Texas Couple Buy $160,000 Fixer-Upper Apartment Within Italian Mansion Sight Unseen

Many people fantasize about buying a $1 home in Italy and turning it into their dream home.

Houston couple John Alan Ambrose, 61, and his wife, Vicky, 57, spent more than $1, but still got the house of their dreams in Biella, a city in Northern Italy’s Piedmont region. It just took them three years to make it livable.

They recently told CNN Travel that they bought their dream vacation home, located in a 1930s palazzo that used to belong to an Italian aristocratic family. They found it online for about $160,000 in 2022.

Despite its bargain price tag, it had 14-foot ceilings, solid wood doors, arched windows overlooking the Alps, and a wine cellar.

The Ambroses have now spent three years and about $175,000 transforming the space into a 3,000-square-foot luxury apartment with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two panoramic balconies.

How they discovered the city

Vicky, who is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, first visited Biella in 2022 to research a fashion business focused on Italian cashmere and wool that she was thinking about starting.

“On my first trip there, I really liked the vibe of the town,” she told CNN. “I felt safe and liked that it was a small city, rather than a village, while still being close to major airports, with beautiful surroundings at the gateway to the Alps and ski resorts in the Aosta Valley.”

When she got back to Texas, she told John all about the city, and even though he’d never been to the city, they decided to take the plunge and buy a house there.

For 17 years they had maintained a ski home in Canada, and once it was sold, they quickly found themselves longing for the mountains again.

“Vicky can spend over 100 days a year on the slopes, but will go stir-crazy after three weeks on a beach," said John.

Before long, they found a property in the mountain region of Biella online and decided to make an offer, sight unseen.

“The price of real estate was very attractive compared to the United States," said Vicky, noting that a comparable property to their $160,000 home in Italy would have cost them about $900,000 in Houston.

Luckily, they had a friend in the city who helped them navigate Italian laws and facilitate the purchase, which made things go much more smoothly.

Reality check

When the Ambroses finally visited their newly purchased property, they told CNN that a few things gave them pause—including some shattered wall tiles, a water heater hanging off the kitchen wall, and a bedroom closet full of ancient plumbing.

And they admitted the renovation proved to be challenging at times.

“First the language barrier, then the quotes that shifted like seasons, contractors that vanished, and appointments blurred into indefinite timelines,” said Vicky. “Some vendors and tradesmen were very reliable, like our plumber, while others held our money for nearly a year with multiple excuses and delays."

John told CNN that Italian tradesmen did not give detailed bids, either.

"We have also actively owned real estate and properties so have a general knowledge of what things should cost as labor rates in the U.S. should be higher than Italy, but many suppliers in Biella wanted to overcharge for their services," he said.

Consequently, they wound up taking on parts of the construction themselves. For example, Vicky and a friend spent two weeks tearing out the apartment’s old tile.

Regulations also created miles of red tape.

Because the apartment is in Biella’s historical center, updates like replacing windows required sign-off from both the condominium association and local government to ensure the building’s façade was unchanged.

Vicky had to make multiple trips a year to supervise and push for progress—and says projects that would have taken at most six to eight months in the United States dragged on there for almost three years.

In the end, however, their perseverance paid off.

They put in new air conditioning, remodeled the bathrooms and kitchens, replaced wiring and plumbing, installed floor tiles, sanded floors, and repainted walls.

They also transformed the closet full of pipes into a sleek guest bathroom and added a bar.

Dream house

Now that the renovation is complete, the Ambroses say the second-floor apartment is their dream vacation property.

They told CNN that they often host friends and their 26-year-old son, Cleary, who lives in Brooklyn, for ski trips and European adventures.

Their favorite café is within walking distance, and they frequently ride a free tram to the city’s Piazzo district.

“You feel as if you are in another town with quaint bistros and bars, yet it’s only a few blocks away,” said John.

Biella is just a short drive from the Italian Riviera, mountain trails, and vineyards. Vicky has even begun taking steps toward establishing a U.S. import wine business.

The Ambroses have had to get used to the fact that most shops in Biella close on Mondays and shut down for midday breaks.

"That is our problem as Americans. Unlike Italians, we find it hard to slow down or relax,” said John. “This might be a charm that will take some time to grow on us after many more trips to Italy for us to get used to."