House Hunters International

Dan and Andrea Want a Family-Friendly Vacation Cottage in the Scenic Abruzzo Region of Italy (12x8)

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Dan and Andrea Layden (30's) are history buffs who live in Philadelphia with their two small children. Andrea can trace her family history back to 18th century Italy. Now she and Dan want to introduce their children to her old world roots by buying a vacation home in the Abruzzo region of Italy where both Andrea's mother and grandmother are from. They have a budget of 100,000 Euro (equal to $140,000). They want a charming Italian cottage that has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, some outdoor space, and a working kitchen. The first place Dan and Andrea and their kids go to see with their agent, Nicola Di Girolamo, is at the top of a very windy road in the Abruzzo region. The home has 2 beds and 1 bath in 1300 sq. ft., and it's listed for the equivalent of $116,000. The exterior of the home is built with stone from the region, but the owners have drilled parts of the wall which has created huge cracks inside the living room. The kitchen is outdated and has very old appliances but at least the bedrooms are a good size and have a nice view. They like that it comes with 1.24 acres of land, but they aren't crazy about the windy road and how much work the home needs. The second place Nikki takes them all to see is in a more accessible area, close to the lake in the town of Penne. It's a 2 bed, 1 bath, 860 square foot cottage listed for the equivalent of $163,000. They like the charming rounded windows and original fireplace, but the kitchen and bathroom are very outdated. They don't mind the small bedrooms that much, but they would like a better view of the half acre of land the house sits on. The third place Nikki takes them to see is near the town of Citta S'Angelo. It's a one-room 450 square foot cottage with a small kitchen and bathroom, that shares 3 acres of land with an old ruin. They like the idea that they could live in the small finished cottage while building a larger home on the site of the ruin. They also like the views and the amount of land, but Dan is worried it wil