Lazio, Frosinone, Arpino, Italy

Casa Andrino

Set in the countryside area known as 'Sant' Andrino', only 10 minutes drive from the centre of Arpino and also the larger shopping centre of Isola Liri, this spacious semi-detached 150 sq. mt. country house is in perfect condition. The original small stone farmhouse was completely restored, renovated and added to in 1985 and has been incorporated into what is now effectively a new house.

A perfect home, requiring little maintenance, but with the overall sense of being set in the rural countryside - owing to its location and the adjoining fields belonging to other farms - while being only minutes from nearby restaurants and shops.

The home's driveway leads directly to the front door, which opens up into a spacious entry room. On this ground level there is an eat-in kitchen, guest bathroom, combined laundry/cellar and a spacious living room. The kitchen features new built-in wooden cabinetry and a wonderful economical wood or pellet burning fireplace that actually heats the entire house, via radiators located in every room, as well as the hot water. In summer time, or when this fireplace is not being used, a switch in the cellar/ laundry room enables the gas powered system to take over. From the kitchen it is possible to access the terrace, garden and fields directly from a separate entry door. The combined living and dining room is very spacious and bright owing to large windows at the front and rear of the room.

A wide marble staircase, featuring clever walk-in underneath storage, is filled with light thanks to an enormous set of windows above the first landing. These stairs rise gently to the upper floor and arrive at a large landing from which the home's bedrooms can be accessed.

The spacious master bedroom has wide french doors with adjustable shutters that open out onto a private balcony, allowing for some beautiful rural views as well as views over distant towns of the ciociaria and the grand mountain ranges in the distance.

The second double bedroom across the landing/ hallway is also at the front of the house and shares the same views as the master bedroom, and it also has wide french doors with shutters leading to its own private balcony.

To the rear of the landing is a smaller bedroom which is still large enough to fit in a double bed, as well as a lovely, spacious bathroom with a full sized bath and shower.

Outside there is a shed for wood storage and tools, 700 mtrs sq of very manageable land, planted with 30 olives trees - providing some 50 litres of olive oil annually, fruit trees including lemons and figs, as well as vegetable plots.

The wonderful advantage of this home is that, although sold with a very manageable amount of land, the fields from adjoining farms ensure the privacy and the sense of space that would only normally be found on much larger ptoperties. The field in front of the home leads down to a picturesque village-style church, 'Sant' Andrino', and Casa Sant'Andrino enjoys a ring side position during the church festivals and firework displays.

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 the CINELLI IMMOBILIARE 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 the Cinelli Immobiliare Agency. The Cinelli Immobiliare Agency aims at identifying unique buildings with outstanding locations in the beautiful Ciociaria region, including apartments, historic houses, villas, palazzos and farmhouses. Some of these properties are already renovated while others are to be restored. The Cinelli Immobiliare Agency also provides reliable and full service renovations focussed on the appropriate use of original materials, such as stone, wood and wrought iron, drawing on over 40 years' experience in the restoration sector of their partner company Cinelli Claudio Restorations and their technical office, headed by Ing. Valentina Cinelli.