Although it is still very early days for Italy’s new government, it is refreshing to see the first signs of progress for the economically troubled country, after months of political deadlock. Prime Minister Enrico Letta has caused cautious optimism in global markets, with borrowing costs on Italy’s 10-year bonds dropping below 4% for the first time since 2010.

The recent commitment by Letta to reduce the burden on tax payers will have come as welcome news to Italy’s citizens. In particular, the commitment to halt the June instalment of the controversial IMU property tax will come as a relief to both existing home owners across the country and potential buyers.

Although Italian real estate prices have suffered in recent years – the Federation of Professional Estate Agents’ 2012 data showed total values had fallen by almost 12% – industry experts feel that they have begun to stabilise, going so far as to predict no change in prices over the course of 2013.

The luxury property market is looking even more hopeful, with one online high end property sales company reporting in April 2013 an increase in demand of 5% for luxury Italian properties in the last 12 months, further fuelled by the recent news that Italy will be leasing its disused castles, islands and fortresses to ambitious developers looking to bring in a further influx wealthy tourists.

While investors are becoming increasingly confident in the Italian property market, high end properties don’t have to cost the earth. Family-run company Appassionata is offering la dolce vita for just a fraction of the cost. Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs, the company’s founder, explains,

“Appassionata’s Estate Giacomo Leopardi in Le Marche is host to two delightful fractional ownership properties – Casa Giacomo, which is now fully sold, and Casa Leopardi, of which a few fractions remain. Our ethos in renovating the properties was to offer the highest standards of indulgent Italian living at affordable prices, creating a ‘home away from home’ for our owners.”

Casa Leopardi is a five bedroom, five bathroom house laid out over three floors. Carefully positioned terraces provide idyllic spots for outdoor dining, while owners also benefit from the estate’s swimming pool, tennis courts and landscaped gardens. They also share in the produce from the estate’s extensive grounds, which include vineyards, a truffle plantation, a lavender plantation and olive groves. With fractions in Casa Leopardi costing just £175,000 for five weeks’ exclusive occupancy every year, the Italian dream is within reach once again.

Interior designer Dawn’s passion for creating an authentic Italian luxury home is easy to see. Casa Leopardi is bursting with traditional touches, including bespoke work by local artisans and a fabulous collection of antiques. Dawn continues,

“I have scoured Italy for genuine antique pieces for the house, to ensure a traditional feel. Casa Leopardi features 400 year old stone lintels from a palace in Abruzza, and antique farmhouse door with original fittings and Liberty floor tiles dating back to the early 19^th century.”

Within the house, Dawn has carefully balanced modern convenience with antique touches. One bedroom is home to blue velvet chairs from Turin, still featuring their original paintwork from 150 years ago. A 100 year old crystal chandelier from Milan hangs from the living room’s vaulted ceiling. Antique chests of drawers, mirrors, wall lights and rugs also feature, along with three delightful ceramic jars from San Benedetto, which were handmade almost 200 years ago.

The overall result is spectacular – authentic, luxurious Italian living at a price that won’t break the bank. Thus while Italy takes its first baby steps towards economic recovery, smart investors can snap up Casa Leopardi’s fractions at the current special price to grab their own portion of the Italian dream.

For more information contact Appassionata on 0039 073 465 8775, visit www.appassionata.com

While the UK reels from more news of horsemeat posing as beef and ‘unidentifiable’ meat being served by an Indian restaurant, Italy is known around the world for its fabulous cuisine, which places an emphasis on high quality, natural ingredients. The Italian diet is an extremely healthy one. According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook, Italy ranks 10th in terms of life expectancy by country, way above the UK (30th), the European Union average (36th) and the US (51st). The World Factbook also reveals that Italy is one of the countries with the lowest level of obesity, coming in at 56th place out of the 70 countries included in the data.

A central reason behind the healthy Italian lifestyle is diet. Food is sourced locally wherever possible and fresh, natural produce is the order of the day. Massive regional diversity exists within the country, as dishes are made from local ingredients and thus vary from place to place.

In a country so devoted to food, Italy’s Le Marche region nonetheless stands out from the crowd for its joyful celebration of all things edible. The area’s dishes have evolved from hearty peasant food, taking ingredients like stale bread (in order to avoid waste) and turning them into spectacular gastronomic feats. Le Marche’s cuisine showcases the wonderful abundance of products available in this region nestled between over 100 km of sandy coastline and the Sibillini Mountains. Truffles are the particular speciality, but mushrooms, game, fish and nuts all feature strongly in the area’s dishes. Local cheeses, olive oils and wines also abound. The food of Le Marche is in fact so acclaimed that it was the subject of a six-part bilingual television series, Cookucina, in 2012.

For Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs, founder of family-run company Appassionata, Le Marche’s heavenly foodie reputation was a big factor in her decision to settle in that area of Italy.

“Le Marche is alive with festivals and outdoor celebrations from spring through to Christmas. Many of these are gastronomy and wine events, dedicated to a particular product, such as the Festa del Vino Cotto (cooked wine festival), while others celebrate a wide variety of the region’s food, such as La Castagnata at Montemonaco with seemingly endless stalls of local food and wine.”

Over the summer months, Le Marche will hold literally dozens of food festivals. June is the month for the pecorino cheese festival, July celebrates pizza, trout, pasta and stuffed flatbreads, while August features quails, wild boar, chickpeas, rabbit, mussels, veal and much, much more – and this is just a small proportion of the total number of festivals that will be held in the region during 2013.

Dawn was keen to ensure that her properties – Casa Giacomo and Casa Leopardi, on the delightful Estate Giacomo Leopardi – were as committed to gastronomy as the rest of the region. Both properties have been sympathetically restored from rustic farmhouses by interior designer Dawn and her family. Appassionata is now offering them as fractional holiday homes, with the final few shares in Casa Leopardi available for £175,000 for five weeks’ exclusive use and a share in the produce from the estate’s truffle orchard, lavender plantation, olive groves and vineyard large enough to produce 5,000 bottles of wine per year. Dawn continues,

“Everything about the food here is delightfully local. Fruit and vegetables are grown on an allotment at the end of the road from the estate. Fish is available early each morning from the fishermen on Pedaso beach, just 10 minutes away, and handmade pasta, local meat and fresh bread can all be purchased in the neighbouring medieval town of Montefiore dell´Aso.

“It has been horrible watching the unfolding of the UK’s disastrous meat-related news. The contrast with what we have here is just incredible – it makes me very glad to be in Le Marche!”

For more information contact Appassionata on 0039 073 465 8775, visit www.appassionata.com or take a video tour of Casa Leopardi.

Everyone daydreams at some point of owning a home abroad – perhaps some run-down farmhouse in the middle of a vineyard that they can lovingly restore and turn into their perfect holiday home in the sunshine.

Indeed the latest research report from HomeAway.co.uk / Savills International has shown that for increasing numbers, the daydream has become a reality with the number of UK households owning overseas property rising from less than 200,000 to well over 450,000 in the decade from 2000 to 2010. In addition, it is estimated that 1.3 million British nationals could live overseas by 2025.

For interior designer Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs and her husband Michael Hobbs, who together with their family run Appassionata, the dream became reality back in 2007 when they moved to Italy to renovate a ramshackle farmhouse in the pretty hilltop village of Montefiore dell´Aso. Situated in the Le Marche region, described recently by The Guardian as ‘a gorgeous and affordable region to explore,’ the Estate Giacomo Leopardi offered Dawn and Michael everything they were searching for.

Dawn explains,

“We wanted a serious project – something that would inspire us while allowing us to work closely with local Italian craftsmen. Estate Giacomo Leopardi was perfect. We have been able to turn the crumbling buildings into two stunning houses, while ensuring that original rustic features were retained.”

When Appassionata arrived, the farmhouse and outbuildings were derelict and unloved but Dawn recalls she instantly had ‘the feeling’ and knew that the estate was perfect. The first of the two houses (Casa Giacomo) was a new build on the site of a former pig sty, using traditional Italian building methods and materials, including old bricks, stone and terracotta roof and floor tiles.

Casa Leopardi was renovated from the dilapidated 150 year old farmhouse. The original house had a typical rural Italian property setup, with living accommodation upstairs and open plan animal quarters on the ground floor, which provided the perfect place for Dawn to stable her horses for the first year before Casa Leopardi’s renovation began.

The outer walls of the farmhouse remain and many of the original materials were rescued and used elsewhere in the house. Although the original windows and shutters were beyond saving, a local joiner was able to replicate them for the finished house. Dawn, who never throws anything away, has stored the remains and will one day turn them into cupboards.

Appassionata’s sympathetic restoration has ensured that an abundance of original features have been retained. Casa Leopardi showcases many traditional aspects of Italian design, including brick archways, Venetian plaster, beamed and vaulted ceilings and terracotta tiled floors. The kitchen was designed and hand-built specifically for the house and opens out onto a delightful shaded terrace, which is perfect for alfresco dining while gazing out towards the sea.

