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Il Castagno - Marche
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Accommodates 9 persons — 5 Bedrooms — 3 Baths
Swimming Pool
NON-SMOKING
Il Castagno is an old farmhouse delightfully restored by its English owners to preserve the original features while simultaneously incorporating in an uninvasive way a whole host of modern conveniences. The location is close to Macerata, home of one of Italy’s most famous opera festivals, virtually inside the Monti Sibillini National Park. Il Castagno offers calendar-quality views of surrounding forests and farmland. Time stands still here, in a setting of total peace and quiet; and yet you’re walking distance from a typical Marche mountain hamlet featuring a family-run coffee bar/grocery store. Walnut and fig trees dot the villa’s grounds, and the 12 x 7 meter swimming pool is beautifully – and panoramically – situated among a stand of date palms just below the house.
Sarnano is the closest town of any significant size. It’s a lovely, unspoiled medieval village with open-air concerts and antique fairs in season, festivals throughout the year, and an open-air market every week. The village of San Ginesio, voted one of Italy’s most beautiful, is even closer. The beaches and first-rate seafood restaurants of the Adriatic coast are 45 minutes’ easy drive almost due east. The nearest airport is Ancona, serviced by Ryanair, Lufthansa, Alitalia, and others. For shopaholics, the Marche region is renowned not only for its artisanship, especially leather goods, but also for its dozens of outlet stores (including, for example, Armani) within easy reach of the villa. Be sure to read carefully our Sample Itinerary for the Marche, which is chockful of ideas for sightseeing and daytrips.
On to the Il Castagno itself: Adriana, the wonderful caretaker, will greet you and show you around. You enter directly into the barrel-vaulted living/dining room furnished warmly and comfortably with Italian leather sofas and armchairs and Oriental rugs. Both the lounge and dining areas comfortably seat 8-9 persons. There’s a working fireplace as well as TV/DVD/video equipment and CD/stereo. Floors are brick and terracotta in soft yellows and pinks, and other than the barrel-vaulted living/dining room, ceilings are exposed-beam throughout. The kitchen is fully equipped with dishwasher, washing machine, and microwave and conventional ovens.
There are four bedrooms with indivisible matrimonial beds, and one with a single bed. All bedrooms have an armoire, dressing table, bedside cabinets, and good lighting. The four upstairs bedrooms have the original farmhouse brick floors in soft pinks and yellows. These bedrooms share 2 full baths among them, one with a shower-bathtub combo, the other with shower only. The fifth bedroom is downstairs, with an adjacent shower room. So you can see that the house would be ideal for 3 couples and 3 children, or for two small families traveling together with children. Crib/cot and high chair are available as well. Two of the bedrooms have television sets with video recorders and a variety of pre-recorded video tapes are available. (None of the TVs in the house has reception, as the owners just aren’t TV folks; the screens are used strictly for DVD/video.) All bedrooms have electric fans and window screens for summertime comfort. The house is stocked with a small paperback book library which guests are welcome to peruse.
Il Castagno is very child-friendly, as is the area. Access is quite easy – no 5-mile dirt road! – and you’ll find plenty of parking. Immediately adjacent to the villa is a traditional “oven house” a sort of covered gazebo which makes a delightful venue for alfresco dining on a hot day. The owners kindly supply a welcome pack, included in the rental price, containing pasta, sauce, and a variety of nibbles. In addition, a fridge-filling service is available to provide dairy products and tea/coffee, etc., at a cost of 25 euros for the service plus the cost of the things you actually order. The pool is professionally cleaned twice a week.
The photos of Il Castagno absolutely do not do it justice. It’s a wonderful place in a truly spectacular, immensely convenient location.
Rates:
|
May 2-
June 20:
£1550/wk |
June 20 -
July 18:
£1950/wk |
July 18-
Aug 29:
£2200/wk |
Aug 29 -
onward:
£1550/wk |
| Extras: |
None |
| Arrival: |
Saturday generally, but inquire |
Minimum
stay: |
1 week |
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