Cassino, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy

Villa Sant.Elia is a large home of about 530 square meters with 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms with private parking, in a beautiful and quiet area of the municipality of Sant'Elia Fiume Rapido near the historic Abbey of Montecassino.

The villa is an exceptionally successful fusion between the warmth and hospitality of a traditional Italian country house and the modern design and efficiency of its furnishings, fittings and services. In addition, its advantageous position allows access both to the major urban centre of Cassino and to the main regional and provincial roads with only a few minutes drive.

The property is set within approximately 2,300 square metres of grounds, landscaped to highlight the varying colours of each season thanks to the different types of plants and trees that together have selected to create the orchard and gardens. Another feature of the grounds is a magnificent and traditional wood-burning double oven, ideal for al fresco dining and entertaining.

The home evolves on 3 levels: from the gated entrance a sweeping driveway leads directly to a large and newly created garage on the lowest level. From here there is direct access up to the principal level and also a charming rustic second kitchen with an open log fire flanked by window seats and a spacious dining/living area. On this lower level there is a boiler room with a latest generation boiler and also a wood storage area. Also housed on this level are the irrigation system that ensures a constant water supply to the beautiful garden, the methane gas supply and central heating controls.

The first floor can be reached internally from the lower floor or through the very graceful and floral entrance of a wonderful portico. The living area includes a huge, beautifully finished, fully-fitted kitchen in traditional wood, also including a matching family dining area. Here too is to be found the adjacent double living room, a very elegant space with a central nineteenth-century style marble fireplace and formal dining area. A gracious flight of stairs with carved wood bannisters leads to the upper floor.

The upper floor fully highlights the perfect positioning of the building on an east-west axis, allowing the bedrooms and the study to enjoy the light and sunshine throughout the day. To take maximum advantage of this aspect of the property, several balconies and a wonderful colonnaded terrace create a perfect fusion between the countryside and the home in a way that will entice you to enjoy your breakfast, lunch and dinner in the open air.

Five bedrooms and five impeccably fitted-out bathrooms allow the property to be used as a substantial family home with much space for gracious entertaining and guest accommodation.

Characteristics that make the house unique are the wood and iron craftsmanship. Features to note in particular are the doors and windows of Austrian design, the superb hand-crafted olive wood parquet and the loving attention to detail apparent in the design of the wrought-iron railings from the stairs to the balconies.

Energy certification: not available


Sant'Elia Fiume Rapido

Sant'Elia Fiume Rapido was founded around the year 995 by the Abbot Mansone of Montecassino and the name of S. Elia derived from the church of the same name which already existed in the plain crossed by the river. Visible remains of the walls and medieval towers of the old town, still well preserved, are clearly visible from long stretches of the surrounding hills and countryside .

Traces of a more remote past are the polygonal walls of the pre-Roman era, sections of a Roman aqueduct and the remains of columns and pediments of Roman buildings. The archaeological village of Valleluce is also interesting for its history, home to S. Nilo and S. Bartolomeo.
For over 800 years as a Montecassino fiefdom, S. Elia was also a centre of attention for royalty of Naples such as Federico II, Carlo I D'Angiò, Ferdinando D'Aragona, whose impact is still evident. From the 16th century it was an industrial centre for the manufacture of cloth and paper. Several seventeenth-century buildings in the historic centre are of importance as well as a number of urban and country churches of various periods and styles: Renaissance, Romanesque, Baroque.

Of particular naturalistic value is the area known as the White Mountains, one of the wildest places in Italy. Called the "Wilderness Area" it is a protected zone. By following the marked paths that lead to the Rapido river gorges in Vallerotonda, you can admire flora and fauna unique in Europe.



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.