The upper floors of Casa Leopardi have been turned into five en-suite double bedrooms. Three have French doors leading onto spacious outdoor terraces, while one of the bathrooms features a corner fireplace and free-standing bath. Appassionata has been careful to ensure a balance of traditional and modern touches. Thus while Casa Leopardi reflects the very essence of rural Italian living, it also has a small gym, fully equipped utility room and its own private pool.

Now that the renovation work is complete, Appassionata is selling shares through fractional ownership, allowing others to be a part of the dream Italian lifestyle. All shares in Casa Giacomo have already been snapped up and only a few shares in Casa Leopardi remain available, such has been the popularity of the restoration work.

One of the most time-consuming and expensive tasks of the whole project was the landscaping. Sloping farmland and a neglected 35 year old vineyard were slowly transformed into gardens, rockeries, terraces, steps, swimming pools and a tennis court. The estate also now includes a lavender plantation, truffle orchard, replanted vineyards and olive groves, the produce of which is shared by the houses’ fractional owners.

Michael commented on the horticultural progress,

“The 2012/13 grape harvest has seen the first production from our newly planted vineyards result in 1,600 bottles of wine. As the vines mature we expect the production to rise to some 5,000 bottles per year – plenty to share between just 20 owners!”

By offering fractional ownership, Appassionata has allowed a lucky few families to experience rural Italian life in the most luxurious of settings. While a few fractions of Casa Leopardi remain for sale at the special offer price of £175,000, the increasing number of people owning a second home overseas means that those wanting to turn their Italian daydream into a reality will need to move fast indeed!

For more information contact Appassionata on 0039 073 465 8775 or visit http://www.appassionata.com

Italy has a reputation for high quality local crafts, but the country’s artigianos – traditional artisans – have struggled to compete with the increasing commercialisation of their country in recent years. Indeed The Guardian reported that Italian artisans were turning increasingly to the internet and the convenience of supermarkets in order to try and make a living. It seems that the traditional crafts of Italy are in danger of being lost to mass production, with the demise of uniqueness and quality that such a move usually entails.

One local businesswoman is determined to fight for the country’s artigianos, though. From her home in Le Marche, bordering the Adriatic Sea in central Italy, Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs, founder of family-run company Appassionata, is supporting and working alongside local artisans. The individuals that Dawn works with are often the third or fourth generation of their family to carry out the specialist local crafts. Their workshops range from tiny warehouses to ramshackle wooden huts.

Dawn explains,

“I feel privileged to have had the chance to meet and support so many talented individuals in Le Marche. Appassionata’s ethos is to support small local businesses and to help the region’s economy wherever possible. Many of the artisans we work with have tiny facilities at their disposal but what they produce is incredible.”

Dawn is showcasing the items she has bought in the two unique homes that she and husband Michael Hobbs have restored on the beautiful Estate Giacomo Leopardi in Le Marche. Both properties are fractional ownership homes, whereby individuals are able to own these delightful holiday homes for just a fraction of the cost. Four-bedroom Casa Giacomo is already sold out, but shares are still available in the stunning five-bedroom Casa Leopardi for £175,000.

Casa Leopardi is bursting with traditional Italian character. The lamps and light fittings are made by self-taught artisan Alfio Giuffrida, who developed his passion as a child while sitting at his mother and grandmother’s knees while they made lampshades.  The Brinci family, who have been running a blacksmith business in their current location since Eugino Brinci set up there over 200 years ago, have worked alongside Dawn to design and manufacture terrace railings and gates, fireplace doors and stair rails. Casa Leopardi also features bespoke pottery created by brother and sister team Annamaria and Emanule Bozzi, who keep traditional craftsmanship alive while Grandfather Mario sits at the pottery wheel teaching his grandchildren to follow in his footsteps.

Not content with just being stunning on the inside, Casa Leopardi sits at the heart of the beautiful estate, surrounded by olive groves, vineyards, a truffle orchard and a lavender plantation. The owners share the local gourmet produce from the grounds, as well as five full weeks’ use of the house, its swimming pool, the all-weather tennis court and the carefully landscaped gardens.

