Knight Frank has been present in Italy through its associate Chianti Estates since 1994. Looking back to those early days, Bill Thomson, previously head of Chianti Estates and now chairman of the Knight Frank Italian Network says at the time it felt like we had missed the boat of foreigners buying in Tuscany, when actually our timing was spot on, as the market was really starting to develop.
With the increased size of the network, now with 12 representational offices across Italy – of which 6 are in Tuscany and Umbria, it has recently become necessary to expand into a new head office in the middle of Florence. The opportunity of the perfect location presented itself when Knight Frank was instructed to sell 15 apartments in the Brunelleschi built 15th century Palazzo Bardi just along the river from the Uffizi Gallery and the Ponte Vecchio. The only commercial unit has been bought from the developer; Amplifin of Milan and Knight Frank have now successfully sold all the apartments on their behalf.
The Knight Frank Florence office will provide the central hub for the Italian Network and an International standard reference point for anyone embarking on real estate investment in Italy.
Rupert Fawcett, Head of the Italian desk in London comments, 'The opening of Knight Frank Florence represents an exciting expansion of our Italian network, allowing us unrivalled coverage of this important International market'