Buying a vacation home in the Eurozone [closed]

I've lived in Italy a few times (student visa, then just a normal vacation visa for a few months) and I've traveled quite a bit. I also work in tech in the bay area, and buying a home here seems outside my price range, despite earning a fair amount. I've decided that I'll continue to live in my nice, cheap, rent-controlled apartment in Oakland for a while, and use my extra income to buy a home abroad (either as a vacation/rental home, or eventually to move).

What sort of laws apply to foreigners buying houses in the Eurozone? I'd specifically be looking in either Ireland or Italy (I looked in to getting Italian citizenship, and I'd be eligible were it not for Venice's special status in Italy).

I assume there would be property taxes, and that if I rented it out I'd need to go through proper channels and probably have to pay additional taxes. But, if I decided to move, would I be limited to staying only 3 months out of the year (the US->Euro travel visa limit)? Are there any other restrictions I should know about?