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2013 Blue Flag beaches: Liguria is the most pristine

In 2013 Italy Boasts 248 Blue Flags Beaches and region Liguria has again the highest number of Blue Flag beaches

Italy has 248 top beaches, two more than last year, in 135 municipalities. The figures emerge from the 2013 Blue Flag table, which certifies the services and environmental friendliness of coastal and lakeside resorts, as well as the cleanliness of the water.

Blue Flags are international distinctions, created in 1987, with patronage and support from UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the World Tourism Organisation, which aims to promote a sustainable development at beaches and marinas through strict criteria such as water quality, environmental management, safety and services provided close to or within the beach area. To the Blue Flag Programme participate beaches and marinas in 41 countries of all the world.

LIGURIA’S TOP SLOT – Liguria again tops the regional table with 20 flags, increasing by two this year.

It is followed by the central Marche region with 18 (+2), Tuscany with 17 ( + 1 than last year), Abruzzo 14, Campania remains stable with 13, Puglia with 10, Emilia Romagna with 8 and Lazio with 5 like 2012. The two Italian islands, Sardinia, famous for its crystalline waters and luxury Emerald Coast resorts, has one more flag this time with nine but Sicily lost one flag land is now on eight.

In the West Liguria there is the new entry of San Lorenzo al Mare , but also the confim of Sanremo, Camporosso e Bordighera. These are the other 2013 Blue Flags in our region: Spotorno, Bergeggi, Finale Ligure, Noli, Savona Fornaci, Albissola Marina, Albisola Superiore, Celle Ligure, Varazze, Loano, Chiavari, Lavagna, Moneglia, Lerici, Framura e Ameglia.

Blue Flags for Marinas & Small Boat Harbours

The Blue Flag fro Marinas is an annual environment award to Small Boat Harbours or Marinas that have focused on good management of facilities and services regarding the environment and nature, as well as provide information to their users about the environment. To be eligible for this award, the Small Boat Harbour or Marina has to fulfil a number of criteria related to education, information and environmental management, safety, services and water quality.

This year, also for Marinas, Liguria wins again with 15, incresing by one this year.

In West Liguria these are the 3 blue flag Marinas:  Portosole in Sanremo, Marina degli Aregai (Santo Stefano al Mare) and Marina di San Lorenzo.
In the rest of the region: Marina di Andora, Porto Luca Ferrari in Alassio, Marina di Loano, Vecchia Darsena di Savona, Cala Cravieu in Celle Ligure, Marina di Varazze, Porto Internazionale Carlo Riva in Rapallo, Marina di Chiavari, Marina di Porto Venere, Porto Bocca di Magra (Ameglia) , il Porto Lotti e il Porto Mirabello in La Spezia, a new entry of 2013.

Well, another good reason to buy a property in Liguria…..

The Flowers Parade: the flower covered floats of San Remo

San Remo: the Flowers Parade “Sanremo in Fiore” on Sunday, 10th March 2013

The famous Flowers Parade is a long procession of floats decorated with millions of flowers with all the colors of the rainbow, embellished with various original effects.

During the Flowers Parade every city of the Italian Riviera presents an original composition of flowers displayed on a Carnival/Mardi-Gras style moving car. This year the main theme will be “Man in the Space”.

These are cities and thier floats:

  1. GOLFO DIANESE – “A SPASSO NEL COSMO”
  2. RIVA LIGURE – “ALLUNAGGIO!!!AR…RIVA (LIGURE) BUZZ LIGHTYEAR”
  3. BORDIGHERA – “APOLLO 10”
  4. VENTIMIGLIA – “ASPETTANDO IL RITORNO”
  5. TAGGIA – “AVATAR”
  6. SANTO STEFANO AL MARE – “FUTURAMA”
  7. DOLCEACQUA – “LIGURI NELLO SPAZIO”
  8. SEBORGA – “ALLA CONQUISTA DI NUOVI PIANETI”
  9. OSPEDALETTI – “PASSEGGIATA … TRA I PIANETI”
  10. VALLECROSIA – “VERSO L’INFINITO E OLTRE”

It is a truly intense experience, surrounded by the most beautiful scents and flowers of the Riviera!

The event will be broadcasted on Rai 1, Rai Italia and you can also watch it on the web, at www.rai.it 

To know more: wwww.sanremoinfiore.it

San Remo Music Festival 2013

The Festival is coming…!

From 12th to 16th February, the unmissable appointment with the festival of the Italian song comes back: the 63rd edition of San Remo Festival.

The song contest began in 1951 and has been held in Sanremo every year since. Well beloved in Italy and beyond, the Sanremo Music Festival even served as the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The festival has launched the careers of incredibly famous Italian singers, including Andrea Bocelli, Zucchero, Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini and Massimo Ranieri. But Sanremo is almost as much about the host as the talented performances. Every year, eager audiences tune in to see who will present the show.

