Property summary
I bought the cottage - under 10 minutes drive from Castiglione del Lago - in the summer of 2007, and it's been my favourite place on earth ever since. Castiglione del Lago is on Lake Trasimeno - the 4th largest lake in Italy. The Trasimeno area is in Umbria, but borders southern Tuscany, and days out involve both regions - sometimes you don't know if you're in Umbria or Tuscany. I had long holidays and spent every one of them there.
When I was house-hunting I had a very specific list of needs... I wanted a home where I could arrive at any time of day/night, after a long drive or a flight, and feel safe. I didn't want to spend my holidays gardening - or pay for someone to look after a garden while I was in the Uk. I didn't want a renovation project - I wanted a house with no work to do so I could just enjoy my time in Italy, and I wanted to be able to spent winter, as well as summer there...and be warm and cosy at Christmas. I can honestly say that this cottage 100% fits the bill and I still adore it - it has been my joy and my sanctuary for 14 years and the only reason I'm selling it is because - having fallen in love with the area in 2007 - I've finally moved here permanently. My new home is just 10 minutes away - I run a business from home so needed to buy a larger house .
The details:
The house is very well renovated, including excellent insulation, lovely terracotta floors throughout, gas central heating, double glazing, modern shutters, mosquito roller blinds at each window and one of the two doors. This means its perfect all year round - I've stayed there in winter, summer, spring and autumn, and it's always a comfortable place to be. It faces south at the front and north at the back. There is no garden because I specifically wanted a house without a garden, because I knew I'd want to be out and about visiting the towns and villages in the area, and didn't want to have to pay someone to look after a garden when I wasn't there. I've spent many an evening sitting outside - alone or with friends or with my husband - watching the comings and goings of this wonderful, friendly Italian hamlet. There is space to sit at the front, and a similar space to sit at the back, and for me that has been more than sufficient. There is plenty of parking in front of the house.
Ground floor:
You walk into the kitchen which is large-ish, with room for a table and 4 chairs. It's a traditional Umbrian kitchen with brick supports and handmade cupboards and the worktops are granite. There's also an under stairs storage room. A wide archway leads through to the sitting room and door leading out to the back. The sitting room remains cool in summer so is refreshing on a hot afternoon, but it warms up very quickly in winter, too. The ground floor has wonderful old beams which are in excellent condition. The gas boiler is in the kitchen, the thermostat in the sitting room, and there are two large, efficient modern radiators, one in each room. Within 15 minutes of arriving, even in winter, you can feel the house warm up - no lighting of fires, lugging logs, ordering of Gpl - it's on mains/town gas. Oh, and it's also mains water - no septic tank to worry about!
First floor:
The terracotta staircase is a little wider than usual, and has a simple wrought iron handrail. It leads up to a little landing, off which is the main bedroom, second bedroom (both with high ceilings), and shower-room. The main bedroom is at the front and has its own cloakroom, with basin and wc - I had intended to add a shower cubicle to this room, but in the end it was never important, so I haven't done that. It's a large room and I'm sure it could be done if you wanted two showers. The second bedroom is at the back, and has a built-in wardrobe. When I viewed the house it was furnished with two single beds, but I chose to furnish it with a small double instead. The modern shower-room is clean and fresh with shower, basin, wc and bidet.
Condition:
For 13 years I've not had to do a single job on the house except have the boiler serviced annually. I realise that might sound off-putting - but it doesn't mean it's neglected, just that there has been nothing to do. It was carefully renovated about a year before I bought it (so 2006), keeping the original features but with modern solutions, and that's what makes it work so well. We've lived there for short and long holidays, and stayed there from August until December in 2020, while we were buying our new home. So, I can honestly say that it works just as well as a main home as it does a holiday home.
Location:
The cottage is in a little hamlet of similar style houses. Most of these are lived in full-time, a few are holiday homes, and I've always felt the house is safe when I've been away. It is a friendly place, but at the same time I've enjoyed privacy, peace, and solitude. It's not a hamlet where cars pass through, which is also a bonus. Less than 10 minutes away the local town has everything you might need, including a train station, a cinema, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, shops etc...and of course Lake Trasimeno. You can catch a boat over to one of the islands, for lunch or a day's walking or just sit and have a morning coffee/ watch the sun go down with a spritz or glass go wine.
The area:
Within 30 minutes there are so many places to visit - Cortona, Montepulciano, Passignano, Chiusi, Panicale, Cetona - to name a few - and a little further afield you have Pienza, Bagno Vignoni, Montalcino...really, there are far too many wonderful places to list. The house is around 50 minutes from Assisi, Siena, Perugia and Orvieto - world famous, beautiful towns on your doorstep. You can catch the train - or drive - to Florence (1.5 hours) or Rome (2 hours) - I once caught the train to Venice for the weekend! Suffice to say that I've lived in various parts of the Uk (inc. Yorkshire and the Cotswolds) plus in the Charente, France for 5 years, and the Trasimeno area is where I have finally chosen to settle.
Motorway - The house is about 10 minutes drive from the dual carriageway that goes to Perugia in one direction and Siena in the other. Less than 10 minutes drive along this dual carriageway and you'll reach the junction with A1 motorway (plus the Valdichiana Designer Outlet village).
Airports - Perugia airport is about 45 minutes away, but I used to fly to either Pisa, or one of Rome's two airports.
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Price 90,000 €
Price / sq metre: €/m² 1,000.00
other currency
Reference:
101209