3 bedrooms historic apartment, 116 m²

Alvito, Frosinone (province)

Casa Tiravento (ref: 371) is a splendid townhouse on the edge of Alvito, a charming historic town in the foothills of the Apennines, with sweeping views across the valley.

The old solid wood front door, set in a carved stone arch, leads into the entrance hall. To the left is a large 'cantina' (ground floor cellar), running the depth of the building. It was used at one point as a garage, but since it has its own stone arched door, which cannot be altered owing to the preservation order on the facades of buildings in the historic centre, it is only suitable for very small cars or bikes, despite the large size of the interior. One end of it is currently used as the laundry. At the far end of the entrance hall there is another door leading into a circular grotto carved into the rock, suitable as a wine cellar.

Stairs, which still retain their original wrought iron balustrades, lead up to the first floor. Here the walls between three smaller rooms have been opened into wide arches, to create a spacious open living area. The double room at the front has two Juliet balconies overlooking the valley, both with their original wrought iron, matching the design of the balustrade, as well as original painted ceilings. A breakfast bar separates this area from the large kitchen, which has a large log fireplace. Behind the kitchen there is a pantry area and a bathroom: these two rooms were a later addition to the house and now require some maintenance and upgrading. During this work, it should be possible to extend the size of the bathroom.

The stairs continue to the upper floor, where there are three bedrooms and a larger bathroom. All three bedrooms retain their original floor tiles, and two of them have French door style windows overlooking the valley, again with the original wrought iron railings.

The area at the back of the house, between it and the hillside, is glassed in, although not currently accessible. The owner of the building, an architect, has proposed a plan to improve the pantry and bathroom area on the first floor, extended the bathroom back into what is currently some extra unused storage space and raising the ceiling height. The new flat roof of these two rooms would then form the floor of a small conservatory style garden, made newly accessible by extending the current window in the third, back bedroom to create a full door. This would add an al fresco sitting area to the existing balconies, which is the only thing lacking in a house that already has a fine location, sweeping views, original painted ceilings, tiles and ironwork, a grotto, and two bathrooms. She is prepared not only to draw up the plans, but to obtain consents and have the work carried out by builders with whom she works frequently, on behalf of the new owner.

 ALVITO and the CIOCIARIA

Alvito 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 town itself is lively, with shops, restaurants and an extensive program of summer events, including open air cinema, theatre and concerts. It is also ideal for nature lovers, with a nearby lake and mountain national park, and extensive opportunities for hiking, riding, paragliding, outdoor yoga etc, as well as offering the opportunity to explore the many charming and historic hilltop towns of the area.

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 Alvito 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 favor 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 Alvito, 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, is one of the largest and most highly-regarded real estate agents in the area and has much experience in the international marketing of Italian real estate.