Arpino, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy

Casa San Martino is a lovely modern 180 sq.mt. four bedroom/ two bathroom villa with wrap-around balconies showcasing the panoramic views, set in a tranquil rural area a few minutes from Arpino. It is positioned to take maximum advantage of the light; the house and its balconies are bathed in sunshine the entire day.

The house is located in the Via Panaccio which takes its name from the nearby ancient washing troughs where - centuries ago - the local women would do their washing and also refill the urns carried on their heads with water for the household.

Approached through a gated entrance, the villa is set in gardens of about 1,000 square metres planted with many fruit trees and flowering shrubs and an olive grove. If desired, there is the possibility to buy additional adjacent land.

The ground floor has a very large room, with a kitchen at one end, opening into a dining area and winter sitting area with a log fireplace. An archway leads through to a suite of rooms with a bedroom, bathroom, and a further smaller children's bedroom, study or dressing room. There is a covered portico area with easy access from the kitchen for summer al fresco dining.

The upper floor has an open seating area, with glass doors out onto balconies on both sides of the villa, one looking over the delightful front garden, the other over the back garden and olive grove with a panoramic view of the medieval hilltop town of Arpino and the mountains beyond. There is a breakfast/coffee/bar nook in one corner. On this upper level, there are a further two large bedrooms, a bathroom, and another small room, which could be a single bedroom, study, dressing room or, with a little further work, be turned into another bathroom.

The property is well-maintained and ready for immediate occupancy.

There is a further 17 square metre building at the rear of the property, which is currently used as a garage/storage, but which could in the future be turned into guest accommodation if desired.

Casa San Martino has excellent road access; parking is available within the gated and fully fenced grounds, both in the garage and on the well-designed paved turning circle. Central Rome and also Rome's Fiumicino airport are only a 90 minute drive, while Rome's Ciampino airport is less than an hour away.

The property is secluded and private but not isolated. The nearby historic hilltop town of Arpino is within a few minutes drive and has all the cafés, bars, restaurants, shops and services required for the full enjoyment of day-to-day Italian life.

Energy classification: G

ARPINO AND THE CIOCIARIA

Arpino is one of the major medieval hilltop towns in the area of Italy called the Ciociaria, the name given to the fertile land that lies south of Rome but north of Naples, situated inland in the hills in the heart of Italy.

The Ciociaria region is within easy reach of both Rome and Naples and their respective airports. A day's shopping in Rome is a common pastime, while an even shorter drive brings you to the charming beaches south of Rome. Alternatively, drive east, and the mountains of the Abruzzo National Park await with horse trekking in the magnificent beech forests, and sparkling mountain lakes and rivers where you can swim in the heat of the summer. And at the other extreme of temperature, although Arpino itself is temperate, less than an hour's drive brings you to the winter ski slopes.

Often overlooked, both by tourists and by those foreigners in search of an Italian home, in favour of the more publicized regions of Tuscany and Umbria, the Ciociaria remains largely an unspoilt gem with beautiful scenery and medieval hilltop towns. A home or second home in the Ciociaria, in the hilltop towns of Arpino, Veroli, Alatri or in the rolling countryside that surrounds them, will afford you a setting where over two thousand years of history combine with an idyllic rural Italian lifestyle, where you can still discover the 'real' Italy and take time out from the busy crowds of the larger tourist cities, while being less than ninety minutes journey from central Rome or either of Rome's two airports.


VIA ROMANA Srls and the CINELLI IMMOBILIARE AGENCY

Via Romana Srls is an Italian-incorporated company owned by a British/Australian Chartered Accountant and her photographer daughter, and offers a package of services to facilitate all aspects of the purchase and restoration of Italian property by overseas clients. The Via Romana team works in collaboration with various fully-licensed Italian real estate agencies including the Cinelli Immobiliare Agency. The Cinelli Immobiliare Agency aims at identifying unique buildings with outstanding locations in the beautiful Ciociaria region, including apartments, historic houses, villas, palazzos and farmhouses. Some of these properties are already renovated while others are to be restored. The Cinelli Immobiliare Agency also provides reliable and full service renovations focussed on the appropriate use of original materials, such as stone, wood and wrought iron, drawing on over 40 years' experience in the restoration sector of their partner company Cinelli Claudio Restorations and their technical office, headed by Ing. Valentina Cinelli.