Arpino, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy

Casa Elsa is set in a small cluster of old stone farmhouses within walking distance of Arpino, a medieval hilltop town and represents an excellent opportunity at a very reasonable price to purchase an attractive home with land, part of which is ready for immediate occupancy and part needs modernisation and redecoration.

Previously subdivided between a brother and sister, both halves of this property are now rejoined and are being sold together. The main part has been fully restored, the smaller part, while technically habitable, requires some modernisation and complete redecoration. Completed, this will be a charming home, very near to town but with a countryside feel, lovely views and extensive land.

The main level of the house has two large rooms (a living room and kitchen/dining room), and a bathroom. An area which has currently been enclosed by solid walls (the white painted part of photos 14 & 16) could be reopened to make a charming semi-open area with sliding glass doors leading to the garden. Stairs from the main sitting room lead up to an area with two bedrooms, one of which opens on to an attractive terrace with fine views, a modern bathroom, another smaller sitting area, and a separate entrance.

Beyond the currently enclosed white-painted area (photos 14 & 16) is the remaining part of the house awaiting modernisation and redecoration. Here, there is a cosy winter sitting room with an open fireplace from which you can reach a third bathroom and the stairs up to the third bedroom.

This layout allows either for a self contained guest area, or an area for family - perhaps adult children and grandchildren, or for the property to be run as a B&B.

There is a large outbuilding for storing farm equipment and extensive land which enjoys splendid views across the valley of the hilltop town and the mountains beyond. A rustic kitchen / BBQ could be created for summer al fresco dining. An 'aia' (a historic paved threshing circle) at the front of the house is shared with the other farmhouses.

Casa Elisa has excellent road access; off-street parking is available within the small cluster of farmhouses. 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 seems private but is not isolated. The nearby historic town centre of Arpino is within a few minutes walk 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.