Assisi Umbria Property for Sale

Asking price 2.5M Euro. Restored and ready for use with 1ha of own land, Olive and fruit trees. Assisi 6km away. Views over the valley and the famous Basilica of St. Francis.

General Description of the Property

16th Century. Farmhouse restructured v. elegantly. 2 levels. Views to Assisi and St. Francis Basilica. 200 Olives + Orchard with 50 fruit trees.

The villa is situated in Umbria by the city of Assisi, famous for its Renaissance art and its religious-monastic past. The mixture of geographical location, amenities and sites of cultural and recreational interest make Assisi one of the most highly desired locations for property investment, certainly in Umbria if not the whole of western Europe. This has an obvious significance for real estate value in the area.

The property offered for sale is situated in a dominating position 500m above sea level. The views are over a valley and plane which extends from Foligno to Perugia. The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is also clearly visible.

The property dates back to the 16^th century. It had been abandoned up until the present owners entirely restored and rebuilt where necessary. It includes:

Living quarters and buildings - approx 300sqm
Various open areas, including a terrace of 140 sqm
1 hectare of land (approx 2.5 acres) planted with some 200 Olive trees and 50 fruit trees of different sorts.
A well, 30m deep to a stream of pure underground water.
The property is surrounded by fencing and/or barbed wire.

The neighbouring land to the north side is lived in by a local family. They are not noisy or cause of disturbance and are also prepared to lend vigilance and cleaning support. Also to the north there is a further, abandoned, property.

The rest of the property is surrounded by a county road bordering with the Monte Subasio Natural Reserve.

Access to the property is by way of an unusually attractive wrought iron gate manufactured in Lombardy. The drive leading up to the house is some 50m long. It crosses the property's land and is thickly bordered with lavender and rosemary bushes.

The Garden

The garden areas around the house have been left generally untouched. DIY enthusiasts have the simple choice of doing nothing but keeping the grass low or looking through an endless variety of plants and trees in the local nurseries. At the refined end of the scale we have known buyers to employ the services of landscape architects generally present at the Chelsea Flower Show; such as Robert Myers Associates for example (we're not paid to mention them).

The Main House & Other Buildings

The buildings can be broadly divided into 3: the first and second buildings are living areas. The third has been used as the boiler room.

The structure has been substantially rebuilt using anti-seismic reinforced cement. An airing space under the floors prevents the infiltration of underground humidity. Part of the back of the house is built up against the mountain side from which it has been isolated by way of a surrounding chamber filled with appropriate materials and panels. Reinforced light shafts allow further light and air to penetrate into the lower floor of the building whilst not putting security at risk.

The walls are extremely robust as they are made of foratoni bricks on the inside and rock on the outside. As well as ensuring particular thermal comfort in both summer and winter, the external rock facing also adds great beauty to the buildings as a whole. The rock materials were recovered from the demolition of antique buildings in Assisi, giving the perimeter walls a significant added value above normal brick. The icing on the cake is provided by a beautiful coat of arms carved in white Carrara marble.

The building is provided with its own lightning conductor, burglar alarm and "piped music" to all rooms. The electrical and thermo-hydraulic networks are last generation and have been installed by a highly specialised firm from Rome. It is also possible to provide differentiated heating to different parts of the building.

The Main Building

There are two floors of which the upper floor is reserved for private quarters and sleeping. It is accessed by a flight of 18 steps made of masonry and chestnut wood. The hand rails are hand-made in Umbria. They are of wrought iron with anti-rust treatment.

A fresco of Assisi, a grandfather clock and an 18^th century stove lend an air of antiquity. A second fresco painted on the first floor landing depicts the house before it was restored.

The space under the stairs has been used to provide storage space for particularly valuable items should there be a period of particularly long absence from the house. The door is heavily reinforced.

The Ground Floor

The ground floor is some 180 sqm large and includes an entrance hall, pantry, kitchen, laundry room, ironing room, guests bathroom, master bathroom with anti chamber, hall, stairwell. Floors of salmon coloured waxed terracotta flooring. Wooden floorboards of chestnut in the dining room, gallery, library, first and second sitting rooms.

The entrance hall, the kitchen and two sitting rooms have ceilings made of antique brick and hand-worked chestnut beams.

The work area in the kitchen is embellished with hand-painted ceramics produced on the Amalfi coast. High quality wooden furniture of local style add to the beauty. The kitchen, library and sitting room have a fireplace. Each fireplace includes a hunting scene.

The second sitting room has a chestnut bookcase along an entire wall, whilst a coat of arms in rare pink Siena marble hangs on a second wall. The dining room is furnished in Umbrian style with chestnut accessories and a 3.4 metre table made to sit 10.

The ground floor is accessed from the outside through doors with stone frames. The frames were worked at Carrara from a particular variety of rock which in Italy can only be found and quarried near Bologna.

The wooden parts of doors and windows are of seasoned chestnut and made by specialised Umbrian joiners. There is double glazing and reinforced glass. Windows can be opened in the normal horizontal fashion or from the top.

All internal doors to the numerous rooms are in solid chestnut wood. They are hand-finished in late 15^th century Umbrian style in order to precisely match the building's age.

All the curtains on the ground floor are of fabrics made in the famous Prato textile mills.

The First Floor

The first floor can be accessed in two ways: either by way of the stairs up from the ground floor or through the doors onto the terrace. The terrace is built over the roof of the second building.

The entire first floor is covered in floor boards as used on the ground floor. It includes:

The ceilings are in antique style brickwork and hand-worked wooden beams of seasoned chestnut.

All the curtains, bed covers, linen and towels are of fabrics from Pistoia. Bed linen colour matches the walls.

Two rooms have large walled cupboards, the large room has a poster bed, drawers and two 19^th century cupboards. There is also a fireplace with dancing Putto in Roman style. All beds measure 220 x 167 cm.

The roof structure is in reinforced concrete and wood, covered in antique tiles. The ample eaves supported by wooden beams protect the walls and windows from weathering. There are 5 chimneys different from one another, each reproducing a different Umbran architectural style of the 15^th and 16^th centuries.

The Second Building

The second building is on a single floor and connected to the first by way of an internal door. Two large and heavy wooden doors of "mercantile" style provide access from the garden area/terrace. As with the main building the wooden doors are followed by glass doors.

The cookery corner has the same characteristics and style as the kitchen in the main building. There is also a fireplace with pine cone decoration.

The Land

The villa has 1 ha (approx. 21/2 acres) of its own land with some 200 Olive trees of different species which with appropriate maintenance can be expected to produce in the region of 250-1000 litres of Extra Virgin Olive Oil per annum (depending on the degree of care of course - 50 litres are generally sufficient for a family of 4 for a year). The oil produced in these regions is of very low acidity and excellent quality.

There are also some 50 fruit trees including pear, apple, quince, cherry, peach, fig, vines, persimmon, almonds, nut, prune, black mulberry and medlars. Given the lack of pollution it is also possible to pick wild herbs such as asparagus, fennel, mint, rosemary, lavander and jasmine.

The entire perimeter is fenced off and includes 9 great oaks. Thorny bushes along the perimeter provide an extra level of security and privacy.

A 30m deep well provides the water necessary for irrigation during the summer months: a low consumption electric pump brings the water into an underground cistern capable of containing some 20,000 litres. A second pump drives the water into the irrigation system.

The water is sufficiently pure to be suitable for drinking and so a second conduit brings a supply into the house for eventual consumption.

A further tank with a capacity of 2,000 litres is used to contain the rain water collected from the roof and terrace areas. This water is also used for irrigation.

Umbria - Property for sale at Assisi