Izvorovo is the small historic village in southern Bulgaria that I currently call home (for now). Tucked into the fertile Thracian lowlands and the gentle foothills of the Sredna Gora mountains, it’s a place where rural traditions still breathe easily. Chickens outnumber cars, gardens are serious business, and the local community hall keeps cultural traditions alive in that quietly proud Bulgarian way.
It’s peaceful. It’s authentic. It’s… delightfully rough around the edges.There are quite a few run-down houses scattered through the village — many snapped up sight unseen during the COVID years. At the time, if you owned property outside of Sofia, you were allowed to travel to it. Suddenly, having a crumbling cottage in the countryside wasn’t just charming — it was strategic!
To give you an idea of the property rollercoaster here, Linda bought her first small two-bedroom house in 2005 for the grand sum of €3,000. Yes, you read that correctly. €3,000. In 2022 she sold it for €23,000 (not a bad little glow-up), then promptly bought a ¾-acre block with two houses and a barn for €15,000.
She’s recently put that one on the market for €55,000 — renovation still very much required — and already has two interested parties. The Bulgarian countryside property game is alive and well!
Her place is perfectly liveable (and full of character), but like many homes here, it’s a work in progress. And by “work in progress,” I mean bring-your-tools-and-your-imagination progress. But that’s part of the charm. Izvorovo isn’t polished — it’s real. It’s earthy. It’s evolving.
And somehow, between the cracked plaster, vegetable gardens, and the occasional wandering goat, it feels exactly where I’m meant to be right now.
This and the following photos are of Linda’s house. Don’t you love the chandelier in the kitchen.
