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Turnkey Apartments in a 16th Century Estate near Siena
€370,000
$403,300
€
$
Siena, Tuscany
2
2
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Ref #: V63207-X
Certaldo, TuscanyRef #: V63207-X
We are pleased to offer you this beautiful first floor apartment situated in the historic center of the picturesque medieval village of Certaldo Alto.
The apartment is within a building divided into three units at the end of a street in the historic center, with private access via an iron pedestrian gate.
It is located inside a medieval tower and from the town below you can see its imposing presence.
The gross floor area measures approximately 130 sqm (net 110 sqm), plus a private terrace. The property is bright thanks to its exposure, large windows and location at the edge of the village.
Located on the first floor, accessed via a characteristic external staircase shared with the owners of the second-floor apartment, the property is composed as follows:
You enter the home directly into a spacious open-plan space of approximately 60 sqm, featuring a living/sitting room/kitchen/dining room with a fireplace. From the living room and kitchen area, you access the wonderful panoramic terrace of approximately 22 sqm equipped with a motorized awning. The terrace faces west and has a 180-degree view of the Tuscan countryside, San Gimignano and both sunrise and sunset.
Completing the apartment, a main bedroom with ensuite bathroom, a second bedroom, bathroom, and a hallway with a laundry area.
Externally, on the ground floor, this fantastic property includes 1/2 of garden and an entrance courtyard. From this level, a staircase leads to the basement with small terrace and pathway, covering approximately 250 sqm and boasting beautiful panoramic views.
Further down, a path leads to a beautiful terraced plot of land, of which the property for sale owns a third, totaling approximately 2,900 sqm and with approximately 96 olive trees.
At the end of this plot of land, there is a gate that opens onto a small road that allows you to reach Certaldo Bassa on foot in only about 150 m.
The sale also includes the 1/2 ownership of
– a utility room of approximately 3.74 sqm, which houses the water softener and water pump serving the apartment for sale and which were replaced in 2025.
– a storage room of approximately 10 sqm – a chicken coop, no longer in use, of approximately 5 sqm.
The apartment is in good condition and ready for immediate occupation. It has mains/city gas heating, and is equipped with a gas stove, mains/city water, mosquito nets, oven, refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher, and full-house water softener.
An object of very rare availability, both for the position and for the land and multiple outdoor spaces.
Suitable as both a private, year-round home and as a second or vacation home.
It is being sold fully furnished.
Certaldo Alto is located less than an hour’s drive or train ride from Florence and is completely accessible without a car. The property is walking distance of all services including shops, banks, post office, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, gelato shops, grocery stores, and is less than a 10-minute walk from Certaldo train station (on the Siena/Florence line). The town is centrally located and perfectly positioned for day trips to Cinque Terre, Siena, Lucca, Cortona, Pisa, Arezzo, San Gimignano, Volterra, Livorno, Forte dei Marmi, among others.
Certaldo, in the province of Florence, is a town of 15,731 inhabitants and is famous for being the death and likely birthplace of the poet and writer Giovanni Boccaccio. Located in the center of the Elsa Valley, it is home to numerous buildings of historical, cultural, and artistic interest.
The historic village, Certaldo Alto, is nestled within the walls of which stand the ancient gates: Porta Alberti, Porta al Sole, and Porta al Rivellino.
The village can be accessed by climbing the ancient and charming steep streets called Costa Alberti and Costa Vecchia, or from the more modern Via del Castello, or by taking the funicular from Piazza Boccaccio.
What to See and Do:
• Palazzo Pretorio: The ancient vicarage palace, with a façade adorned with ceramic coats of arms, hosts art exhibitions.
• Casa di Boccaccio: A house-museum dedicated to the famous writer, with a library and a charming panoramic tower.
• Via Boccaccio: The village’s main street, the heart of medieval life.
• Church of Saints Michael and James: A Romanesque-style building housing the remains of Boccaccio.
• Museum of Sacred Art: Located next to the church, it exhibits paintings and sculptures, with a cloister and underground areas. • Mercantia: A famous international street theater festival held in the summer.
Energy rating F
Condominium charges: approx €50/month
Address: Certaldo, Tuscany
Location type: Town
Condition: Restored
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Property size: 122 sqm + terrace 22 sqm
Land size: Private terrace + approx 3150 sqm of common gardens/land
A notary is a qualified lawyer who is employed by the Italian government. When you are buying Italian property, it is a notary who conducts the legal transfer of a property from vendor to buyer, and prepares the deed of sale, checks there are no charges on the property, title issues and with the assistance of a technician such as a geometra or architect, checks the property conforms to all planning issues.
It is always the buyer and not the vendor who pays the purchase taxes due and who pays the notary fees also. This means that it is up to the buyer which notary is used. In practice it is usually one of the local notaries and we can recommend which one to use and which one is cheapest, as notary prices do vary.
We provide a detailed list of all fees and taxes (including the notary’s quote) before you sign any contracts.
Translator – if you do not speak fluent, enough to understand detailed legal contracts, you will need to have a translator at the notary deed. Your agent or the notary will usually arrange this so you don’t need to worry about it. The cost varies but is often 200-300 euros. This can sometimes be shared with the vendor if they are also non fluent in Italian.
