_A regional tour of Italy's architecture

From the ancient Romans to modern pioneers such as Renzo Piano and Aldo Rossi, Italy has always spawned visionaries whose ideas have had a lasting impact upon architecture worldwide.

As anyone who has stopped to breathe in the majesty of Florence’s Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral or Milan’s Duomo will know, Italian architects have always been ahead of their time. 

But beyond the world-famous monuments, what typifies the traditional architecture throughout Italy? Influenced by its history, climate and geography, each region has a distinct vernacular that is in demand among international property buyers who want to feel they own something that has authenticity and provenance, and truly belongs to its location. Here we take a tour around Italy’s regional architecture…

The Italian Riviera

From the aristocratic palaces of Genoa to the brightly painted fishermen’s houses that appear to tumble down the hillsides of the Cinque Terre, Italy’s Ligurian coast is home to some of its most recognisable and unusual architecture.

Black and white striped facades were a popular statement in medieval times and the region later developed a reputation for trompe l’oeil on its tall, pastel-coloured townhouses. 

In Western Liguria, close to the French border, towns such as San Remo and Bordighera are known for their landmark 18th and 19th century villas – many of them now divided into grandiose apartments, such as San Remo’s Villa Perla, once home to the wife of Tsar Alexander II and the Romanov family.  

On the coast’s eastern side, the fishing village of Portofino epitomises what many seek and associate with the Ligurian look, with its multi-coloured houses clustered around buzzing piazzettas. 

The Tuscan countryside and coast 

Traditional, rural Tuscany is what most property buyers in Italy dream of. Its sprawling, secluded farmhouses and estates set among vines and olive groves and its medieval hilltop towns, epitomise the lifestyle that spells a slice of paradise for many.

The appetite among such buyers today is for already-renovated farmhouses with stylish, modern interiors that retain the essence of Tuscan history and character in their terracotta floors, wooden beams and stone walls. Some create dramatically minimalist open-plan spaces within their classically Tuscan shells.

What unites them is the desire to open up the house to panoramic views and exploit the full potential of outdoors living, their home providing the perfect vantage point to sit back and watch the changing light and seasons across the hills and valleys.  

Tuscany’s 250km coastline stretches from its northern hubs such as Viareggio, with its art nouveau buildings and old world charm, and glitzy Forte dei Marmi, with its huge golden sands, to the discreet coves and dunes in the Maremma, south of Grosseto, where popular towns include romantic, medieval Castiglione della Pescaia and the small fishing village of Porto Ercole with its pastel-coloured houses overlooking crystal clear water. 

The southern coast 

Often likened to bee hives or hobbit houses, trulli are the dry limestone buildings with conical roofs that are unique to the region’s Itria valley. Their heyday came in the 19th century, as homes for local vineyard workers, and they could be quickly dismantled when the taxman called – and rebuilt when he disappeared.

Most are still private homes for locals, though many have been converted into small hotels – and some, such as those in the picture postcard village of Alberobello have UNESCO World Heritage status The great cities 

For true immersion in the Italian experience, there is little to beat the colour, intensity and zest for life that comes with living in an Italian city.

The greats come with a backdrop of breath-taking architecture too and nowhere more so than Rome, whose every corner opens up a viewpoint into the past. Behind the historic, sometimes crumbling facades of its residential buildings, the apartments can come as a surprise with their light-filled spaces and ultra-modern interior design. 

In Rome, as in Florence, luxury lies in a home in the surrounding hills – close enough to soak up city life but sufficiently detached to provide a place of respite, with courtyards, a garden and views to never tire of.

Inside the city, Florence’s converted palazzi such as Palazzo Bardi – a 14th century palace converted into apartments, close to the Uffizi museum - provide an appealing opportunity for second home buyers, often combining architectural beauty, history and a prime central location with the turnkey mod cons and internal high spec that make life easy for overseas investors to drop in and out. 

And then there’s Venice, a city like no other. The palazzi that line the Grand Canal have for centuries been the most coveted trophies, but luxury here lies not in universally ostentatious signs of wealth but about historical prestige, authenticity and being able to zip straight out onto the canal from your private dock.

Other islands in the lagoon offer contrasting tastes of Venice, from the Lido with its modern beachfront apartments to Mazzorbo, where houses offer the luxuries of space and peace away from the tourist crowds. 

The islands 

Sicily’s architecture is a melting pot infused with the influences of nearby North Africa and centuries of Arab, Roman and Norman rule, from its rural farmhouses 

(masserie) whose fields were pivotal to its role as the “bread basket of Rome” to its coastal towers built by Saracen pirates during the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. On the quiet, idyllic Tuscan island of Elba, the architecture is typically traditionally rustic and discreet, its farmhouses and villas offering shady respite with fabulous sea views. 

But it is Sardinia that has the most distinctive architectural legacy with its landmarks dating back to the 1960s when the Aga Khan began developing the Costa Smeralda as a playground for the super-rich.

Above: Five bedroom villa for sale in Porto Cervo 

To create his vision, he called upon world renowned architects including father and son Jacques and Savin Couelle, Jean-Claude Lesuisse and Luigi Vietti and set strict guidelines for rustic Mediterranean-style properties that used materials such as granite, unfinished wood and pastel-coloured plasters.

The Couelles’ houses are known for their curves and vaulted ceilings and Lesuisse liked to create a multi-sensory journey and a sense of the unexpected throughout the house.

Currently for sale with Knight Frank are two Lesuisse-designed villas in Romazzino and Porto Cervo, seemingly honed from the rocks and with sweeping arches to frame the magnificent sea views. 

Searching for your ideal home in Italy? Knight Frank's Italian property experts can help guide you on property style and region depending on your individual needs. How can we help you?