This Texas couple bought part of a dilapidated Italian mansion for $160,000 without even seeing it

Snapping up a home in Italy for a fraction of US prices has gone from being fantasy to a familiar playbook. The once-novel one-euro house schemes — properties in idyllic towns costing little more than a dollar — are now a well-established, and mostly successful, path for bargain hunters.

But the low-stakes route didn’t appeal to Houston couple John Alan Ambrose, 61, and his wife, Vicky, 57. Instead of chasing a one-euro fixer-upper, they bought a slice of a dilapidated former palazzo in a city most people outside Italy have never heard of — and they did it sight unseen.

It was still a relative bargain. In 2022, they paid 140,000 euros, or about $160,000, for the empty shell of a historic mansion in the center of Biella, a city in northern Italy’s Piedmont region, in the foothills of the Alps.

They then embarked on a three-year renovation, spending a further 150,000 euros to transform their new property into a boutique luxury apartment with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and two panoramic balconies spread across more than 3,000 square feet of the building’s second floor.

But not everything ran smoothly.

Located in Biella’s old district, mostly populated by buildings that date from between the 16th and 18th centuries, their property is a 1930s structure built in the Liberty style — an Italian variation of Art Nouveau. It had previously belonged to an Italian aristocratic family, but had been vacant for a few years before the Ambroses bought it.

Although the property’s interior was in shabby condition at the time of purchase, the Ambroses were confident they’d found a bargain. It has 14-foot ceilings, solid wood doors and arched windows that look out onto courtyards or up to the Alps. It also came with an attic to store winter ski gear and a cellar — great for storing Piedmont wines.

Biella, known as a center for high-quality wool production, is perhaps an unusual choice for an American couple, but Vicky encountered the city through her work.

She first visited in 2022. With the cycling apparel company she ran on hold after the pandemic, she was hoping to start a fashion business focused on Italian cashmere and wool. Biella was easy to navigate thanks to a local friend who arranged meetings with suppliers.

“On my first trip there, I really liked the vibe of the town,” she says. “I felt safe and liked that it was a small city, rather than a village, while still being close to major airports, with beautiful surroundings at the gateway to the Alps and ski resorts in the Aosta Valley.”

Other attractions included the city’s classic Italian central piazza, its 600-year-old Duomo cathedral, and the Sanctuary of Oropa — a place of pilgrimage and a UNESCO-listed heritage site. Proximity to the beautiful lakes of Orta, Maggiore and Viverone, plus the vineyards of Piedmont, didn’t hurt either.

Nor did the cost. “The price of real estate was also very attractive compared to the United States,” Vicky, who is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, said.

Back home in Texas, John — the general manager for a Norwegian manufacturer of personal protection equipment — was won over by his wife’s descriptions of Biella. Even though he’d never set foot in the city, they both decided to buy a house there.

They were hoping to find a sizable apartment — the pandemic shutdown convinced them that they needed plenty of space. Another stipulation was that it should be a “lock and leave” property, as it could be unattended for long periods.

Searching online, they came across their future apartment and, sight unseen, made an offer.

The house, though not lived in for years, clearly had a good structure — they say the equivalent property in Houston would’ve set them back $900,000 — and they were confident the gamble would pay off. Having a friend on the ground in the city helped facilitate the purchase, guiding them through the maze of Italian laws.

When they finally visited, they encountered a few uh-oh, what have we done? sights. Entering through the front door, they had to pick their way over shattered wall tiles strewn across the hallway. Alarmingly, the apartment’s old gas-powered water heater had come loose from its moorings and was hanging off the kitchen wall. Opening a closet in one of the bedrooms, they found it full of grim, ancient plumbing for a sink.

While the renovation had its fun moments, it was not without complications, particularly since Italian construction businesses were still catching up on the post-Covid backlog and labor was in short supply.

“First the language barrier, then the quotes that shifted like seasons, contractors that vanished and appointments blurred into indefinite timelines,” says Vicky.

“Some vendors and tradesmen were very reliable, like our plumber, while others held our money for nearly a year with multiple excuses and delays. I had to make multiple trips a year to supervise or push for progress. There was a large cultural divide, as a project that would have taken at most six to eight months in the US, dragged on for almost three years.”

