Customer Reviews

Buying a House in Italy (Buying a House - Vacation Work Pub)

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4 star:		(1)
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We bought a house in Cortona Italy 12 years ago only after a long hard search. IF ONLY we had Gordon Neale's book with us on that first trip hunting for the perfect house. His detailed knowledge of the intracacies of house buying law in Italy is infinite and we would have had fewer grey hairs if this book was available then
. Apart from that it is a wonderful guide from a very sympathetic student of the history, language and humanity of the Italian nation. In concise chapters he will give you the benefit of his long study and experience of the regions, their differences and special charms. The stuff this man has learned would take the casual visitor more than a life time to obtain. Here is his knowledge for you to savour at the cost of a paperback. This is not just a book for aspiring house buyers, it is an invaluable asset to anyone travelling in Italy. IF ONLY, we had had this book all those years ago, but we have it now and it brings even greater pleasure to our life Bella Italia

I was sent this book for Christmas since I had stayed in Tuscany and am interested in buying there. Wow! This book is like a Whole Earth Catalog for Italy. Beyond the details on how to buy a house, it's got material on living there in a way that puts you right in the middle. I loved how the author interspersed Italian words and phrases throughout the book and had various glossaries for buying a house and even gardening and dealing with builders doing renovations. I find that I can recall the words easily because of the way he put them in the context of how I would actually use them in conversation to get something I want. The wit and wisdom sidebar on Berlusconi is a real gem. His listing of things like Italian TV and radio, I mean, I can see myself living there, important in the actual determination to buy. Also, he's got Web Site addresses throughout for additional information like real estate agents by region. This is a terrific book that's fun to read and dip into. I recommend it, highly.

An excellent guide. I loved the sections on the history of Italy and the one on gardening.
The book is packed with information which is clearly written. It is a joy to read and a must for anyone contemplating buying a house in Italy.

As the author of this book I would like to point out that I am not the same person as my namesake who writes homoerotic novels such as "To Serve Two Masters". "Buying a House in Italy" belongs to a different genre altogether.
Perhaps Amazon could follow the example of their UK branch and put a C in front of my name on their listing to differentiate between the two Gordon Neales.

This is without doubt the best book written on the subject of house purchases in Italy. It shows deep knowledge of the history and culture of the country and the variety of its regional cultures. In all respects save one this is an improvement, if such were possible on the two previous ones. These are maybe bad times, with a weak dollar, for Americans to be buying in the Euro zone, but if you want to buy in Italy get this book.

This book was well worth the money There are some serious mistakes when dealing with history. other then that a very usefull book.