Friday 20 February 2015

Italian properties with a difference

So you have always had a hankering for a property in Italy but farmhouses don’t really do it for you. You are immune to the charms of exposed wooden beams and you definitely prefer panna cotta to terra cotta. You may have already ‘done’ the farmhouse thing and fancy something different, or you may just be more Marie Antionette than milk-maid. If that is the case then please have a look at the following stunners that are bound to please those of us who have delusions of grandeur.

So, in no particular order at all;

Castello Gallenga Stuart is just outside of the Umbrian hill top city of Perugia. It is a delightful wedding cake of a house crammed with decorative features and sporting an octagonal tower, frescoes, decorative plasterwork and coffered ceilings. It has stables, out buildings, a tree lined drive, well over 6 hectares of fenced park land and marble gates!
Slightly more gothic and sober, Castello Neve is a semi-restored castle with low lying out buildings and hanging gardens. In a completely rural location, the Tuscan city of Cortona is a twenty minute drive away. All this place needs is a spectre or two and it would be perfect!
Close to Todi in Umbria, Torre Di Porchiano is also pretty spectacular and ideal for anyone who has a Rapunzel complex! It is perfectly habitable with a swimming pool to boot.
For purists, Villa Fontana is a classic Italian villa just outside of Cortona. With fountain, frescoes, formal gardens and a traditional façade, it really is fabulous. 
Immaculately maintained, Villa Prosperini has just been reduced in price. Though cleary elegant this lovely villa is surprisingly 'user friendly' and manages to feel like a home whilst still being a real show piece.
Villa Clara which has a view of Orvieto and is a mixture of all of the above really; a bit wedding cakey, totally and beautifully restored with a tower and lovely gardens. My personal favourite, but don't tell anyone!   
If any of the above pique your interest do call us, we are waiting for you!

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