My Sister in Law (in her 40's) is looking to buy and live in a tiny Italian farmhouse called a Trulli. She is retiring from the Armed Forces. The Trulli will be located somewhere in Southern Italy.
Has anyone any idea how I can persuade her not to go there from the UK and if she did go, what horrors are in store, as all the Trullis she has shown me in photographs, look like they have been derelict since the stone age.
Advice please...

Hi and welcome numberfour.

I've never seen a trulli let alone set foot in one, but I'm aware of some of the problems your skin and blister will likely face.

These buildings are often removed from villages and towns, with no electric or water connections. Sometimes with no form of waste disposal. Connecting them can be expensive. Check distance of nearest connections (indicative of cost) and whether it'll involve passing pipes or cables though other people's land. (May cause probelms for getting connected.)

The buildings have very thick walls and the rooms are of circular shape. Neither of these factors lend themselves to making renovations simple. Will likely need re-roofed too, so view roof from inside and also from an elevated spot (take binoculars in case elevated spot isn't close by.) Speak to locals to find out about buildings problems / other problems in the area. They might not know about the building, other than how long it has been uninhabited, but if they take a liking to you they can be very helpful.

Buildings are old and, like the pictures you have seen suggest, many have been uninhabited for some time. This makes it all the more important that she has the structure of building examined so she knows what she is getting into.

I may be well wide of the mark here, but I suspect planning laws for trullis will be more restrictive than for most buildings. (They trully are beautiful and unique buildings, so it would only be natural for Italian Planning Authorities and Councils to want to preserve this element of their culture.)

Finally, my top tip would be to get in touch with one or two English speaking estate agents that don't have this type of property on their books. Perhaps you could contact an agency that focusses on another area and say that you are interested in their area and also where the trullis are. If you make that contact via Email the agent will likely be armed with reasons not to invest in a trulli when you speak so as to switch your focus to their region and their properties. (Always good for finding out potential pitfalls.)

I imagine many trulli purchases are ones driven by the heart rather than the head. Atleast if she takes the plunge it should be a more informed decision with you helping to look out for her. Not everyone would do that for a sister in law!

Good luck and let us know the outcome.

I was looking at these a few years ago whilst going through a "more money than sense" period. They are cute houses - and if it's already renovated I don't see why it wouldn't be a bad thing. Good insulation and if it's lasted 200 years it'll do another 50. Although as a previous poster said an absolute b*tch to renovate yourself.

But from my pov the BIG problem is that these trullis are located in the Puglia region which is the "heel" of the boot of Italy. Nothing wrong in that iself, except it's an isolated, hard to get to place with no major transportation links. We have all these cheap airlines getting you to Milan, not so much at the opposite end of the country. You could drive from London to Milan in say 15 hours crossing at Dover... but you'd need to add another 10 (at least!) to get down to Puglia.

Tbh, if she's got the money, why the heck not? It won't be some idyllic expat paradise though, it's the equivalent to shopping out to rural Norfolk... If she's happy to potter around doing her own thing it'd be OK.