Lazio, Frosinone, Arpino, Italy

Casa degli Affreschi, the House of the Frescoes, comprises the entire third floor of a prestigious palazzo in the heart of the historic centre of Arpino, a medieval hilltop town continuously inhabited since pre-Roman times.

This magnificently frescoed third floor apartment boasts ornate and intricate ceiling frescoes dating from the 1800s. There is a plaque on the ceiling of the main salon attesting to the name of the painter, Vincenzo Salvato Paliotti (1831-1894), and the date of this work - 1866. Beautiful period furnishings and fittings, including antique floor tiles and wall-coverings, complete the luxurious elegance of this property.

This real estate jewel with its enchanting frescoes and prestigious furniture, is located on the Via Aquila Romana (the street of the Roman Eagles), the ancient road which 2,000 years ago led from the town of Arpino down to the valley and hence to Rome. Some sections of the ancient road have been preserved and are still visible.

The property for sale, totalling approximately 250 square meters, is composed of halls, living rooms, lounges and bedrooms, all adorned with frescoes. The layout of the apartment includes an entrance hall, main hall, lounge, study, kitchen, two bathrooms, closet, two double bedrooms, and two smaller bedrooms, either of which could alternatively be configured as a study, a TV room, etc. There are 6 small balconies all overlooking the important Via Aquila Romana, other windows are on the charming narrow medieval alleys.

Casa degli Affreschi retains its original wooden glass window frames with external shutters partly in aluminum and partly in wood, all utilities are available, and the autonomous heating systems are by hot water radiators heated by a boiler on city gas. Some modernisation is required.

The property enjoys panoramic views and has excellent street access. There is nearby free public parking.

The palazzo is a few steps from the central piazza of Arpino, which is ringed with other magnificent buildings, and full of cafés, shops, restaurants and services. The centre of Rome and also both of Rome's international airports are less than a 90 minute drive.

Energy classification: G

ARPINO AND THE CIOCIARIA

Arpino is one of the major medieval hilltop towns in the area of Italy called the Ciociaria, the name given to the fertile land that lies south of Rome but north of Naples, situated inland in the hills in the heart of Italy.

The Ciociaria region is within easy reach of both Rome and Naples and their respective airports. A day's shopping in Rome is a common pastime, while an even shorter drive brings you to the charming beaches south of Rome. Alternatively, drive east, and the mountains of the Abruzzo National Park await with horse trekking in the magnificent beech forests, and sparkling mountain lakes and rivers where you can swim in the heat of the summer. And at the other extreme of temperature, although Arpino itself is temperate, less than an hour's drive brings you to the winter ski slopes.

Often overlooked, both by tourists and by those foreigners in search of an Italian home, in favour of the more publicized regions of Tuscany and Umbria, the Ciociaria remains largely an unspoilt gem with beautiful scenery and medieval hilltop towns. A home or second home in the Ciociaria, in the hilltop towns of Arpino, Veroli, Alatri or in the rolling countryside that surrounds them, will afford you a setting where over two thousand years of history combine with an idyllic rural Italian lifestyle, where you can still discover the 'real' Italy and take time out from the busy crowds of the larger tourist cities, while being less than ninety minutes journey from central Rome or either of Rome's two airports.


VIA ROMANA Srls and CASE & CASALI REAL ESTATE 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 Case & Casali Real Estate Agency represented by Sig. Ciro Tomei. Sig. Tomei has been enrolled in the register of real estate agents at the Chamber of Commerce in Frosinone, Lazio since 2007, his agency is one of the largest and most highly-regarded real estate agents in the area and he has much experience in the international marketing of Italian real estate.