Buying in Italy: Apartments from just over €200,000 are five minutes from one of northern Italy's most famous lakes, writes Jack Fagan
Italy's beautiful Lake Garda is a playground with a million possibilities. It's been a fashionable holiday location for decades and is now attracting an increasing number of families looking for a high quality holiday home which will also give them a good return on their investment. With Ireland's well-established reputation for buying abroad, it is perhaps not surprising that 24 newly-completed homes a five-minute walk from the lake at Manerba del Garda go on sale first in Dublin tomorrow and Saturday.
Gunne estate agents and its Italian partners, Lotoconsulting, will host an all-day exhibition in the Westbury Hotel off Grafton Street where they will take bookings for a broad mix of homes.
The high level of interest in this and other Lake Garda holiday resorts has been greatly helped by Ryanair's regular services from both Dublin and Shannon to Milan-Bergamo airport.
It is just over an hour's drive from the airport to the latest development going on the market, Borgo del Torchio. Prices range from €206,400 to €264,100 for one-bed apartments which are considerably larger than in Ireland with a floor area of 60-75sq m (646-807sq ft).
The largest one-beds are on the ground floor and, besides the large livingroom/kitchen, double bedroom and bathroom, they also have a spacious basement room (plus a second bathroom) which can be used either as a family room or as a second bedroom. The smaller one-beds at first floor level have a wraparound terrace, livingroom/kitchen, double bedroom, bathroom and a store room in the basement.
Some of the two-bed units have their own tower room with views over the lake and mountains. The homes vary in size from 80-100sq m (861-1,076sq ft) and cost from €240,800 to €360,100. They have a double and a single bedroom, bathroom, livingroom/kitchen, a storage room and a really spacious outside terrace.
For those who need extra space, there are also a number of three-bedroom homes from 100-130sq m (1,076-1,399sq ft) costing from €348,900 to €429,900. The most spacious of these are on the ground floor and, besides three bedrooms and three bathrooms, they also have a large basement room (with its own bathroom) which could be used either as a family room or a fourth bedroom.
All apartment types come with a locked car-parking space in the basement. The prices also include fitted kitchens which normally cost extra in Italy.
For those looking for a holiday home in northern Italy, the advantage of buying in Borgo del Torchio is that all the apartments have already been completed. Buyers will see exactly what they are getting for their money. They are unlikely to be disappointed because the 160 apartments in the development have been divided into eight different clusters among the vivid colours and varied geography of the neighbouring village.
External walls, doors and windows have been painted in soft pinks and light browns, cobblestone walks link one element of the scheme with the next and a huge variety of semi-mature shrubs and trees have been planted alongside ancient trees to give the place immediate maturity.
There are three large outdoor swimming pools, one of them specifically for young children, tennis courts and a barbecue area. The development offers considerable comfort and style not to mention a high standard of security.
Internally, the fit-out is considerably better than in most Irish schemes - not least the superb joinery for which Italians are noted.
The developers have thought of everything: satellite TV has been installed and terrace furniture and deckchairs for the swimming pools will be provided to ensure that they are in keeping with the place. There has been no skimping by the developer.
There are seven top class golf courses within easy commuting distance which can be played all the year round. For children there is Gardaland, Italy's largest theme park. The new resort is also within an hour's drive of skiing at Malcesine or Monte Baldo. It's also less than an hour from Verona and two hours from Venice.
Manerba del Garda is considerably closer to several beautiful old towns dotted along the huge lake, 60-70 miles (97-113kms) in length. About 10 minutes' drive away is the gorgeous resort of Salo, where Mussolini set up a short-lived "republic" after he was deposed in 1943.
