Basilicata and Calabria
The other main city in the south-east of Italy is Taranto. This,
like
so many Italian cities, is a bit of a mess. It is a port set on
a
relatively sheltered harbour. At the north-western end of the
town,
close to the old port area, is a large no-go zone, with
crumbling
tenements, and a generally seedy air. One day someone will
decide that
this part of town could be gentrified, and it will go up in the
world,
however I dont expect that time to come soon. But it is a zone
that
someone interested in doing up an old crumbling building should
perhaps
have a look at. There is scope a-plenty. And I guess it has to
be cheap.
There is one main problem with the area to the south and west of
Taranto, and that is that it is progressively further from an
international airport. As you travel south towards the tip of
Italy the
land becomes mountainous. Initially the contours are gentle as
you rise
up to Matera. I think this is yet another boring part of Italy,
and it
does start to get chillier the further you climb. Further south
and
further up into the mountains it gets decidedly cold, and the
whole
area is thickly forested. The higher you get the more the trees
turn
from deciduous to coniferous.
Here the towns were built defensively. They perch in almost
inaccessible places at the top of sheer cliffs. The streets are
steep,
the houses crammed together like a rabbit warren, and some
streets are
merely pedestrian passageways. There's not much apparently for
sale,
and once again, you would have to turn native to live here, and
until
recently it would have been a nightmare travelling back to the
UK.
However, things have changed. RyanAir now fly to Lamezia, which
is on
the west coast just south of this mountainous region.
If you like mountains this is a fascinating area. We drove down
the
east coast to Rossano and then up through the mountains to
Cosenza, and
the scenery was spectacular. You even get cows wandering about
the
roadsides. The descent into Cosenza was also quite spectacular
down a
cleverly constructed highway taking in tunnels and bridges as it
winds
down a serious incline to the city below.
I have a list of properties for sale in this area, with prices
starting
from €8,500. Yes, I do not have the decimal point in the wrong
place.
They are now available on the Unique Property site members'
section.
Next week I shall be crossing over to Sicily.
john