Modern Cottage In A Quiet Medieval Village Of Gagliano Aterno, Abruzzo, Italy

Property Description

Pretty south-east facing two -floor modern cottage in the lovely, quiet medieval village of Gagliano Aterno, situated in the unspoilt, not yet "discovered" Subequana Valley in the Abruzzi Region.

The property includes a fenced garden planted with fruit trees, a small shady patio, and an exterior parking space. On the first floor the house is composed of an entrance terrace overlooking the wooded valley and suitable for sun bathing, a large living/dining room with fireplace, a kitchen, two bedrooms (one with balcony) and a bathroom. The ground floor, accessed by a door leading to the garden and an internal staircase, consists of a living/sleeping area with fireplace, a bathroom, and a garage with access from the interior.

The cottage is in excellent repair, and is ready furnished, with autonomous heating, aluminium door and window fittings, wood doors inside, and a new gas-powered boiler.

The property is suitable for both holidays and year-round living. The area is very quiet and countrified, and is perfect for both for lovers of medieval art and architecture, and devotees of "slow living", relaxation, and wonderful country and mountain walks. The historic centre of the village presents important artistic monuments, like the Piccolomini -Sciarra Castle, that has been lived in right up to the present day, and which is said to date back to the 1100s in its first form, with medieval defensive moat, curtain walls and drawbridge. There is a medieval fountain gifted to the town by the Countess Isabella Aquaviva in the 1330s so that the people might have water, the medieval churches of S. Martino and s. Rocco, and the 16th century Convernt of S. Chiara, whose origins are said to go back to the end of the first millenium.

Gagliano Aterno is beautifully set just under the gorgeously craggy Sirente Range. Wildlife in the area includes badgers, foxes, deer, wolves, bears and wild boar. Birds include the usual songbirds, jays and magpies, owls, buzzards, kestrels and the more rarely seen golden eagles. There is a scenic road through beech woods to the Rocche uplands (market in Rocca di Mezzo on Wednesdays), where there is skiing in winter and shopping and icecream year -round. The nearest supermarket and chemist's are in Castelvecchio, about 5 kms away, although there is a bakery stocking essentials and excellent traditional sweets in Gagliano itself. Good reception for cell phones.

The village is about 30kms from the delightful medieval town of Sulmona, birthplace of the poet Ovid, with its medieval acqueduct, piazza, and churches, (market days Thursdays and Saturdays), about 50kms from the city of l'Aquila, with the beautiful Basilica di Collemaggio and the Church of S. Bernardino, and it is not far from the highway to both Rome and the
seaside city of Pescara.