This 14th century stone house, which stands sentinel over the beautiful countryside in the Appenine mountains, offers great value for money
A large stone house with a sloping tiled roofs, a soaring tower and pretty celadon shutters surveys the verdant curves of the Marche countryside. It has been standing there, beside a murmuring stream, just outside a small hamlet in the Appenine mountains, for 600 years. Built in the 14th century, it once was a post house on the old road linking Umbria to Le Marche—a place were travellers could stop and change their horses, and where courier pigeons roosted, ready to carry important messages to the Pope in Rome.
The interiors—with traditionally tiled floors, exposed beams, a stone fireplace, stone-walled cellars and what remains of an ancient fresco—reflect these centuries of history, but also lend themselves to a renovation that would bring in contemporary comforts.
“It is a fascinating house,” says Roger Coombes of selling agents Cluttons Italy. “The main structure is sound and the roof has been reinforced, insulated and waterproofed, but there is scope for further interior restoration and development.”
At the moment, the accommodation is laid across four levels, with wine vats and an ancient copper cauldron (once used to make vincotto) in the cellars, large rooms on the first floor (which include a living room and four bedrooms), a self-contained two-bedroom flat on the second floor, and a panoramic room in the tower, which affords lush views over the surrounding mountains.
Even better, the house is particularly good value, according to Coombes. “Having been on the market last year at €1,4 million, it was withdrawn for several months and has come back recently at €890,000,” he explains. “If a buyer invested a further €200,000 to €300,000 on new bathrooms, fitted kitchen, new heating system and general redecoration, they would not be over-capitalising the property, even in today’s depressed market.”
The house is just one hour’s drive from the international airports at Perugia and Ancona.
For further information or to arrange a viewing, contact Cluttons Italy on + 39 075 8450100, + 39 349 1327177 or visit www.cluttonsitaly.com.
