This $470,000 Italian Villa Could Be Yours for $35

Rachel Chang
·3 min read

When British couple Jon and Annmarie Nurse raffled off their own Tuscan villa last year, they realized they were onto something: With the entry fees, they were able to donate $69,000 to support children's charities. So, they're doing it again — this time offering up a $470,000 four-bedroom, four-bathroom villa in the Garfagnana region of the Tuscan countryside. The best part? It's already furnished and ready to go.

For £25 (about $35), you'll be entered in a drawing to win the home. The winner can do anything with the property, from turning it into a vacation home to renting it out to even moving in. The transfer taxes and legal fees will be covered, as will a pair of flights to Italy, ground transportation, and a two-night stay while the ownership transfer is signed. Entries must be received by Jan. 22, 2022. (Exact terms and conditions can be found here.)

The exterior of the villa and pool at the Northern Tuscan villa
The exterior of the villa and pool at the Northern Tuscan villa

Courtesy of Jon Nurse

The only catch is that they must receive at least 20,000 paid entries for the contest to take place. While they don't anticipate that being a problem, in the event that it does occur, the prize will be shifted to cash winnings.

The villa is in what's described as one of the country's most "undiscovered" areas, with the site saying it's "a peaceful location in the midst of the countryside with many pretty hilltop villages to visit as well as national parks, boasting rolling hills and mountains." The site notes that it's about an hour from Lucca by train or car and then another 20 minutes to the Pisa airport, or a two-hour drive from Florence. It's also a convenient home base to Forte dei Marmi and Cinque Terre on the coast or the Abetone ski area, all less than a couple of hours away.

view from a bedroom at the Northern Tuscan villa
view from a bedroom at the Northern Tuscan villa

Courtesy of Jon Nurse

The home itself has a garden and pool, as well as locally sourced chestnut wood windows and shutters and gas heating with radiators.

The living room at the Northern Tuscan villa
The living room at the Northern Tuscan villa

Courtesy of Jon Nurse

Balcony view at the Northern Tuscan villa
Balcony view at the Northern Tuscan villa

Courtesy of Jon Nurse

This is the third property the couple has raffled off, also having held a contest for an Italian beach home earlier this year.

The front house at the Northern Tuscan villa
The front house at the Northern Tuscan villa

Courtesy of Jon Nurse

The Nurses met while working in a Telco market in the U.K., but were immediately bonded by their shared love of travel, which inspired them to buy their first home in Tuscany. But now, they're just as committed to using Win Houses in Italy to help children's charities, with this contest's donations going to both The Children's Society, which advocates for youth suffering from abuse, exploitation, and neglect, as well as Braccio di Ferro, an Italian children's hospice service. They've donated more than $100,000 to the charities in the last year.

"Young People are losing hope for the future," Pippa Lock of The Children's Society in the U.K. said in a statement. "That's why Win Houses in Italy is proud to #JoinTheFightBack for hope and support The Children's Society through the competition. Enter today and join the fight back and help young people rediscover hope as we emerge from this pandemic."