Village Properties

Provence is a land of contrast where people and landscape are intimately related. A wonderful travel destination and a generous land that was born dry and rocky. Most people think of it as tame - small villages, vineyards, Roman ruiins, cafes. Yes, that is Provence. But just a few minutes away is a Provence that has never been tamed, and probably never will be. A rugged Provence with steep slopes and a few narrow roads clinging to the edge of mountains. That is also my Provence.

The area known as the Loire Valley is located in a French region called Centre and affords anyone looking to purchase property many advantages over other regions. It has been proposed to rename this region Val de Loire as many feel the name Centre is rather non-descript and does not highlight the beauty of the area. It was because of the beauty, accessibility, rivers and climate that the French kings build most of their castles in the Loire Valley. It is also located in the part of the country that is known as the Garden of France.

The northern Italian region of Lombardy is home to one sixth of the entire population of the country and its de facto sartorial capital, Milan, home to the designer clothes and shoe factories that form the basis of stylish Italian elegance. However, Lombardy isn't just about haute couture, it is also home Italy's beautiful northern lakes, and the luxurious villas that overlook them. The Italian lakes are one of the most popular holiday and property regions of Italy, up there with the Chiantishire favourites of Tuscany and Umbria, as well as the Riviera of Liguria.

The past few years have seen a growing trend for golfers to move their playing activities to the warmer climes of the Mediterranean region, with destinations such as Vale dos Lobos & La Manga becoming an increasingly popular and exclusive part of the international golfing scene. You may be surprised to learn however, that Spain and Portugal are not the only countries to attract golfers. The Republic of Cyprus too, is drawing an increasing number of international golfers to its beautiful shores.

All televisions from all over the world have been broadcasting reality shows of all types, shapes and contents, showing how anonymous singers would start a successful career, or how celebrities would survive in a tropical island or simply living in a luxurious flat with all sort of comforts doing just nothing until people vote you out. But lately seems that some TV channels, especially from Northern Europe, have started to be attracted by the Italian life style and want to see how some people from their country would cope with it.

Over the course of the past year, the overseas property market has seen considerable changes in its dynamic, with large numbers of investors moving away from the more traditional property markets such as Dubai, Spain and Bulgaria. Whilst these markets have experienced painful depreciations in the overall value of property, the emerging property markets around the Red Sea resorts, have not only held their value, they have in fact been appreciating at a considerable rate.

Cyprus beach apartment buyers have traditionally focused their attentions around the main resort areas such as Paphos, Protaras and Limassol with only the more adventurous Cyprus property seekers venturing further afield. All that is however changing because as the price of resort property increases the bigger developers are investing in large scale developments further out.