico; thermal springs and Etruscan sites nearby; 90 minutes to Rome; close to Palazzo Farnese

 

A castle, a tower and a cellar for all that Barolo

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Perched above Incisa Scapaccino, this 860-square-metre noble residence comes with frescoed ceilings, terracotta floors, a vaulted wine cellar begging for tastings, and a tower view worth a duchy. The two-hectare park ensures privacy from curious villagers.

Price: €1,300,000
Location: Incisa Scapaccino, Asti, Piedmont
Special features: Historic castle residence, frescoed ceilings, terracotta floors, vaulted brick cellar, Italian garden and park of 28,983 m², tower with panoramic views
Close to: In the Monferrato hills; easy reach of Asti, Alba and Barolo wine country; 90 minutes to Turin; surrounded by Slow Food sanctuaries and vineyards

 

Baroque splendour with a corner balcony to match

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Housed in the 17th-century Palazzo Ricca di Coassolo, this 404-square-metre apartment offers frescoed salons, mythological allegories and a monumental staircase that makes a lift feel like cheating. Bright, sprawling and unapologetically Baroque, it is Turin at its most theatrical.

Price: €1,600,000
Location: Turin, Piedmont
Special features: Palazzo Ricca di Coassolo, Baroque façade, frescoed halls, monumental staircase with wrought iron details, four bedrooms, corner balcony, internal courtyard with porticos
Close to: Turin’s centro storico, cafés and theatres on Via XX Settembre; 15 minutes to Porta Susa station; 30 minutes to Turin airport; easy access to the Langhe wine region

 

A villa, a hotel and a swimming pool walk into Emilia-Romagna

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Once a noble villa, now a 16-suite hotel with restaurant, bar, pool and 5,400-square-metre park, this 1,380-square-metre property could be your private palazzo or your boutique empire. Either way, the monumental wine bill will be worth it.

Price: €1,670,000
Location: Luzzara, Reggio Emilia, Emilia Romagna
Special features: 16 suites with private bathrooms, refined restaurant, professional kitchen, bar, reading room, swimming pool, 5,400 m² park, lift, separate 93 m² apartment
Close to: In the heart of Reggio Emilia province; easy reach of Parma, Modena and Bologna; well placed for both Milan and Verona airports

 

Towers, turrets and just enough mythological swans

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This 19th-century estate in Montecavolo delivers everything from a neo-Gothic wing with mullioned windows and crenellations to a tower with views across 3.3 hectares of parkland. Inside, you will find frescoes, studies and salons fit for a duke with a taste for grandeur.

Price: €2,390,000
Location: Quattro Castella, Reggio Emilia, Emilia Romagna
Special features: Main villa with sundial and tower, neo-Gothic annex with turrets, restored farm building with porta morta, 32,000 m² park with sculptures and mythological motifs
Close to: 12 km from Reggio Emilia; within reach of Parma and Modena; Bologna less than an hour; set in the rolling Emilian countryside

 

Victorian Gothic on the Riviera, with aristocratic sun included

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Commissioned by Sir Thomas Hanbury in 1889, this 1,200-square-metre villa in Latte offers sandstone Gothic grandeur, stone fireplaces and a garden fit for English tea or Italian spritz. Monaco is just down the road, in case the spritz runs dry.

Price: €2,500,000
Location: Ventimiglia, Imperia, Liguria
Special features: Built 1891, designed by William Douglas Caro, Victorian Gothic architecture, sandstone masonry, stone fireplaces, 2,680 m² garden, parking for five cars
Close to: Minutes from Ventimiglia and the French border; easy reach of Monaco and the Côte d’Azur; set in Liguria’s sunny, aristocratic holiday coast

 

A Savoyard castle with stables and a weapons room, naturally

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This 17th-century castle north of Turin, once home to the Savoy and Monferrato nobility, comes with frescoed salons, marble staircases, an orangery, a private chapel and a weapons room for good measure. Two hectares of parkland keep the peasants at bay.

