Villa Contessa

If you are looking for a beautiful home of substance, you really should see Villa Contessa a property, of about 350 square meters, which is set in an unspoilt, hilly landscape of great beauty near Camporotondo di Fiastrone in the Le Marche province of Macerata. This property, which is reached via a private road cutting through ancient woodland, consists of one hectare of land and two elegant rural buildings, one large and one small, in the shade of two majestic, ancient oaks. Within the property there is a large garden and a substantial sloping park, ample room for a swimming pool, or even a large pond, for which there is a source of natural water from underground.

These rural Italian buildings, originally built in 1765, used to be the dwelling of the local Francia family, peasant farmers who for over 200 years lived on these land and dwellings, which were part of the vast estate of the local, ancient, aristocratic Ragoni family. The history of the Ragonis goes back to the time of William the Conqueror.

The main house, all in sandstone, old bricks and oak beams, is substantial and very attractive, with about 280 square meters of living space. It faces south and enjoys stunning views on the hilly Fiastrone Valley and the Sibillini Mountains in the distance. The building is large and full of light, has a ground floor with plenty of space for reception rooms, kitchen/dining room, bathrooms and utility rooms, and a large portico for eating “al fresco” in front of the marvellous landscape. On the first floor, with very high, pitched ceilings, there is room for four large, sunny bedrooms and bathrooms en suite.

The old house, called Casa Francia since 1765, fell into neglect in recent times and was beyond repair. The current owners have therefore reconstructed it in the same shape and position as the old one, making use of its very stones and other building materials. The house rebuilt on the existing footprint is even more robust than the original because the reconstruction has followed anti-seismic rules and given the building mighty foundations, concrete structures and proper insulation. Despite all this the house retains the architectural features and flavour of the ancient sandstone building: arches, niches, oak beams, terracotta ceilings and window sills, etc.

The main house has all the features to become an elegant and prestigious country residence, due to the beauty of its location, the impressive approach, its considerable size, its architectural impressive features and general looks, the artistic, antique marble details, the presence of a good size ancillary building, the private parkland surrounding it and the un-spoilt, bucolic setting that, given the completely rural nature of this area, will remain intact for a long time to come.

The smaller house has been reconstructed to create a nice, self contained, independent apartment of about 70 square meters, with a large picture window overlooking the lovely landscape. This building would ideally be given to visiting friends, or to paying guests, or retained by the owners as a studio for working, thinking or storage, according to their requirements.

This area, in spite of its loveliness is well connected with the outside world. The charming little town of Camporotondo di Fiastrone is just a couple of miles downhill, while the lovely and ancient San Ginesio is four miles away, up a very attractive country road. Four miles down the Chienti Valley there’s a fast motorway (SS77) that connects the Adriatic Sea with the interior and Central Italian cities such as Perugia, Spoleto, Assisi, etc, all of which are little more than an hour away. But much nearer is a score of beautiful medieval towns, often on hilltops and with fortified walls. A part from the small town of Camporotondo di Fiastrone, other nice towns nearby include the walled Macerata, main town of the province, with theatres and a university, Sarnano and San Ginesio (both of which have been named amongst the most beautiful villages in Italy), Gualdo, Penna San Giovanni, Tolentino, Camerino, Caldarola and many more.

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