This year, the singing competition at Ariston Theatre will be hosted by Fabio Fazio and Luciana Littizzetto, the TV presenter couple of the show “Che tempo che fa”. This is expected to be an edition where humour and biting jokes will be the big protagonists (after the music, of course).
Fabio Fazio will come back on the stage of the Festival, 14 years after the first time, the edition of 1999, when Anna Oxa won the competition with the song “Senza Pietà”.

As the art director, Fazio selected the 14 “Big” competitors who will participate in 2013 edition: Almamegretta, Annalisa Scarrone, Chiara Galiazzo, Daniele Silvestri, Elio e le Storie Tese, Malika Ayane, Marco Mengoni, Maria Nazionale, Marta sui tubi, Max Gazzè, Modà, Raphael Gualazzi, Simona Molinari with Peter Cincotti and Simone Cristicchi. They will play 2 unpublished songs.

For the category of “Giovani” (young cometitors), who will sing just one song, we’ll see on the Ariston stage Andrea Nardinocchi, Antonio Maggio, Blastema, Ilaria Porceddu, Il Cile, Irene Ghiotto, Paolo Simoni and Renzo Rubino.

The competition will see the challenge of the 14 “Campioni” (champions), 7 in the first night and 7 in the second night, each one singing two songs, and the best song will be proclaimed by telephone voting and the Festival Press Jury.
During 3rd night, the “Campioni” will perform their 14 songs, of the 28 remining in the competition. During 4th night, entitled Sanremo Story, the “Big” will sing the Festival’s historic songs with italian or international artists. In addition, the winning song of the category “Giovani” will be decreed.

In the final night, we’ll listen to the songs of Campioni category, which will be voted by the Quality Jury that includes the actor Carlo Verdone, Serena Dandini, Stefano Bartezzaghi, Nicola Piovani, Eleonora Abbagnato, Claudio Coccoluto, Nicoletta Mantovani, Cecilia Chailly, Rita Marcotulli, Paolo Giordano and the audience through the vote by phone. Finally, it will be proclaimed the winning song of 63rd Sanremo Festival.

The Italian and international guest stars who will climb on Sanremo’s stage with Fazio and Littizzetto will be: the Israeli top model Bar Rafaeli, Pippo Baudo and Raffaella Carrà in the “amarcord” night, Andrea Bocelli, Bianca Balti, Carla Bruni, Beppe Fiorello, Neri Marcorè, Claudio Bisio, Asaf Avidan, Caetano Veloso, Antony, Roberto Baggio and Flavia Pennetta.

This year, for the first time, celebrities will proclaim the winner of each category. Among the others, we find the tennis champion Flavia Pennetta, the sisters and presenters Benedetta and Cristina Parodi, Filippa Lagerback, Ilaria D’Amico, Vincenzo Montella, the water polo champion Stefano Tempesti, the archery champion Jessica Rossi.

The Festival will be on air on Rai 1, Rai HD, Eurovision and Radio 1, Radio 2. You can also watch it on the web, at www.rai.it, where it’s possible to watch the commercial created by the Academy award-winning director Gabriele Salvatores.
In the City of Flowers everything is ready to get this famous musical kermesse started, an event that every year for one week makes Sanremo the capital of music.

Luxury Mountain Chalet with Bar and Restaurant – Limone Piemonte

This luxurious ski-in/ski-out chalet is located in the centre of the main skiing resort for Western Ligurians, Limone Piemonte, surrounded by regional and national parks in the middle of the ‘Riserva Bianca’, which has over 80 km of ski slopes.
Just an hour away from Monte-Carlo, the French Côte d’Azur, the Italian Riviera and Turin, it is considered the favourite mountain resort of the residents of Monaco and can be reached by helicopter from the Principality in just 15 minutes.

The property was renovated and finished in 2003 and comprises: grand reception room, restaurant, hall, fitted bar, living room, professional kitchen, four large double bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms, several balconies and terraces, a laundry room, a wine cellar and a wonderful health and fitness area with an 8 person Turkish bath.
This spectacular Mountain Chalet can be managed as a luxury private chalet or as a public tourist business as all the permits and licences for the current hotel and restaurant will be handed over to the new owners together with all the furniture and equipment, which will also include the snowmobiles, a jeep, etc or as a luxury chalet hired to small groups of friends or to guests of a company.

Also, the owners will be available for a few months after the purchase to assist the buyers and the staff that will be in charge of the new management of the building. They will offer training in the running of the kitchen, obtaining of supplies, transport and other technical details.

More info and price only on request: info@liguriahomes.com  – Matteo Scandolera

ski resort in northern Italy The ski resort in summer

Mountain Chalet in Italy for sale Limone Piemonte chalet for sale

Knight Frank: latest report on Italy’s second-home market

Knight Frank analizes the Italy’s second-home market

Knight Frank’s new Italy Insight report assesses what impact the country’s recent economic challenges have had on its prime property market.

Traditional sources of demand (US, UK buyers) while still evident are now joined by other HNWIs looking to make a lifestyle purchase, these include Scandinavian buyers (particularly Danes), Russian and Benelux nationals who are all increasing their market share.

