2009 may well be the year in which some lesser-known locations where real estate bargains abound, get their fair share of attention.

Italy – “The Abruzzo region is the most overlooked and undervalued area in Central Italy with house and property prices between 30% and 70% cheaper than Tuscany and Umbria.” For areas that offer cheaper alternatives to Europe’s most established holiday home locations Abruzzo is just one of the ‘undiscovered’ regions.

Portugal – The Silver Coast between Lisbon and Porto offers some stunning scenery and excellent beaches backed by unspoiled countryside and villages, with prices at some 25% less than in the Algarve.

France –  Prices are some 15-20% lower than the national average in a number of departments in the south-west. The climate of Montpellier and Perpignan is arguably better, all-be-it without the glamour of Nice and Menton.

(From Alexander Garrett’s article ‘bargains abound in the undiscovered regions’)