The sale of luxury real estate in Italy, despite the crisis, has not suffered losses, but it is indeed increased, growing exponentially especially because of the Italian tax amnesty (+28% in searches in the first half of 2010); in mid-2012 it has experienced substantial changes with regard to buyers, types and locations of investment.

According to a survey carried out by Immobiliare.it in collaboration with LuxuryEstate.it, in the years 2009-2012 the percentage of foreigners who have turned their attention to the Italian luxury real estate market has grown by 23%, compared with a decrease of 2 , 1% in the share of Italian.
Who wants to become the owner of a valuable property without any doubt prefer those whose yield and whose appreciation over time is safe. Classic solutions continue to be sought after, those that combine the quality of the building to the fame of the area where it is located. Known and appreciated tourist destinations, cities, or even countries of Umbria and Tuscany, by virtue of the growing demand, obviously not offset by an increase in supply, saw prices of sales demand rising in the first half of 2012 a percentage that, compared to the first six months of 2009, amounted to 5%.

The reasons that push overseas buyers to buy a luxury property in Italy today are of various kind, and are linked both to economic reasons and personal ones. There are, for example, German buyers who wish to enjoy their property in Italy even on weekends and it is why they buy especially in northern Italy, on the shores of the great lakes, or in well connected cities such as Rome and adjacent areas (Umbria and southern Tuscany ) easily reachable in a short time.
Other people (as is the case for example of the Greek buyers) choose houses in places with a definite appreciation and a great tourist appeal, to prevent the devaluation that could hit their capital if they are left in the bank.

Many choose then to transform rural houses in farmhouses, cultivating their territories with Italian agricultural products they love, others decide to redevelop the properties and sell them to the highest bidder, while others choose a property to live the dream of the Dolce Vita once they retire.