With spectacular views over the crystal waters of the Adriatic and the distant Sibillini Mountains, Casa Leopardi is the perfect picture of rural Italian living. Interior designer Dawn has worked hard to ensure that the interior of the house matches its magnificent setting. The unique pieces sourced from the local artisans with whom Dawn works are subtly complemented by her highly individualised antique collection. The result is a house that encapsulates all of the historic charm and local tradition that Italy has to offer. Dawn continues,

“Our passion for Italy has allowed Appassionata to create something truly wonderful in our properties. We are delighted that by offering our fractional properties we are able to share this genuine slice of the Italian dream with more than one lucky individual.”

For more information contact Appassionata on 0039 073 465 8775 or visit www.appassionata.com.

It’s been a tumultuous time for Italy of late. With political deadlock resulting from the recent elections, the shock resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the National Statistic Institute’s confirmation that the economy shrank by 2.4% in 2012, Italian citizens have been left battered and bruised by their country’s latest series of crises.

Yet despite their government’s political turmoil and high level of debt, Italians have a history of saving that is helping them through the turbulent times. A recent study by Unicredit and Pioneer Investments reported that Italian savings actually total €8.5 trillion – over four times the country’s public debt. In addition, according to the Italian Banking Association, Italy had higher household financial assets than both Germany and France in 2011. But with the overall tax burden continuing to increase, the average Italian’s financial situation is very much on the turn.

One particularly unpopular tax change has been to Italy’s unified property tax (IMU). The tax had been abolished in 2008 under Silvio Berlusconi’s government, but reintroduced in 2012 by Mario Monti in his efforts to save the country from a bail-out. The change was desperately unpopular, with Italy’s largest trade union (CGIL) claiming that IMU’s reintroduction had pushed Italian families’ property costs up to more than 30% of their total expenditure. Electoral candidates promised to revisit the situation and either lower or abolish the tax. Silvio Berlusconi went so far as to promise repayments to those who had paid it. With the muddled outcome of the election process, though, no clear plan has yet been agreed for revising or phasing out the detested IMU.

For foreigners looking to invest in Italy’s property market, all this uncertainty could be understandably off-putting but thankfully, family-run, UK-based company Appassionata has come up with the ideal solution. Based in the beautiful Le Marche area of central Italy, the company’s Estate Giacomo Leopardi offers fractional ownership of two stunningly renovated houses: Casa Giacomo, of which all fractions have been sold, and neighbouring Casa Leopardi. Fractional ownership offers those wanting to retreat to the Italian countryside everything they could desire at a fraction of the cost.

Appassionata’s founder Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs explains,“We wanted to give people the opportunity to share in the wonders of Italy, without the hassle and expense of managing a fulltime property. Our owners are able to enjoy the estate, share in the produce from its vineyards, olive groves and truffle orchard, and relax in the sunshine. We have removed all the usual hassles of having a holiday home abroad, so instead of having to deal with gardening and maintenance issues the moment they arrive, our owners can just drop their cases and begin relaxing by the pool.”

Each owner enjoys five full weeks’ use of Casa Leopardi per year. Interior designer Dawn has blended local artefacts with carefully selected antiques to create a traditionally elegant Italian vibe within the property. Outdoors, breath-taking views of the Adriatic Sea and the distant Sibillini Mountains complete the idyllic picture.

Only a few fractions of Casa Leopardi remain and at the current special price of just £175,000 they are expected to sell fast. For more information contact Appassionata on 0039 073 465 8775 or visit www.appassionata.com.

Italy has long been renowned as a popular holiday destination. Steeped in history and culture, with a delightful climate, stunning architecture and fine food and wine, it seems that it has something to offer everyone. Recent reports have also shown that Italy’s popularity as a retirement destination is on the rise, with both The Huffington Post and AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) recently ranking Italy as one of the top destinations for those looking to retire abroad.

Whether you are looking for fine food and wine, historic surroundings, bright sunshine or incredible scenery, Italy has something to offer everyone. According to a recent survey from Fly.com, Italy has topped the list of countries that travellers from the US most want to visit, far outstripping traditional destinations such as the UK and France.

It seems that Italy is transforming into the exclusive European holiday destination. Recent figures from the Bank of Italy show that whilst the country received fewer visitors in 2012 than in the previous year, international tourists spent almost 3% more while there – a strong indication that Italy is fast becoming the destination of choice for wealthier travellers.

And indeed smart tourists are making the most of the unspoilt essence of Italy by visiting regions like Le Marche. Nestled between the Adriatic Sea and the Sibillini Mountains in central Italy, this undulating landscape is dotted with picturesque villages offering a true taste of rural Italy – the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern living.

