Sarnano, Macerata, Le Marche, Italy

It's always fun when we see something unusual or rare when we first visit a property. There's an interesting property in a tiny borgo between hill-towns San Ginesio and Sarnano. It has recently been restored with the upper floor ready to live in and the ground floor to finish. OK, that's not that unusual. Outside this house is the biggest, longest pergola we've ever seen...it's really impressive..."green roofed" with grapes and super-long, it's a real feature of the property, so much so that we've named this Marche property CASA PERGOLATA, the house with THAT pergola!!

Casa Pergolata is a simple, interesting house at a modest entry price. The house was recently restored using government incentives for structural improvements. The old house has had "its bones" completely renovated and upgraded. The result is a big structure of 285 sqm. over two floors with one floor ready to move into and the other very close to being so, but requiring some finish work. This opens up a range of options for a buyer, particularly one that would like to financially ease into their investment in Le Marche, as well as those of you who are considering running a B&B or a half-house rental, or, those of you who'd like to co-invest with friends or family with each of you having your own apartment. We'll talk more about all these things in just a moment. But, first, that pergolata!

Again, we've never seen anything like it. Its wooden skeleton stretches across the garden at Casa Pergolata. Its green roof is refreshing and natural. It's the sort of structure where you could setup dining tables, or, it could flank one side of the pool you'd consider installing at Casa Pergolata. We refer you to the site listing fotos and our YouTube video (see the link that follows) to really get a sense of this unique feature.

Turning back to the house for a moment...Casa Pergolata is located in a little borgo (a small village) between the hill-towns of San Ginesio and Sarnano. It's a great area of the central part of Le Marche. The house is big at 285 sqm. Its exterior is white rendered plaster. We mentioned that the house underwent a recent structural renovation. Government funds were used to complete this work. Two important points to note about this - 1- when government funds are involved there is a particular legal emphasis on certifications and documentation...2- approximately ?385,000 was spent on the works at Casa Pergolata...you'll note that the purchase price is ?299,000...that means at around ?299,000 you are getting nearly ?100,000 in "instant value" due to the money coming from the government grants. This allows you to buy Casa Pergolata for significantly less that it's actually worth when "worth" is defined by the sunk investment at the house. Some of the components of the works completed at Casa Pergolata include anti-seismic structural work - roof, floor divisions and plaster installed with steel netting...there are new windows and the plumbing and electrical systems have been modernized.

Heading inside at Casa Pergolata there are three main sections to consider. There is the upper floor (also reached by street level) that is fully restored and ready to live in once a kitchen is installed. Then, there is the lower floor that is restored and mostly finished. Here, some room divisions and finish work are required to make it fully habitable. Finally, also on the lower floor, is the historic component of the house - a VERY old, VERY characteristic cantina area where the old stone and brick wine-making vats are still present.

The fully habitable section of the house has at its center a big, open, spacious living room/lounge and dining space with high beamed ceilings. The finish is simple, clean and neat. Cotto floor tiles, pianella ceiling tiles and white plaster walls. There are minimally 3 bedrooms on this floor, 2 multi-use spaces for a variety of uses, 1 bathroom and the kitchen (to install). There is also a terrace with panoramic views of the Sibillini Mountains. You could, with very little time, effort and money enter this floor and starting living out your Marche experience.

The lower floor section of Casa Pergolata is impressive in that it's very spacious and lends itself to any number of uses. It also has lots of original character. Just off the back of this big space (remember that this is a 285 sqm house!) is the cantina we mentioned earlier...a touch of history inside your house.

The options for how to make use of Casa Pergolata are many. Live upstairs and let thins take their course. Create two apartments - one for you and one to rent, or to have your co-investing friend or family member use. Live in the downstairs apartment while doing an airBnB type of business, or, a nice little well-located traditional B&B. Or, turn the house into a more traditional layout using the bottom floor for kitchen, dining and lounge and the upper floor for 3-4 bedrooms, also with a big lounge. The point here is that there are lots of options and you have time to explore them all when you move into the upper floor, spending a very modes sum close to ?299,000 for all this newly renovated volume.

Moving back outside, taking a seat under the lush pergolata, you look over the garden area...a flat plot of 3000 sqm (unheard of in a small borgo)...fruit trees, olive trees and a terrific view of the Sibillini Mountains.

You're close to the hilltop towns San Ginesio and Sarnano...both of which have their charms, attractions and services. You're in the central part of Le Marche, under an hour to the beach, under an hour to Umbria and around 20 to the mountains. There are vineyards, local food producers, lots of local festivals and dozens of great places to eat...all close to Casa Pergolata. This proximity to so many things makes this house an ideal one for your personal enjoyment, but for rentals, too, as well as for year-round residency.

So, if you're dreaming of big plans in Le Marche, come sit under the PERGOLATA, enjoy the views and congratulate yourself for having gotten such great value for your money.