Price: €298,000
Type: 2 bedroom house
Location: near Spoleto, Umbria, Italy
Details
1 reception
2 bathrooms
Eat-in Kitchen
2 bedrooms
Study
Mains gas central heating
12kws electricity
Mains water
Fully furnished
Terraced garden
Description
The house is in an old borgo set on the sentiere that connected Rome and Spoleto. Further into the hills are numerous villages and the Roman site of Carsulae with its ruined arenas, buildings and medieval church, all set on the original via Flaminia. The area is surrounded by woodland containing many walking trails leading to the remains of monasteries, wells and hermitages.
Spoleto is some 12 kilometres away (15 minutes by car) and is world-famous for its music Festival of the Two Worlds held in the summer. There are many restaurants and craft shops, although the town is less consciously 'touristy' than many of its neighbours. The cathedral contains a famous and beautiful fresco by Fra. Fillippo Lippi but the overwhelming sight from afar is of the Rocca and impressive aquaduct.
The village itself is believed to have been founded by three brothers under the Dukes of Spoleto. It is a fortified village of some 14 houses with a central tower which hosts a private observatory. The village is reached by a fully-metalled road. It is home to artists and musicians and families who have lived in the area for many years and has its own fully-restored frescoed chapel. It is believed that Lucrezia Borgia stopped here to wash her long blond hair before her grand entry into Spoleto to take up her Governorship of the town in 1499.
The detached house (approx 105sm) faces the piazetta with its main entrance up a flight of steps but with entry also at ground level through large wooden double doors. There are original beams and tiled or wooden floors throughout. Central heating is gas-powered with wood-covered radiators. There is a lot of mains electricity (12kwts), mains water and gas (metano).
The bottom doors open into a dressing room/studio with the original cow-byre used as a walkway. Glass doors set in a stone archway lead into the double bedroom with a doorway and flight of steps to the garden. Off the bedroom is an en-suite bathroom (bath, basin, bidet, loo and cupboard with washing machine and central-heating boiler) decorated with the local blue, white and yellow tiles of Deruta.
At the top of the exterior stairs, the eat-in kitchen was built in 2005 and has a dishwasher, SMEG-look fridge/freezer and plate cupboard. There is a log-effect gas-fire for chilly evenings so no need to carry the wood up the stairs! Through the double glass doors is the large sitting room with a panoramic view over the valley.
A flight of wooden stairs leads to the upper floor bedroom/sitting room with views over the piazza to one side and the countryside to the other. There is quite a large closet for storage and a separate bathroom with shower, loo, bidet and basin.
The garden can be entered around the side of the house via its own gate past the village bread oven, or from inside the house. There is paved terracing at the top level with outside tap, watering system, storage cupboards and a large shed. The garden is planted with David Austin old English roses and local shrubs and herbs. The garden falls away with three or four terraced levels and various sitting areas, all with views of the stunning countryside and the village at the other side of the valley. The garden is in sunlight from early in the morning for most of the day and in the evening one can move to a bench in the piazza for drinks.
We have owned this house for many years, together with an apartment near Perugia, which is also for sale. Our neighbours have all become good friends and, importantly, we know all the tradesmen and craftsmen that you may ever need. If you do not speak the language well (or at all) we have a housebook containing our accumulated knowledge of the area.
We are reluctantly leaving after more than fifteen years to buy a holiday property in Crete. Our daughter, husband and grandchildren live there and as we get older, we would like to spend more time with them. This is why the apartment and house are offered completely furnished – from beds to bottle-opener!
Do contact us for more details or to come and view.
Above: View of back of house
Above: View from terrace