‘I bought a chapel on a Sicilian island for £140,000'
I never dreamt I'd be able to afford a house on Salina, one of the Aeolian islands off Sicily. I had lived there — renting — when my daughters were young, and with cobalt seas, active volcanoes, green mountains, whitewashed houses and cascades of shocking pink bougainvillea, the Aeolians have long been one of the most sought-after holiday-home locations in Italy.
Despite the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis, property prices are sky-high (friends paid €1 million — £850,000 — for a large ruin). There were bargains galore on Sicily, but I didn't want to start again somewhere new. I was looking for a place to live, not go on holiday. And I was (sort of) used to the risk.
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