Converted church in Trevi, Umbria

| Thu, 06/11/2009 - 06:18
Words by Carla Passino

This unusual house brings together an austere medieval façade with grand, almost Baroque interiors—all at an extremely good price

The house feels like a cavalcade across centuries of art history. It stands in a quiet piazzetta just off the centre of Trevi, a thriving towns some 35 minutes away from Perugia airport.
At first approach, it is sober to the point of austerity—its elegantly clean façade reveals this once was a church, built in the 13th century and later deconsecrated.
But then the large wooden door opens, leading to a grandiose room which has a late Classical, almost Baroque feel. Originally, this was the church’s nave, and its full height has been preserved in the conversion.
Today, it is a two-storey-high sitting room with vaulted ceilings, painted in shades of cream and pale blue, and dominated by a mural copy of William Adolphe Bouguereau’s Classical-style take of the Abduction of Psyche, which stands proudly above a big stone fireplace. Just opposite the mural, two balconied floors open onto the sitting room. One of them is a study and TV room, while the other is the master bedroom, which has an ensuite bathroom.
The dining room stands just off the sitting room, as does a large California-style kitchen and, below it, a wine cellar with walls dating from Roman times. There also are two other bedrooms and a roof terrace overlooking Trevi’s roofs, some olive groves and the Umbrian hills beyond.
The asking price is €550,000, making this property “very good value,” according to selling agent Roger Coombes of Cluttons Italy. For more information, call +39 349 1327177 or visit www.cluttonsitaly.com.

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