The house in Tuscany restored by Amanda Holden and Alan Carr in The Italian Job has been sold. The two-bed “Casa Alamanda”, which was bought for €1 (85p), went on the market two months ago for £187,777.
The house was the second TV renovation for the hit BBC One show, and all proceeds from the sale will go to Children in Need and Comic Relief. Now the property is under offer just two months after going on the market and a few days after the TV pair announced they were about to jet off to Andalusia to start work on the third series, to be called The Spanish Job.
Over last summer Alan and Amanda worked hard to change the run-down house, spread over three floors, into a “dream Italian holiday home”.
The home in Tuscany was their second TV renovation and was purchased under Italy’s 1Euro scheme which is aimed at combating depopulation in rural towns by enticing new inhabitants. Under the rules, abandoned private houses are sold for the symbolic price of a single euro (86p) and the buyers must then restore the property before moving in or selling it.
Nestled in the hills of Tuscany, the house has easy access to the many mountain pursuits on offer nearby. Situated in Fornovolasco, it boasts “magnificent” views of the Turrite di Petrosciana river and surrounding countryside.
Carr, 47, said he “fell in love with it” on first sight and over the weeks the pair painstakingly brought the 17th century property back to life, keeping some of the original features and fittings and tastefully replacing others. Along the way they discovered that the former owner was a local woman called Rosa Pucci, whose identity they discovered from her dusty suitcase and passport.
The completed property had a beautiful living area and kitchen with a marble breakfast island, a wood-burning fireplace, original beams and period tiles along with plush bedrooms, bathrooms with murals and a herb garden with a seating area. It also has a home theatre and a wine cellar.
Estate agent Roy Santi said: “The property is a little jewel with truly dramatic vistas of the river and mountains. The renovation respects the traditional materials and detailing present in this type of rural Tuscan home.”
According to Rightmove, searches for homes in Tuscany increased by 40% since the BBC1 show aired in January, compared with the same period last year.
Their first renovation, in Sicily, went on the market last year for £127,500 with all the proceeds from the sale going to the two BBC charities. When it was first listed the agents received over 350 enquiries about the property, with most coming from the UK.
This summer the pair will take on another run-down property, this time in the Spanish province of Andalusia. Their ongoing quest is to breathe new life into rural areas of Europe suffering from de-population - in this case by highlighting a forgotten region outside the Costa del Sol.
While there, they will throw themselves into the Spanish way of life by exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains and historic Moorish towns.
Earlier this month Amanda told the Mirror : “Bring on the Spanish sun, we can’t wait to get started and continue to help Comic Relief and Children In Need along the way.” The series is due to air early next year.