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Italian holiday homes: Which nationalities favour which coastal regions?

The Local Italy
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Italian holiday homes: Which nationalities favour which coastal regions?
Which nationality is most enchanted by Italy's famed Lampedusa island? Photo: AFP

Which foreign nationals are looking to buy and rent homes on the Italian coast? And which areas do different nationalities prefer? New stats reveal some answers.

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While there are many property bargains to be had in Italy, prices are notably higher in coastal areas. Not only do many Italians own a second home by the sea, but these areas are of course very popular with overseas holiday home buyers.

And different parts of the country are often popular with different nationalities.
 
Based on website visits from June-September, the real estate portal Idealista has reported the areas that are most popular among holidaymakers from different countries, whether they are looking to buy or rent.
 
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The Covid-19 crisis does not appear to have slowed down the international property market in Italy, with some property experts instead reporting increased demand in some areas - mainly thought to be speculative interest from foreign investors.
 
In fact, 16 percent of visits to the Idealista website in summer this year were from foreign locations - mainly the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.
But with the international second-home market remaining relatively stable, the hoped-for bargains are few and far between.

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"Coastal areas, mainly tourism-oriented, have suffered the impact of Covid more severely due to mobility restrictions, which prevented the arrival of millions of tourists this summer," Idealista writes, "But even so, prices have not dropped substantially as many expected in early March."
 
Still, from the number of searches, it seems that relatively high prices along the coast don't seem to be putting off would-be buyers looking for their place in the sun.
 
Here's a look at the nationalities showing the most interest in Italian property, and the areas they want to relocate to.
 
 
The map created by Idealista clearly shows the two nationalties most interested in buying a second home in Italy: Americans and Germans.
 
This may not come as a surprise, particularly if you know that German tourists make up by far the biggest percentage of visitors to Italy - in normal years at least - at around 13 percent.
 
US nationals account for around three percent of tourism to Italy, and British and French visitors one and two percent respectively.
 
The vast majority of foreigners searching for property in Tuscany were from Germany and the US; Idealista writes.
 
 
 
The particularly expensive area of Forte dei Marmi (6,884 euros/m2) came from the US, while Monte Argentario (4,336 euros/m2) was another American favourite.
 
Germans appear to prefer Castiglione della Pescaia (4,549 euros/m2), and also completely dominated searches for homes on the Tuscan islands of Giglio and Elba. 

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On the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, German buyers again dominate the market in remote and coastal areas, while Americans appear to be more interested in the cities, Idealista writes.
 
 
Sardinia is particularly popular with German buyers, especially the provinces of Alghero and Stintino.
 
In Sicily, house hunters from the United States were most interested in Lampedusa, Taormina, San Vito Lo Capo and Favignana.
 
 
 
In Liguria in the north, things vary a little more.
 
While Germans and Americans still dominate the searches, Swiss residents prefer some areas including Finale Ligure (4,190 euro/m2) and the towns closest to the French border are the most popular with French citizens.
 
Germans meanwhile go for areas such as Alassio (5,413 euros/m2) and Americans search most often in Santa Margherita Ligure (4,890 euros/m2).
 
 
Americans usually make up the vast majority of visitors to the Amalfi coast, so it's not surprising to find that they also top the rankings for home searches in this area,
 
US buyers prefer Positano, Amalfi, Praiano,Sorrento and Capri. 
 
Meanwhile, most foreign buyers searching for property on the island of Ischia come from Germany.
 
 
Further south, the region of Puglia offers lower property prices.
 
The wild Gargano area is preferred by German visitors, who account for most searches in Peschici (€1,475/m2) and Vieste (€1,644/m2). 
 
Germans also cominate searches in some areas further south in the region: Gallipoli (€1,652/m2) and Ostuni (€1,527/m2). 
 
Most demand for homes in the "white city" of Otranto (1,965 euros/m2) comes from Switzerland, while the region's most famous tourist town, Polignano a Mare, (€2,173/m2) is particularly popular among Americans.
 
 
 

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