Lazio, Frosinone, Arpino, Italy

The date-stone embedded in the decorative tiled wall fountain gives 1878 as the year of construction for La Regina, an elegant, immaculately restored country mansion sitting in substantial grounds of 2 hectares. The house is perfectly positioned, secluded without being isolated, with breath-taking views from its balconies and its gardens towards the nearby medieval hilltop town of Arpino. Throughout the home, the original features have been lovingly restored; antique hand-painted tiles, an original stove, magnificent stone arches in the ground floor cantina, vaulted ceilings and arched windows in the sitting room - the list is endless. Yet this combines with all modern conveniences. The kitchen is a cook's dream and the epitome of Italian country living. A little over a century after it was completed, the property was completely restored in 1991 by the leading master builder in the area, Claudio Cinelli, who remains available to carry out any further works the purchaser may desire.

The house covers 350 sq.mt. (3,770 sq.ft.) and is arranged on three levels with the living areas on the ground floor, bedrooms on the upper floor, and further living areas, amenities and bedroom(s) at the cantina level. There is underfloor heating throughout the upper two floors, and the property is connected to mains water and sewage.

The attractive entrance hall, complete with the original stone lintel over the entry door, leads to a sitting room, a dining room, powder room and kitchen. All rooms have beautiful vistas and combine the antique hand-painted ceramic tiles with local terracotta floor tiles, giving a charming effect. The dining room boasts three magnificent pieces of Chippendale furniture dating from 1910 which are available for sale by separate arrangement. The kitchen, beautifully tiled with modern Italian ceramic tiles depicting herbs and flowers, has a separate casual dining area and also has an external door giving direct access to the terraces and garden, perfect for summer entertaining.

From the entrance hall, a graceful wrought iron and wood staircase leads to the upper floor which has wood parquet flooring. A study area is a feature at the top of the staircase, and beyond it lay three bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of which is ensuite to the main bedroom and includes a large corner bath among its amenities. All bedrooms have balconies with original but beautifully restored ironwork, and all enjoy superb views.

Because of the slope of the land, much of the cantina is, in fact, at ground level and gives direct access through two separate doorways to the garden. Here the original stonework combines with terracotta tiles and antique wrought iron; here too is the restored fireplace. Presently configured with one very large open-plan room, two bedrooms, a shower and a laundry, this area could be used as a separate apartment with its own external access, as guest accommodation or as a TV, games and relaxation area for the whole family.

The terraced gardens are planted with lawns, numerous flowering plants and trees with decorative foliage. The property includes an olive grove of around 130 trees, thus allowing you to produce your own olive oil! There are terracotta-tiled terraces around the house creating many settings for al fresco dining, and there is ample space to install a swimming pool. A separate stone building with three rooms (a dependence) in the grounds has also been restored (with electricity and water connected) but is presently unused.

A private pathway leads from the garden under a colonnade of overhanging leaves to wind up the hill into Arpino. Access by car to the property is by a short curving driveway from a public road, and the sweep of the driveway affords easy parking beside the front door. The home is five minutes by car from the centre of Arpino.

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.