As well as providing an economic update and analysis of Italy’s mainstream and prime markets, the insight report assesses what impact Prime Minister Monti’s IMU property tax will have on prime sales and ncludes a snapshot of current market conditions across Italy’s second-home hotspots: Rome, Venice, Tuscany and Umbria, Liguria, Sardinia and the Italian Lakes.

Unlike the UK, US, Ireland or Spain, Italy did not experience a housing market bubble prior to the financial crisis. Although official data reports that mainstream prices are only 10.5% lower than their peak in Q2 2008, most analysts acknowledge that mainstream prices have dropped by around 30% over this period.

For many international buyers, Italy’s established prime locations offer a more secure second home option without the risk that many emerging European markets present.

A weaker euro in the first half of 2012 made very little difference to the volumes of sales but interest from non-Eurozone buyers improved once the euro reached 1.20 against the pound.
Buyers from the UK, US, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Russia are the most active. The one issue that connects these buyers is their level
of wealth, many are increasingly internationally-mobile with multiple residences globally.

In late 2011 Mario Monti’s new government of technocrats embarked on a strict austerity programme. For the first time Italians now have to pay tax on all their properties, including their primary residence. The IMU tax, which also applies to non-resident second-home owners, is expected
to raise €10bn in 2012 but many Italians consider it to be unfair given it is based on a public register which relies on an outdated ‘cadastral’ rental value for each home.
We do not expect the IMU tax to have a significant impact on Italy’s luxury housing market for two reasons. Firstly, because the sums remain
relatively small. Homeowners are due to pay 0.4% of the cadastral value on a primary residence and up to 1.06% on a second home. Secondly, despite the IMU tax changes Italy’s purchase costs and annual property charges continue to compare favourably with some of Europe’s other prime second-home destinations.

Key findings

  • Enquiries for homes above €3m are strong, along with demand for properties in new developments priced below €1m
  • Italian prime property has performed better than its mainstream counterpart. Although prices have fallen by c.20% since their peak in 2008 the market is now gaining traction
  • A weaker euro in the first half of 2012 had little impact on sales volumes but has provoked interest from non-Eurozone buyers
  • The introduction of the IMU tax by Mario Monti, although a complex tax, is likely to have little impact on the luxury homes market

Focus on Liguria

The prime market in Liguria has seen a higher level of activity in 2012. New stock being brought to the market is not only of good quality but is
being realistically priced. In contrast to some of Italy’s other prime markets Liguria has seen prices hold firm with small price rises observed in the best locations such as Portofino, Bordighera and Alassio.
British, Danish, Swiss, French and Russian buyers are the most prevalent with many seeking homes within the €500,000 to €1.5m price bracket. Above this threshold the region finds itself competing with the neighbouring Côte d’Azur.

Click here to read the full version of the Italy Insight by Knight Frank

Fonte: Kate Everett-Allen, International Residential Research, Knight Frank – Oct 2012

To know more about Knight Frank please visit www.knightfrank.com or call Mr. Matteo Scandolera on +39 334 9323000 or come to our head office in Liguria: LiguriaHomes, Via Matteotti n. 24, San Remo – Western Liguria

Dolceacqua, a Villa currently being used as a beautiful Guest House and B&B

This detached House for sale in Dolceacqua is 30 minutes’ drive both from the coastal town of Bordighera on the Italian Riviera, and from the French border with access to Menton, Monaco and the other coastal towns of the Cote d’Azur.

The property for sale in Dolceacqua, currently being used as a beautiful Guest House and B&B, consists of 3 floors:-

GROUND FLOOR:  Entrance to 2 adjacent sitting rooms, one with large open fireplace, office with telephone and computer connection points, large and sunny dining room, large semi-professional kitchen, separate larder, downstairs WC and washbasin, cellar room, laundry room, storage room, boiler room.

FIRST FLOOR:  6 independent double bedrooms each with bathroom and WC, and each with direct access to its own balcony or terrace with views to the mountains.  The master bedroom suite is of a substantial size, with its own wardrobe area, bathroom with bath and shower, and outside terrace.

SECOND FLOOR:  The space on this floor is easily transformable into an apartment, and consists of a large bedroom area with bathroom en suite, and an even larger space next door to it which is usable as either a bedroom or living room, with adjacent outside terrace.  There are substantial storage areas on both sides of these rooms.

The land on which the property stands extends to some 8,740 sq.m., and consists of garden area surrounding the house with lawns (complete with irrigation system), trees and shrubs (there are almost 90 rose plants of differing varieties), large gravelled car park (space for 8 cars), professionally made Boules Track, swimming pool terrace with pool of approx 12m x 6m and adjoining storage/control room of 4.3m x 2.4m, square decking area of 64 sq.m. with corner fountain, and lower terraces planted with olive trees and fruit trees.

The property also benefits from solar panels (for all hot water needs), a 5,000 litre reserve water tank (mains water), electronic entrance gates, an outside dining area under a pergola, and shutters to all ground floor and most first floor doors and windows.

To know more: www.liguriahomes.com/en/immobili/dolceacqua/5v16/