The Hobbs were one such family quick to recognise Le Marche’s potential. In 2004 they purchased the stunning Estate Giacomo Leopardi and a short time later founded their company, Appassionata, as a means of sharing their love of the Italian lifestyle with a select few individuals. Appassionata now offers fractional ownership of the two properties on Estate Giacomo Leopardi, as well as a share of the organic produce from its extensive olive groves, vineyards, lavender plantation and truffle orchard.

The five acre estate is home to these two exceptional properties, lovingly restored by this family-owned and family-run company. Casa Giacomo is a newly built four bedroom, three bathroom property, which has already sold out, while Casa Leopardi has been sympathetically restored to create a stunning five bedroom, five bathroom ´home away from home.’ As a qualified interior designer, owner Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs has ensured that the properties have a luxurious, boutique feel, while remaining in keeping with their tranquil surroundings. Dawn explains:

“With a setting this stunning, we wanted to ensure that the homes were as beautiful as their environment, with unique features and indulgent décor. We offer people the chance to own a luxury property and share in the wonderful lifestyle ventures made possible by the breadth of the estate. Fractional ownership means that buyers can enjoy the dream Italian lifestyle at only a fraction of the cost.”

A one tenth share of Casa Leopardi is currently available for the special price of just £175,000. For this, buyers can enjoy exclusive use of the property for five weeks per year, including the estate’s landscaped gardens, swimming pool, all weather tennis court and spectacular panoramic views. Within the house, spacious, light-filled rooms combine with outside terraces and unique touches to create an elegant, relaxed vibe.

The rise of Italy as an exclusive destination combined with the benefits of fractional ownership make Appassionata’s Casa Leopardi a truly exceptional lifestyle investment for smart purchasers seeking to indulge their passion for Italy and possess their own slice of the Italian dream. For more information contact Appassionata today on 0039 073 465 8775 or visit www.appassionata.com.

 With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it seems perfect timing for husband and wife team, Dawn and Michael Cavanagh-Hobbs of Fractional Ownership company Appassionata to appoint leading property PR agency, AB Property Marketing Ltd to spread the word about their passion for Italy.

Dawn and Michael first fell in love with Le Marche on their travels to the region back in 2004 and soon decided that the alluring combination of unspoilt countryside, sea, mountains and an incredible quality of life was where they wanted to call home.

After acquiring the Estate Giacomo Leopardi, Michael, an entrepreneur and Dawn, a qualified interior designer with over 20 years’ experience, selected the Fractional Ownership route for their two properties, Casa Giacomo and Casa Leopardi, enabling more than one single owner to fall in love with these unique homes located near the gorgeous medieval town of Montefiore dell’Aso.

Dawn and Michael have spent years lovingly restoring the stunning properties on the Estate Giacomo Leopardi, successfully selling all fractions of Casa Giacomo and now offering one tenth fractions of the 420m2 Casa Leopardi for £175,000.

Now, almost a decade after first setting foot in Le Marche, known as “Italy all in one region” which borders Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, Abruzzo, Lazio and the Adriatic Sea, Appassionata have appointed leading property PR agency, AB Property Marketing Ltd to share their passion for “la dolce vita” with the world.

Commenting on the appointment, Dawn Cavanagh -Hobbs says,

“We have worked very hard as a family over the years to sympathetically restore Casa Giacomo and Casa Leopardi to their former glory. Michael and I are proud of what we have achieved and simply want to share our experience and what the Estate has to offer, via the experts at AB Property Marketing, with other like-minded people who are passionate about Italy and Italian property.”

With a superb personal story, hundreds of high resolution images of the properties (before, during and after the renovations) and the five acre Estate complete with vineyards, olive groves and a truffle orchard, access to a number of international owners as well as first-hand knowledge of both the Fractional Ownership and Italian property market and interior design expertise, Appassionata has a wealth of information to offer the media.

As Charlotte Ashton, MD of AB Property Marketing, explains,

“It is rare that you come across such a unique property company such as Appassionata. What Michael and Dawn have created over the last decade is something really special and the sheer number of delighted Fractional Owners is testament to this. I personally have always had a soft spot for Italy and so it is wonderful to be able to blend business with pleasure and promote Appassionata and their properties.”

For more information about Appassionata and media requests please contact the team at AB Property Marketing on +44 845 054 7524, email Charlotte at charlotte@abpropertymarketing.co.uk, visit www.abpropertymarketing.co.uk or www.appassionata.com.