Property · Our pick in Venice
Buying in Venice: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Buying in Venice: the back story
Buying in Venice means buying a piece of a listed city: apartments in palazzi, often with a piano nobile on the canal, houses in Cannaregio and Castello, and homes on the Giudecca and the Lido. In Italy, a sale is completed by a deed signed before a notaio, a public official.
Where people buy
Dorsoduro and San Marco for palazzo apartments, Cannaregio and Castello for quieter streets, the Giudecca for views back to the city, and the Lido for gardens and the beach.
How buying works
In Italy, buyer and seller usually sign a preliminary contract (compromesso), and the sale is completed by a deed (rogito) signed before a notaio, who checks the title and registers the sale. Historic buildings in Venice are subject to protection rules, so works need permits.
Walk the neighbourhood at different times of day, and ask about access by water and the building’s works before you offer.
Our advice: use an independent lawyer and a notaio, and confirm what works the building allows before you buy.
Why it's on our list
- Where people buy
- How buying works
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Buying in Venice: the back story before you go.