Price: €2,900,000
Location: Mercenasco, Turin, Piedmont
Special features: 17th-century castle by Chevalley, Savoy residence, Baroque interiors, marble staircase, chapel, tower with terrace, orangery, Italian gardens, wine cellar, stables, caretaker’s house
Close to: 30 minutes to Turin; near Ivrea and the Morenico amphitheatre; easy reach of Milan and the Aosta Valley

 

Frescoes, Doric columns and a clock that still works

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Built in the 18th century as a Pisan noble’s summer retreat, this 1,400-square-metre villa offers frescoes galore, Doric columns and a facade topped with a functioning Roman-numeral clock. The 7,000-square-metre Italian garden is ideal for cocktails or cavalry drills.

Price: €2,900,000
Location: San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Tuscany
Special features: 18th-century villa, original frescoes, Doric columns, neoclassical and romantic decorations, nine bedrooms, 7,000 m² Italian garden, working clock tower
Close to: Minutes from Pisa; easy reach of Lucca and Florence; surrounded by historic noble residences in the Tuscan countryside

 

Frescoes, fountains and enough lemons for a dynasty

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Once home to the Tommasi counts, this 16th-century villa near Cortona comes with frescoed halls, a private chapel, Baroque fountains, tennis courts, olive groves and even a limonaia for wintering citrus. The Tuscan dream, with aristocratic trimmings intact.

Price: €4,500,000
Location: Cortona, Arezzo, Tuscany
Special features: Historic villa dating to the 1500s, frescoes, chapel, Baroque nymphaeum and fountains, limonaia, tennis courts, swimming pool, olive groves and vineyards, 4.5 hectares of land
Close to: Cortona’s Etruscan heart; easy reach of Florence, Siena, Montepulciano and Chianti; surrounded by Tuscany’s most famous cultural and wine routes

 

A thousand years, a spa in the dungeons and wine baths for all

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Dating back to 962 AD, Castello di Montignano has survived sackings, feuds and renovations to emerge today as a luxury relais with 13 suites, gourmet dining and a wellness centre in its medieval dungeons. Yes, vinotherapy in a fortress is now a thing.

Price: €4,800,000
Location: Massa Martana, Perugia, Umbria
Special features: 10th-century castle, 13 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, vaulted ceilings, fireplaces, gourmet restaurant, wine cellar, spa inspired by Roman baths, wedding and event spaces for 250 guests, swimming pool, terraced gardens
Close to: 10 km from Todi; near Perugia, Spoleto and Orvieto; surrounded by the Martani Hills and Umbrian countryside

 

Palladian grandeur with its own thermal spring

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This 16th-century villa near Padua boasts a ballroom once divided after the French Revolution, frescoes by Zelotti, a consecrated chapel and even a private thermal spring. With 6,000 square metres of space, you may need a map to find the kitchen.

Price: €6,500,000
Location: Abano Terme, Padua, Veneto
Special features: Palladian villa, Ionic façade with pediment, frescoes by Giovan Battista Zelotti, ballroom, consecrated chapel, vaulted cellar, thermal spring, 20,000 m² park, barchesse and barns
Close to: 15 km to Padua; 40 km to Venice Marco Polo Airport; within Veneto’s spa belt, with easy access to Venice, Vicenza and Verona

 

Five towers, one history book and a Renaissance garden

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This 7th-century fortress in Torre Alfina has survived medieval feuds, Renaissance splendour and 19th-century neo-Gothic reinvention. Now 5,000 square metres of marble halls, frescoed galleries and turreted suites await, surrounded by manicured Renaissance gardens and hills that once entertained popes and princes.

Price: €13,000,000
Location: Viterbo, Lazio
Special features: Origins in the 7th century, neo-Gothic redesign by Giuseppe Partini, Renaissance gardens by Henri and Achille Duchesnay, five towers, frescoes, marble floors, vaulted ceilings, galleries, library, sauna suite
Close to: In the hilltop village of Torre Alfina; on the borders of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany; near Orvieto and Lake Bolsena; under two hours from Rome

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