What $84, 000 USD buys for a furnished studio in Endine Lake, Italy

Let's slow down and appreciate some weirdness:

The "media center" is obviously staged with a throwaway baby TV, and room for a bigger one. But what's with those glass cabinets overhead? What goes there? DVDs? Booze? Why's there a landline phone right by the TV? "Excuse me, I've got to take this call."

Are those three thermostats off to the left? Is this some sort of home automation?

The decor reminds me of a long-stay hotel, all grey and square.

I dig the radiator frenched into the wall.
Yeah, it's a small apartment, I missed that in the listing, looking at the photos something wasn't adding up until I saw your post, went back and looked. It doesn't even have a kitchen counter. Nice view, I guess why the asking price? though you dont know the other monthly expenses either.
Pretty area for sure.
 
What's the knee level sink next to the ****ter for?

For Klingon Visitors!
that, gentleman, is a Bidet. it washes your backside after you do your business.
"In several European countries, a bidet is now required by law to be present in every bathroom containing a toilet bowl."
"Opinions as to the necessity of the bidet vary widely over different nationalities and cultures. In cultures that use it habitually, such as parts of Western, Central and Southeastern Europe(especially Italy and Portugal) Eastern Asia and some Latin American countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, it is considered an indispensable tool in maintaining good personal hygiene."
 
that, gentleman, is a Bidet. it washes your backside after you do your business.
"In several European countries, a bidet is now required by law to be present in every bathroom containing a toilet bowl."
"Opinions as to the necessity of the bidet vary widely over different nationalities and cultures. In cultures that use it habitually, such as parts of Western, Central and Southeastern Europe(especially Italy and Portugal) Eastern Asia and some Latin American countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, it is considered an indispensable tool in maintaining good personal hygiene."
Wiki also says may be used for washing children or feet in some countries.

On a serious note - on the style below do you face the wall or away (haven't looked at videos yet, not sure about that rabbit hole)? What is with the ones with 3 handles do they have a nozzle anywhere (looks like something in there toward front)? What soaps or other are used or is just your hands and water and then wash hands at sink afterward? Do you swap back to the regular for the blot dry and flush after?

We installed a Tushy brand add on for my 88yo mom that she likes because of mobility issues for proper cleaning. It has a spray nozzle that adjusts at different angles and cold or warm water. Warm subject to same issues as sinks/showers that may need to run a bit to get warm based on distance from water heater.

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Yeah, well, thanks to another thread in here we recently installed bidet's in our bathrooms.
Im not sure of the whole separate thing going on in the photos, though some high end homes have them here in the states.

However overseas and in Asia bidets and have been in use for many decades, for so long, many places have a spray hose next to the toilet. But most times all in one unit. Heck a recent trip overseas, in Japan AIRPORT no less, the toilets had so many buttons I was afraid to touch them! *LOL* My wife said the same and she is Asian.
Anyway a recent trip overseas and I came to realize , how hung up we are in the USA and its one area of cleanliness Americans are behind (no pun intended) most countries in the civilized world and third world. We are really dirty down there. *LOL* Now that we have them installed I disappointed that most of my life a was using paper with no wash.

Im no spring chicken and I have to tell you, since installing these things (thanks to another member in here) wiping your butt with a piece of paper is like something out of the dark ages. Kind of gross without a wash first.

I used to cringe to bring up the subject (be embarrassed) when I recently told family members what we installed and now, Im thinking those without really should be the uncomfortable ones (no pun intended again) Because having them leaves you nice and fresh feeling all day long. There are some things in this world that Americans are not yet advanced in and honestly surprisingly ashamed to talk about. When we were buying them, had a conversation with an employee of the store and commented to me, he see's them selling more and more.

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@earlyre and @Sequoiasoon
 
how hung up we are in the USA and its one area of cleanliness Americans are behind
Just cover it up with body sprays instead, think of that new product they're pushing, I think it was Old Spice? Axe?

As a side note, showers were not the norm in Europe, but bathing was, so to offset water and associated electricity expenses to heat water, the Bidet made sense. Europe, or shall I say Italy, has always been ahead in terms of conservation, on so many levels. Sometimes a little too conservative, if you know what I mean 😷
 
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Listen - to those of you mid country (ie reasonable cost of living folk) $85K is essentially nothing to coastal types. Like, just hair over fiddy dollars. Seriously a condo around here, is maybe $300K if you are lucky. West coast near water? $500-$600K

The problem I see for this place, is not just the size - but relative to that, just pay something small like $300K and get a decent sized place. As I posted earlier, I am considering it as a stop over place for the wife and I. Just don't want to fight foreign transactions right now.
 
That is the area where my grandparents lived before they came to the USA.
My grandparents came through Elis Island and were from a mountain town more south and central Italy. Looked very much the same though. Very quaint, gotta love google earth.
Some Italian small towns will now pay you to buy a home and move there. This has been going on for quite some time as the small towns are looking to counter a shrinking population. Some towns require younger people in order to get the cash payments, other towns not so.
Here is one link but many on the subject if you do a search on the subject.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurab...aly-tuscany-will-pay-you-32000-to-move-there/
 
At least it’s something you physically own as opposed to dumping $1-1.5k a month rent.

It has beautiful views.
 
What's the catch?
No job nearby. Population decline so you likely will be in a retiree town, and eventually no demand for your home if you want to leave one day.

Listen - to those of you mid country (ie reasonable cost of living folk) $85K is essentially nothing to coastal types. Like, just hair over fiddy dollars. Seriously a condo around here, is maybe $300K if you are lucky. West coast near water? $500-$600K

The problem I see for this place, is not just the size - but relative to that, just pay something small like $300K and get a decent sized place. As I posted earlier, I am considering it as a stop over place for the wife and I. Just don't want to fight foreign transactions right now.
Yup. The worth of a real estate has mostly always been about the income potential of people living there. If there is no income you can put a mansion there and it will only attract people who live there as a vacation home. Everyone would be able to build it on a near free lot + construction cost, so there would be no appreciation potential nor income from living there.

The better question would be why wouldn't the local buy it as a man cave or vacation spot, or even a place for their nonnas to retire in.
 
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Squirt tube.

Every place with one I have not needed nor been brave enough. I shower 1-2 times a day
So you straddle over and guess where it's going to blast?

I remember my memere being in the hospital when I was maybe 10 and getting in trouble for blasting the ceiling with what I thought was just flushing a weird toilet. 🤣
 
If I were buying there, I would ask a lot about the utilities. How is it heated?
Is the electric and water reliable and what does it cost. I heard that some places have electric and or water that often is not available. And while it may not be of concern to some, I heard that in some locations air-conditioning is not used because the electricity cost are extremely high, so high that solar is often used to power a fan, because even a fan cost too much to power from the electric company.

I could be off on thinking all this, but those and other posible costs are things to know if your serious.Taxes, trash removal, sewerage, transportation?

Sometimes, taxes and maybe even some other cost are much higher for people who do not live in a location full time.
 
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No understanding of jokes in this forum anymore!

Maybe if they threw in a reference to the danger Klingons pose lurking around Uranus, it wouldn't have wooshed past! ;)

Northern Italy is pretty, but I think I'd prefer the weather in Tuscany.

But at least Bergamo is within reasonable commuting distance to Milan, so there are more employment opportunities. Had a conversation with a boutique worker there who had lived in the US, and that's where they resided.
 
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