This depends firstly on two things.
A. Are you buying as a resident or a non resident?
B. Are you buying from private individuals or from a company?
If you are buying from private individuals, then the taxes you pay are based on the cadastral value – a nominal value which each property has and which depends on its size, location, standard etc – nothing to do with the market value.
Example 1:
House price agreed €100,000.
Property belongs to private sellers.
Cadastral value of the property €32,000.
Let’s say you intend buying the house as a non resident (.ie. you do not intend moving to Italy permanently and applying for residency).
Taxes payable are 9% on cadastral value €32,000 so €2,880 plus a few smaller fixed taxes.
Or, if you intend moving to live in the house permanently, applying for Italian residency, then as long as you don’t already own another property in Italy;
Taxes payable are 2% on cadastral value €32,000 so €640 plus a few smaller fixed taxes. A minimum figure may be payable.
Please note, you could buy the house as a resident and pay the lower rate of tax if you intend moving there and obtaining residency within the next 18 months. Don’t be tempted to do this unless you are definitely sure you will become a resident. If you then do not, you need to pay the difference in taxes plus a penalty of around 30%.
If there is substantial land (not just a garden) with the property, then 15% is payable on the value attributed to the land, which can be quite low, eg a value of €15,000 could be attributed to the land so 15% of 15,000 = €2,250 would be the tax on the land.
Example 2:
House price €100,000
Property is being sold by a company
Cadastral value of the property is €32,000
Let’s say you intend buying the house as a non resident (i.e. you do not intend moving to Italy permanently and applying for residency).
Taxes payable are 10% VAT on full market price €100,000 so €10,000 plus a few smaller fixed taxes.
Or, if you intend moving to live in the house permanently, applying for Italian residency, then as long as you don’t already own another property in Italy,
Taxes payable are 4% VAT on €100,000 so €4,000 plus a few smaller fixed taxes.
Once we know
– which house you want to buy, its cadastral value and who owns it (company/individual)
– whether you intend to buy as a resident/non resident and if it’s your first property in Italy
only then can we ask the notary to provide a quote for the precise taxes payable.
Other circumstances
Then of course there are other scenarios.
If the value of the property you want to buy is very low (eg €50,000) then purchase costs are likely to be a higher percentage as there are set minimums to pay for all fees and taxes. So on a €50,000 house, you are likely to pay 12-15% instead of 10% (non resident).
You might want to buy a property (being sold by private individuals) with your company. Taxes are considerably higher in this case, as they would be 9% on the sale price (not on the cadastral value). So it’s cheaper to buy a privately owned property as a private individual, not as a company.
But, in the case of a country property which is a farm/winery/agriturismo, these are often owned by a farming company (azienda agricola) , which has considerable tax advantages as you can buy the farm and pay just 0-1% (depending on the circumstances) on the purchase price in tax.
Taxes would be different for a commercial purchase, eg if your company is buying an Italian company (ie a farm or other company). Buying the shares of a company usually meets zero taxes, just a few fixed fees, and notary and accountancy fees.
The above is a guide, and once you have found a property you are interested in buying, we can obtain a notary quote for you, with a full breakdown of the taxes and fees due.
Notary fees – approx 1-2%, more for a lower priced property due to some fixed taxes.
Agency fees – in Italy both buyer and seller pay the agent. These are payable to the Italian agent (one of our partners) you view the house with at compromesso (preliminary contract) stage and for each party are usually 3% plus VAT. VAT is 22% in Italy. Minimums apply. Nothing is payable to Casa Tuscany so you will not pay double the fees, you will just have double the assistance!
Compromesso registration fees – approx €380 plus a part payment of taxes which is deducted from the total taxes due at completion.
Translator for the deed signing at the notary’s office. Required if you do not speak Italian well enough to understand legal deeds. Approx cost €250 – €350 depending on the notary.
Technical report for the notary. Checks all the planning issues of the property, making sure it matches the official plans, no works have been carried out without permission, gathers all previous permits, checks the house is sellable and not illegal in any way. Carried out by a geometra, architect or engineer and costs vary considerably, a minimum of €761 including VAT/ Please note this report is NOT a structural survey, that is an optional additional report you may wish to instruct.
Local council tax – IMU (formerly ICI) – payable only by non residents. This needs to be paid twice a year at the post office – no bill is sent. Most people use a local accountant or property manager to calculate it.
Refuse tax (TARI)
In some areas, mountain community tax.
If you buy a property which is part of a condominium, e.g. with shared pool and grounds, lighting etc, then there will be annual condominium fees to pay which usually range from about €200 to €1000/year unless it is a particularly luxurious property with many amenities in which case costs could be higher.
Utilities
You don’t really need an Italian bank account for buying a property in Italy any more as money is usually sent by bank transfer, although some notaries insist the funds are sent from an Italian account set up by you.
You could of course open an account to handle bills but bear in mind that some utilities companies refuse to arrange direct debits for non resident accounts, and some bills cannot be paid by direct debit.
You could always pay your bills online or if you have a property manager then send them the funds for settling all the bills.
If you do intend opening an Italian bank account, bear in mind that Italian bank charges are high . Usually there is a monthly fee to pay, plus charges for receiving money, paying bills, sending statements, etc etc.
