Steve Harper

Dreaming to live, or living to dream. Who would of thought this time last year, my holidays will be spent enjoying the peace and tranquillity at my new Italian Castle.

Owning a property abroad was something that I was interested in, however working within the acquisition of Commercial Properties here in the UK, I knew that if I was serious about buying abroad, that I would need help from somewhere, even if it was just to tackle the language barriers, let alone the intricacies of the European legal process.

I have enjoyed holidays in Italy quite a few times. It is a country that I have always been attracted to because of its wonderful countryside, warm friendly people and towns and cities crammed with culture and beauty.

I met with Steve and Karen from Historic Italian Homes in the spring of 2005, and found them to be very knowledgeable and understanding of my requirements. It was refreshing to have met someone who wanted to help me rather than try and sell a house to me.

Soon after our initial meeting they embarked on searching for the ideal property on my behalf. Soon after the search began they outstripped my expectations and presented me with a castle! A few weeks later we were standing in the grounds of Castello di Sportacciano, a walled hamlet which dated back to the 13th Century and is listed in the archives of Perugia.

Immediately the Historic Italian Homes service set the wheels in motion and handled the offer and preliminary contracts for me. In a short space of time the property was secure and I could begin the process of financing the purchase. Historic Italian Homes and their partners helped me raise a mortgage through the Italian Banks. Never an easy process but they guided me through the intricacies of Italian banking bureaucracy.

With Steve and Karen to help me through the process, I completed in January 2006 on Castello di Sportacciano. Now that I own the property and their help doesn’t stop. We are now in contact with local tradesmen to start with the renovation of the remainder of the castle.

Steve and Karen have become firm friends and now as we embark on the next phase of restoring parts Castello di Sportacciano I can’t wait to get back to Italy.

"...Historic Italian Homes embarked on a search for me. They called me about a place that would outstrip my expectations……...a castle! "
- Steve Harper

Aerial view of Castello di Sportacciano

Drawing of the finished project

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