Icelandic couple buys retro “seventies” villa in Northern Italy

“We weren’t necessarily looking for a ‘seventies-style’ house, but that’s what we ended up buying,” says Svana Rún Símonardóttir, a social worker. She and her husband, Ríkarð Svavar Axelsson, station manager at Special Tours, recently purchased a unique property in northern Italy. Svana has been sharing their house-hunting journey and renovation plans on social media.

“The house has a really fun layout, incredibly high ceilings, and a breathtaking view. It’s 150 square meters, plus a loft that isn’t included in the official size,” Svana explains. The couple spent two years searching before finding the right property.

The house, built in 1970, had been in the same family for generations and was originally used as a summer home.

A magical location

The couple run the store and online shop mynja.is and have six children aged 13 to 22. They live in Akureyri, but she grew up in Dalvík and he in Neskaupstaður, so it felt natural for them to look for a home in a quiet village, away from the bustle of big cities.

“We’re only about a four-minute drive from the nearest town,” Svana says.

The property is located in a small village in the Piedmont region, famous for its wine production and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It offers the best of both worlds: skiing in winter and beaches just an hour away in summer.

“This area is also known for Alba truffles, cheesemaking, sparkling wine, and amaretti cookies,” Símonardóttir adds.

While the area boasts vineyards and stunning fields of sunflowers and wildflowers, it doesn’t see as much tourism as other parts of Italy — which the couple considers a bonus.

Love at first sight

The couple first traveled to Italy in 2017, spending most of their trip in Tuscany. Svana recalls a pivotal moment during that visit:

“There’s a photo of us standing in front of a run-down house, and I said, ‘One day, I’m going to own a house here.’ After that trip, there was no turning back.”

Although their ideas for a dream home evolved, two things were non-negotiable: a great view and a garden. Renovations, however, were expected and welcome.

Searching for a property in Italy was a complex process, involving lots of paperwork and high fees, so the couple worked closely with a trusted real estate agent.

“She knew what we were looking for. Sometimes we would find houses online and send them to her, and she would connect with other agencies. It’s more complicated and expensive than in Iceland — but absolutely worth it,” Símonardóttir says.

Her next step? “Now I just need to learn Italian,” she laughs.

Hidden treasures in the garage

When asked about the furnishings included in the sale, Símonardóttir explains that it’s common in Italy for homes to be sold fully furnished because disposing of items is expensive.

“We paid a lot to get rid of things we couldn’t use, but we kept as much as possible. For example, we kept all the bedroom furniture. There are crocheted blankets and all kinds of quirky items I couldn’t throw away.”

Among the items was a painting that will go up on the wall, and in the garage, they discovered hidden treasures:

“There were old bicycles from the ’60s and ’70s, radios, cameras — so many antiques that we still need to sort through,” she says.

Preparing for Christmas in Italy

The couple paid a reasonable price for the house, far below Icelandic property values. They’ve already started preparing for renovations so they can stay there over Christmas.

“We renovated our last house in just 30 days. My husband is heading back on October 2, and we plan to be in the house by Christmas,” Símonardóttir says.

They’ve hired an Italian specialist to manage the permits and oversee the work. The main projects include replacing the plumbing and electrical system, while everything else will be cosmetic upgrades.

They’ve already cleared trees in the garden and plan to refurbish the exterior. Because the house is on a UNESCO World Heritage site, they must apply for permission before painting it in their chosen colors.

Looking ahead, they hope to convert the ground floor and garage into a separate apartment and potentially create an additional bedroom and bathroom in the loft.

For now, the couple sees the villa as a holiday home for the family, with the possibility of renting it out in the future.