A stone home with two bedrooms and a round tower in the medieval town of Castel del Monte, Abruzzo, is available for sale for a very reasonable €150,000.
Ancient stone houses with tiny wooden doors, pretty wrought-iron balconies and rustic brown shutters cluster around a tiny square. Cobblestone alleys climb up a steep hill to a belfry-topped summit. And all around them, the towering mountains of the Gran Sasso National Park ring the medieval town of Castel del Monte, in Abruzzo.
Once a Roman fortress, Castel del Monte became home to the Counts of Acquaviva in 1298. From that time, it changed hands many times, passing from the Piccolomini to the Medici and, later, the Borbone.
Its history is etched deeply in the town’s architecture. The Medici alone bequeathed it with the soaring tower of San Marco church, the tiny Chiesa di San Rocco and thick defensive walls and gates that protected it from bandits and enemies alike.
Buyers now have an opportunity to own a piece of this small rustic Abruzzo jewel, which is about 90 minutes away from Rome. Up for sale is a period property with an unusual architectural element—a round tower. A wooden arched door set in a cream-hued stone façade gives access to 80 square metre of living space in need of some renovation. There are two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a storage room. Much of the interiors have already been restored, but some 20% of the work remains to be done.
The asking price is a very reasonable €150,000 through Casa Travella (www.casatravella.co.uk, +44 01322 660988).
