Arpino, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy

Casa Napoleone is a large and beautiful 270 sq.mt. home with stunning views in a quiet countryside location that is however only a few minutes' drive from the towns of Arpino, Fontana Liri and Isola del Liri.

The property, set in 2,500 sq.mt. of gardens, olive groves and woodland, would be suitable as either a private home or a B&B/small hotel.

A private drive runs down through Casa Napoleone's own olive groves and sweeps round the house to a large open patio area perfect for al fresco dining in the warm Italian evenings.

Beyond the patio are garden and lawn areas, a sitting & relaxation area, a splendid entertaining area with pizza oven, and a fenced kennel area. To one side, there is a large 5 room stone house, currently used only for storage, although it could be made habitable again and used either for further guest accommodation or as the owner's/manager's separate home if the property were to be used as a small hotel. Beyond this, the property's woodland stretches down the hillside.

The ground floor of the main house benefits from two entrance halls. One, to the right, has doors into the very large double/treble garage and the kitchen, as well as leading to the stairs up to the rest of the house. The other entrance hall, to the left, opens into the kitchen and to a large ground floor bedroom and bathroom. The garage runs the depth of the house and across the back, behind the hall and kitchen, giving a large space both for cars and for the laundry, workrooms, etc.

The spacious ground floor kitchen features a magnificent log fireplace and a large walk-in pantry room.

On the upper floor, one entire side of the floor creates a single huge light room, with sitting and dining areas, another fireplace, a wrap-around balcony with panoramic views over the garden and valley, and, off to one side, another smaller kitchen area. Also on this level are four bedrooms (or as it is currently configured, three bedrooms and a study) and, at present, two bathrooms and a storeroom - this storeroom is however directly over the downstairs bathroom, and therefore could readily become a third bathroom, giving, if desired, three bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. There is a further small balcony between the bedrooms, looking out across the patio and garden.

The entrance gates to the property form the end of a cul-de-sac public road, thus creating excellent street access while ensuring complete tranquillity and privacy.

Three attractive but diverse towns, all with restaurants, cafés, shops and services are only minutes drive away:
Arpino is a renowned historic hilltop town - a pre-Roman settlement, an important Roman town, a walled medieval fortress and then the very rich centre of Italy's wool industry until the late 1800s;
Isola del Liri is literally the island on the Liri river, formed where two rivers meet, the medieval centre of town being accessed by only two bridges; twinned with New Orleans. the town hosts a number of festivals and has a sparkling night life with many little bars, cafés and restaurants;
Fontana Liri was a spa town and still has natural sulphur springs.

And Rome and Naples and their respective international airports are only a 90 minute drive.

Energy classification: G


THE CIOCIARIA

Arpino, Isola del Liri and Fontana Liri are three of the major medieval 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 and its fellow hilltop towns are 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 publicised 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 one of the hilltop towns 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.