Finding the right contractors was a struggle, along with navigating municipal requirements for working with a geometra, or surveyor.

“Many Italian tradesmen did not give detailed bids, covering the scope of work, so it made it difficult from afar, not knowing their local reputations,” says John. “We have also actively owned real estate and properties so have a general knowledge of what things should cost as labor rates in the US should be higher than Italy, but many suppliers in Biella wanted to overcharge for their services.”

To speed things up, they took matters into their own hands. Vicky flew to Italy, met up with an American friend and, after an online order of tools, they rolled up their sleeves and spent two weeks ripping out the apartment’s old tiling work.

Some seemingly small tasks proved incredibly complicated. Even though no structural changes were made to the house, even cosmetic fixes needed to be greenlit by the local municipality because of the building’s historic past and location.

The Ambroses wanted to tear out two old and drafty bathroom windows and install eco-friendly, insulated replacements, but soon became enmeshed in red tape.

“As these were exterior windows and we are in the historic center, we had to demonstrate that they would not adversely affect the architectural façade of the building, while also receiving the blessings of the condo association,” says John.

They pressed on. Air conditioning was added, floors were sanded and refinished, and the entire apartment got a new coat of paint. Bathrooms and kitchens were transformed from postwar utilitarian spaces to more lavishly appointed facilities with top-of-the-range fixtures and clean lines, mixing Italian craftsmanship with international flair.

The wiring and plumbing were replaced. Shiny wooden floor tiles were installed. The dingy closet full of pipework was transformed into an ensuite guestroom shower. The couple even added a bar.

Their hard work has paid off. The Ambroses now have their dream vacation property, hosting friends and their son Cleary, 26, a musician living in Brooklyn, New York. They use it for Alpine skiing getaways and as a pit stop on more adventurous trips into Europe.

They appreciate that in town everything is within walking distance, like their favorite café, where they go for cappuccinos and pastries, while watching people stroll across the piazza to the Duomo. Another popular pastime is catching a free tram to the city’s medieval Piazzo district. “You feel as if you are in another town with quaint bistros and bars, yet it’s only a few blocks away,” says John.

The couple quickly embraced another regional draw: skiing. They were taken not only with the scenery and food but also with the relative affordability — and with bombardinos, the warm eggnog-and-brandy concoctions served on mountain terraces. They first tried them while skiing in Courmayeur and have spoken of them, only half-jokingly, as a tipping point in the decision to buy a winter home in Piedmont.

Piedmont’s wines added to the appeal. Vicky has now begun laying the groundwork for a US import business.

Biella’s location also proved compelling. From the city, they can reach mountain trails, vineyards or even the Italian Riviera within a short drive.

Still, they have been struck by how often locals react with surprise to their presence. Because Biella sits largely outside the main tourist routes, casual conversations in cafés or restaurants tend to begin with the same question: “Why Biella?”

“I think many of the locals don’t realize what a great place it is and that everything is available right out their back door,” says Vicky.

Adapting to the pace of daily life has been more challenging. The couple was accustomed to the 24-hour convenience of American cities. In Biella, most shops close on Mondays and shut down for a lengthy midday break. Planning errands requires some forethought.

“That is our problem as Americans, unlike Italians, we find it hard to slow down or relax,” says John. “This might be a charm that will take some time to grow on us after many more trips to Italy for us to get used to.”

For now, they expect to use the apartment several times a year — during ski season, over Thanksgiving, or en route to visit family in Croatia.

One thing they ruled out early was the idea of a one-euro house.

“Generally, you get what you pay for, and when it sounds too good to be true it likely is,” says John. “So the one-euro homes in the south just were never on our radar. Biella seems to be very calm and secure relative to the reputation of the south.”

Piedmont, with its snowy winters and quiet alpine backdrop, checked the boxes they cared about most.

The couple spent three years living in Barbados and kept a ski home in Canada for 17 years. After selling it, they found they missed the mountains sooner than expected.

“Vicky can spend over 100 days a year on the slopes,” says John. “But will go stir-crazy after three weeks on a beach.”