From humble beginnings...

Even the most intrepid Tuscany connoisseurs and property buyers rarely venture away from the much-travelled Chianti region between Florence and Siena. But there is much more to central Italy than that.

Take, for example, Maremma, a wild and remote area extending along the Tyrrhenian coast, from south of Livorno to the north of Rome and inland to the Apennine foothills. Infamously known for the spread of malaria and the large number of brigands holed up there, the region was once known as a hostile place to live. That changed in the mid- to late-20th century, as it was discovered by wealthy Italian industrialists, high-profile politicians and flashy show business names, who poured millions of euros into stunning properties. (As early as the 1960s, Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin was a regular visitor to the Il Pellicano hotel in Porto Ercole, a tiny fishing village.) German, Dutch and Danish second home buyers have followed in recent years. But Maremma is still sparsely populated, not yet on the map of most tourists or foreign househunters, which, for many, adds greatly to its appeal.

“Some parts of it bear many similarities with the Chianti area with its medieval villages, rolling hills and olive groves, especially the northern side bordering with Siena,” says Judith Levy at Casa-Castelli, a German-Hungarian estate agent based in Grosseto. There is also the extremely diverse landscape, with pine woods, natural reserves, rocky cliffs and 60km of coastline. “You’ll find plenty of large, white sandy beaches, many studded with towers built as defences against marauding pirates.”

Traces of more ancient history are apparent too, with Roman tombs and Etruscan relics (circa 600BC) in the towns of Vetulonia, Saturnia and Populonia. Josiah Wedgwood, of the famous pottery empire, was reportedly inspired by the black porcelains excavated from the latter town.

Though Maremma has not been as heavily promoted as Chianti to non-Italians, “this isn’t necessarily an equation with cheaper property prices”, Levy says. The “Riviera Maremmana” – with its popular Castiglione della Pescaia and the picturesque villages of Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano on the spectacular Monte Argentario promontory – is full of detached houses priced from €1m-€4m. And, according to the local rumour mill, Elefante Bianco, the Queen of The Netherlands’s white-washed villa, recently sold for €20m.

Porto Ercole is the most upmarket and exclusive of the towns, principally because of its pretty harbour. This is where many owners in the town have their own yachts since the nearby beach, La Feniglia, (interestingly, the place where the painter Caravaggio was killed) isn’t very accessible. Real estate agency Case-Castelli is currently marketing a €3m, seven-bedroom villa near the town with private beach access and private garden, as well as a four-bedroom apartment with stunning sea-views for €550,000.

Slightly more crowded but equally charming is Castiglione della Pescaglia, an old medieval town with a 15th-century castle nestled among its large sandy beaches, green hills and thick pine forest. The popular promenade, with bathing resorts, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, is a hang-out for Italian party-goers. Two of the most exclusive parts of the town are Pineta di Rocca Forte, where all villas have private beaches, and Punta Ala, where offerings range from chic boutiques to wild enclaves. “The likes of Miuccia Prada and Prince Kuan Carlos of Spain, who is a regular of the local yacht club during the annual regatta, have set the tone for the types of people buying here,” says Gianfranco Fracassi from local estate agency La Riviera.

Prices in Punta Ala start at €250,000 for a small, one-bedroom apartment and €1m for a villa; in Pineta di Roccamare, they range from €1.7m to €4m. “The prestige and the privacy which comes with [the lack of public beach access in the latter town] has become a huge selling point with multi-millionaires,” Fracassi says.

Part of the problem is supply. “There is no new construction activity going on along the coast but only resale,” she explains. “Owners have been using their villas or bolt-holes as weekend and summer retreats for many years and not as a way to make money. So, unless there is a divorce or some kind of family issue going on, they just hold on to their properties, particularly villas.”

More affordable options can be found in Poggio alle Trincee, 2km from the sea. At Residence Le Cannucce, prices start at €250,000 for a one-bedroom apartment and €750,000 for a three-bedroom detached house. Further inland, small flats in the small hilltop villages Tirli, Buriano and Giuncarico sell for as little as €150,000, while Tuscan farmhouses in the large and green plain surrounding the Etruscan town of Grosseto – the largest city in Maremma – can be snapped up for €500,000, “though such bargains don’t come on the market often”, Levy says. Average prices range from €800,000 to €3m, depending on the condition of the property, location and views.

Heading further south, near the Lazio boarder, is Saturnia, the oldest Etruscan site in the region and “a real jewel of the Maremma countryside”, says Barbara Mazzieri at Montemerano Immobiliare. With its thermal baths, which gush out hot spring water, the tiny town is already attracting foreigners, though the number of newcomers, especially Britons, is still lower than in Chianti. Homes in the town centre can be as pricey as those in Rome or Florence, ranging from €250,000 for a 50 sq metre one-bedroom flat to €750,000 for a 150 sq metre three-bedroom space, according to local agents. “The property market is very buoyant with a steady increase over the last eight years,” Mazzeri says. “Northern European buyers have pushed prices up to the point that local can’t afford to buy any more.”

She now advises venturing out to the nearby medieval villages Manciano, Monteremolo and Poggio Murella, which are about 10-15 per cent less expensive.

Whether clients are interested in buying along the coast or in a hilltop village, estate agents say there is one important thing to remember. Nine of ten properties in Maremma sell at or above their asking price. “This was a very isolated and remote region and stubbornness was the typical trait of the local inhabitants, i butteri”, or cattle-breeders, says Franco Londini at Alata Immobiliare. “Maremmani today still stick fiercely to their words; it is our legacy to the past. Don’t try to bargain on prices. It’s a lost battle.”

Local agents

La Riviera, tel: +39 0564939 513; www.immobiliarelariviera.it
Alfa, tel: +39 0577940 625; www.alfaimmobiliare.com
Montemerano, tel: +39 0564601549; www.montemeranoimmobiliare.it
CaseCastelli, tel: +39 0577353021; www.case-castelli.it