Lazio, Frosinone, Arpino, Italy

Civitavecchia, the highest point in Arpino, dates back to pre-Roman times and is a listed archeological site. The megalithic walls around it and its pointed entry gate were all originally built by the Volscians some seven to eight centuries BC. Continuously occupied ever since then - some twenty-eight centuries - Civitavecchia is now guarded by a medieval tower, which watches over its quiet cobbled streets and old stone churches. A private church still owned by the Pesce family, who commissioned its construction several hundred years ago, stands by the entrance through the stone town walls. Right in the centre of Civitavecchia is a lovely old stone building dating from the 1700s, originally owned by one family, and now divided into a few apartments, one of which, Apartment Ilze, is now for sale.

This 180 sq. mt. apartment itself is unrestored, although the rest of the building is in good condition and has largely been restored and is occupied.

Entering the apartment from the communal stone stairwell, you come into a hall with an old wood ceiling. In front of you are the three large rooms running along the front of the building. All three have fine antique decorated wooden ceilings, one rose, one green, one deep yellow. The rose and yellow rooms, each with two windows, flank the large green drawing room, which has three large windows looking out over Civitavecchia.

The room with the deep yellow ceiling currently has an ensuite bathroom, although the plumbing will require modernisation.

To the left of the entrance hall are three further rooms, with unpainted antique wood ceilings and with windows into a pretty side alley. The last of these rooms has a stone fireplace.

Easily made into a truly splendid one bedroom apartment, utilising the current bathroom and keeping the kitchen in the room with the fireplace, it would also be possible to make a fine two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in one of several different configurations, depending where you want to position the kitchen.

The property would make an excellent summer holiday home since it is part of the small community of Civitavecchia, which is occupied year round, and hence would have no security problems if left unoccupied in the winter. There is excellent road access and nearby free car parking.

A short drive leads down to the main piazza of Arpino; while still in the historic centre, there are none-the-less restaurants, bars, shops and services. Another restaurant, open on summer evenings, is within walking distance of the home. Rome and Rome's airports are only 90 minutes away.


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

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.