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Italy: Lazio (Latium)

Overview

The region of Lazio contains the provinces of Frosinone, Latina, Rieti, Rome (Roma) and Viterbo and covers an area of 17,224 sq km (6,651sq mi) with a population of nearly 5 million. The regional capital (and capital of Italy) is Rome, where over half of Lazio’s population (2.7 million) is concentrated. Situated in the centre of the peninsula, Lazio has borders with all five regions of central Italy plus Campania in the south. Its coastline is washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea and crossed by the River Tiber, while to the east are the high peaks of the Abruzzi. Lazio has pretty rolling hills, gracious villas, walled hill towns, vineyards, olive groves and hazelnut orchards. Some three-quarters of the population is employed in the service sector, particularly tourism and work connected with the central government. Agriculture also thrives and is an important industry in the hinterland around Rome and the south towards Latina. Unemployment is around 10 per cent.

Rome (the ‘eternal city’) is built on seven hills and was the unofficial capital of Christianity and the seat of the Papal States long before it became the capital of a united Italy in 1870. It’s one of the world’s great historic cities, with a wealth of monuments and buildings from Roman times to the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Other reasons for visiting Rome are its plethora of parks, fountains, and priceless art treasures, such as those housed in the Vatican museum. Romans are famous for their joie de vivre. A sage once said that ‘every day you spend in Rome adds a year to your intellectual life’ and the city attracts people from around the globe.

Rome has the second-largest number of foreign residents in Italy after Milan, which is reflected in the number of schools, activities, and associations for foreigners. Many new hotels were built for the Holy or Jubilee Year of 2000, although it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find reasonably priced accommodation within easy reach of the centre. Unfortunately the days of la dolce vita (as portrayed in Fellini’s celebrated film of that name) are long gone and Rome is heavily polluted by traffic fumes, which have degraded the quality of the city’s air and life.

Hill towns in the Castelli area (where Romans go for Sunday excursions) include Castel Gandolfo (the Pope’s summer residence), Frascati (famous for its wine), Genzano, Rocca di Papa and Tivoli (site of Hadrian’s Villa and the Villa d’Este with its famous fountains, immortalised by Liszt). Seaside resorts to the south include Anzio, Circeo, Gaeta, Sabaudia, San Felice, Sperlonga, Terracina and the island of Ponza (accessible by hydrofoil from Formia). The Pontine islands, Ponza and Ventotene lie 32km (20mi) off the coast and are served by a summer ferry service from Anzio (a town made famous by the Allied landings in 1943).

North of Rome are Santa Marinella and Santa Severa, and the inland lakes of Bolsena, Bracciano and Vico, much loved by English and German expatriates. In the Tuscia-Viterbese area, the towns of Cerveteri, Tarquinia and Tuscania, and the stone necropolis of Norchia near Vetralla are reminders of the mysterious Etruscan people who once inhabited this area. Viterbo’s medieval quarter is the best preserved in Europe. This area is slowly but surely being discovered by foreigners (Tuscia has been dubbed ‘Tusciashire’, just as Chianti has been called ‘Chiantishire’), many of whom prefer it to Tuscany on account of its relatively low property prices and proximity to Rome. Other interesting towns in the region include Agnani, Caprarola (with its magnificent Palazzo Farnese), Civitavecchia (the busy port of Rome), Ferentino and historic Palestrina.

Property: The region’s architecture is typified by the many fortified hill towns with their tall, narrow houses built of grey peperino stone and tufa rock. Property prices are highest in the areas surrounding Rome, as many Romans commute from the coast or have weekend retreats in the countryside. Prices in Rome have risen by nearly 50 per cent since 1997 and properties in the city cost from €3,200 to €8,000 per sq m, although prices are considerably cheaper on the outskirts. The Aventino, Cassia, EUR, Flaminia and Parioli areas are favoured by foreigners for their proximity to international schools, and quality apartments in these areas run from €2,500 to over €5,000 per sq m.

Communications: As you would expect, Lazio has a good network of roads (all of which lead to Rome!), and excellent rail and air links with other regions and internationally.

© Survival Books Limited 2003

“Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive information about buying a property in Italy, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net

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