Carunchio, Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy

The cottage was completely renovated at the end of 2013.
The renovation took place while maintaining the classic characteristics of Abruzzo architecture. Only natural materials, wood, stone and bricks have been used for the renovation. The walls are thick in solid stone. The chestnut wood roof is self-ventilated and with cork insulation. There are no gutters because an ancient water disposal technique called Romanelle was used (the water flows along the sides of the roof and then reaches the drainage channels which are all made of copper).


The cottage is spread over two floors and is beautifully exposed to the sun so that all the walls to the east, south and west get light, to the
north only the boiler room and the wall of the bathroom on the upper floor remain.


The upper floor has four rooms, three double bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living room.
In the living room there is a masonry fireplace made by hand by craftsmen and it is functional. At the top there is a beautiful ax-cut oak truss by master craftsmen, thought to be at the beginning of the 1900s.

The floors are all covered with oak parquet and in the living room there is an antique terracotta insert on the floor. There is underfloor heating to
avoid dust and radiators. There is a satellite internet system and SKY TV via internet.

Cooling blades are installed in each bedroom.

The entrance door to the living room is inserted in a stone portal probably from the 1700s.

The upper floor is connected to the lower one via an external staircase.



Downstairs there are four rooms with independent entrances:

a bedroom with bathroom with parquet floor

a bedroom with kitchenette (practically a mini-apartment) and bathroom.

kitchen and fireplace.

the boiler room.









The rooms are separated from each other as was traditionally done in Abruzzo.
The large room has a double bed and a bunk bed, a built-in kitchenette made by local master craftsmen, dishwasher and hob.

On the ceiling a fan.

There is underfloor heating as in the other bedroom. The floor is tiled.
The kitchen is in masonry made by local master craftsmen as is the fireplace (working), there is also an ancient oven where bread and pizza were cooked, and a brazier for heating food. These two are now only for decoration. There is also a dishwasher, oven and fridge.

The hobs are all induction and therefore there is no gas, a choice made to avoid fire hazards and gas leaks.



In the technological unit there are all the light controls, the controls for water irrigation with two systems, one drip and one fan, a high efficiency reverse flame pellet boiler which heats the house and produces hot water sanitary, a buffer for the accumulation of hot water.
The Casolare is supplied with water from the aqueduct and there is a storage tank of 5000 litres for any emergencies, there is also an
upstream well for irrigation, an underground collection tank of 20000 litres for rainwater, both camouflaged by flowerbeds. In the lower part of
the property there is also a source of water.


Outside: In front of the kitchen on the lawn there is a wooden patio and a closable canopy for eating outside.
In front of the cottage is a swimming pool of about 9 by 6 square meters with Roman steps and depth varying from about 2.50 metres to 1 metre, the pool can be illuminated by a radio-controlled spotlight.
The Casolare has around 9 hectares of land in continuity and not in scattered pieces and this is not easy to find in Abruzzo where in general the land has very fragmented properties.
The land consists of a fenced-in part with lawn and flowerbeds with brooms, oaks, rose gardens, and a hedge that runs along the entire fence. The remaining land is woodland (predominantly oak) and arable land.



A lighting system is spread over the entire fenced garden area with one part always on and one that can be turned on from the control panel.
The waste water from the house is purified by a phytodepuration plant which is located beyond the swimming pool in the part that descends
behind the rose garden. This system consists of a series of layers with decreasing granulometry and the laying of plants particularly suitable for phytoremediation.



In the southern part of the cottage there is a small botanical walk with essences typical of the place.


The property is located in a virgin green area with a wonderful view of the valley below, characteristics are silence, a few distant tractors, no car noise or anything similar and the typical smells of the Mediterranean scrub. It is a place designed for those who want to immerse themselves in the Mediterranean environment and in the silence and sensory emotions of the environment.



Nature is untouched by day you can see buzzards and hawks, by night bats, barn owls and owls, in May and June there is the spectacle of fireflies and then insects and butterflies of all kinds, typical of an uncontaminated area.