Atina, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy

Il Mulino 'A' is a charming 45 sq.mt. upper floor, one bedroom pied-à-terre in a purpose-built small residence in Picinisco, a beautiful town located in the Apennines south-east of Rome. There are panoramic views of the nearby Apennine mountains.

The town house comprises a sitting room with a fully-fitted angle kitchen, a bedroom and a modern bathroom, all on the upper floor. Each apartment has its own 35 sq.mt. garden and a private store room on the ground floor and benefits from residents' & vistors' parking.

Il Mulino is convenient for the nearby historic hilltop towns of Atina, Alvito and San Donato VdC; the entire Comino valley stretches below, and the Abruzzo National Park is within a short drive.

The property enjoys excellent road access to major towns in the area such as Sora and Cassino, and then by superstrada and autostrada to Rome and Naples, and their respective international airports.

This is a lovely holiday home, ideal both for summer vacations (interesting medieval hilltop towns, hiking, riding, al fresco dinners in the private garden or local restaurants) and for winter holidays (downhill and cross-country skiing, tobogganing, snowshoeing in the National Park).

Energy classification: G

PICINISCO AND THE VAL DI COMINO (THE VALLEY OF THE COMINO)

An integral part of the Abruzzo-Lazio-Molise National Park, Picinisco dominates the entire Comino Valley from above. In winter, the snow allows lovers of downhill skiing and cross-country skiing to take advantage of equipped slopes and in summer, there are guided excursions to Monte Meta. In Capo d'Acqua, there is a great dam that forms the artificial lake of Grottacampanaro. And the Fonte Scopella has been well-known for centuries for the healing spa waters.

Historically it was a possession of the Abbey of Montecassino, then it was part of the Duchy of Alvito. In 1919 Picinisco hosted the English writer D.H. Lawrence. Now it forms part of a region of central Italy know as the Ciociaria.

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 Picinisco itself is quite temperate, a short 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, Picinisco 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 two hours 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.