Priced out of Tuscany and Umbria South of Rome is still affordable…….says ">Karen Robinson. The view from the vine-covered terrace draws the eye across the terrace to the ancient hilltop town of Arpino, a place of refinement and distinction since it was the hometown of Cicero, the roman orator. Reaching up to grab a handful of blushingly ripe grapes, the seeker of property bargains could be forgiven for drawing the obvious analogy--low hanging fruit. There for the taking ,at prices not seen in Tuscany and Umbria this century are the village houses, town flats and country olive mills of the Ciociaria The area South of Rome is just beginning to register on the radar of the British property seeker,and prices are still low compared to Italy’s better known regions.Yet it has historic hilltop towns, medieval villages and breathtaking natural beauty edging up to the woods and mountains of the Abruzzo. Prices wont stay low for long. The area is still undiscovered but not isolated. a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk">www.timesonline.co.uk

 Daily Telegraph 6/10/07

HOLIDAY HOMES IN THE SUN LOSE THEIR SHINE The value of British holiday homes abroad has fallen by as much as 15% in the past three months. A series of second home hotspots across the continent has had thousands of Euros wiped off the value of holiday villas,particularly those around the Mediterranean, an investigation by The Daily Telegraph has found. Spain has been hit but there also has been a drop in property prices in afrance.The holiday home market in Bulgaria has shuddered to a halt. Charles Weston-Baker,who heads theinternational division of the estate agency Savills,said parts of Europe remained very strong,especially Southern Italy. www.telegraph.co.uk