Living on The Islands

Little worlds of their own, offering a romantic sense of escape and retreat, islands are the natural stuff of holiday dreams. No surprise then that Italy’s islands are some of the country’s most coveted holiday destinations, from day-tripper favourites such as Capri and Venice to luxury getaways such as Sardinia and the Aeolian islands. Visiting all of Italy’s islands would take a very long time indeed, as there are around 450 of them, most scattered in jewel-like little archipelagos all around the boot-shaped peninsula.

Part of the magic of islands is that each is special and distinctive. An island might have unique wildlife, a distinctive micro-climate, an unusual dialect or unprecedented local customs. Because travelling to an island has often been more difficult than reaching a mainland destination, many islands also retain an ‘exclusive’ air. Even now, when the largest Italian islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Elba can all be easily reached by direct flights from the UK, their aura of discerning remoteness lingers.

SAFE, STRONG MARKETS

The immense appeal of islands coupled with their obvious limit on space for new homes gives them perennially strong property markets. Far-sighted Italian restrictions on new building within