Tuscany is magical.
Singapore’s efficiency can be replicated. But Tuscany’s beauty cannot.
I spent two weeks on the border of Umbria this month, and what follows started as research for myself rather than a guide. I am considering a villa in the area. A good number of the investors we work with at Bitizenship have Tuscany on their second-home shortlist, or at least on the list of places they mean to visit before they decide anything.
I landed on an utterly new idea:
In Tuscany, the sweet spot is when you’re closer to the coast.
That is the thesis of this guide in one sentence.
I measured ten places against two distances: water within thirty minutes of the house, and a town with a hospital and a station within forty-five. For each one you get the price per square meter, what you can buy there for specific budgets, and the overlooked challenges when committing to these locations.
I also cover what the house costs you every year after you buy it. I researched those numbers properly for my own research, and they changed how I think about the whole category.
Tuscany is not for everyone, and definitely not for every age. This guide is written to help you work out whether it is for you, and if so, where.
How to use this guide
Read the thesis first, because it explains why I think this map will be looked at differently in ten years. Then go to the group that fits you. The FSD bet is three towns that are cheap because of a driving problem. Group two is the coast, already priced, where what you buy is also something you can sell. Cortona is the classic, with thirty years of foreigners in it and no illusion of secrecy.
Every place is laid out the same way. Best for names who it suits, so if that is not you, skip it. The practical line gives you the distances that matter: water, hospital, airport, station. The numbers gives you price per square meter and what a real budget buys. The catch is what is actually wrong with it.
If you are weighing this as an investment rather than as a house you will use, read the cost section before you read the places. It may save you the rest of the guide.
Table of contents:
The thesis
The two distances
What I got wrong about the roads and the internet
Is Tuscany an investment? The short answer
Group one: the FSD bet
Group two: already priced, buy for the exit
The one classic that works
The exception, outside the ten
What it actually costs to own
The traps
The decision framework
The verdict: would I buy?
If you are not European
Final thoughts