Situated in Umbria's Upper Tiber Valley,
near Perugia and close to artistic hill towns such as Gubbio, Cortona, Todi, Assisi, Spoleto, Sansepolcro and within reasonable distance to Florence and Siena, Casa Rossetti is a property that consists of a main villa, two detached cottages, a detached studio, a detached apartment and a garage all enclosed in grounds at an altitude of 1675 feet a.s.l. in a beautiful, secluded valley. Casa Rossetti, originally a farm house and agricultural out buildings dating back to the 17th century, was
bought by its present owners in 1977 and meticulously restored to its present condition using the original stonework. The surrounding property consists of hills, woods and a beautiful panorama of the distant Apennine mountains, giving the impression of living in a past century.
The discreet positioning and independence of each fully equipped building and proximity to all of the popular hill towns of Umbria and Tuscany makes the property ideal for a bed and breakfast or for weekly
vacation rentals.
The Main Villa
The main villa is restored using the original stones with double glazed, chestnut windows equipped with screens and external and internal shutters also in chestnut. All wooden doors are chestnut as well. The flooring throughout is terracotta tile and the ceilings are beamed and also have antique tiles. All rooms in the house are centrally heated.
Ground floor:
the main entrance is reached by a small external staircase and leads down a windowed hallway to the open plan dining and living rooms that have a fireplace with a blower and access to the outdoor terrace through a french door. There is room for a dining table and chairs and a china cabinet as well as a comfortable sitting area that can accommodate a couch, chairs, television, coffee table, desk and cabinet. The adjoining ante room also has room for seating. The fully equipped terracotta tiled kitchen is through the ante room and just past the butler's pantry that holds built-in chestnut and glass paned cabinets for china, crystal and the like. The kitchen is equipped with a cook top, oven, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, sink and built-in cabinets and shelves.
Second floor: All the rooms upstairs have beamed ceilings and terracotta tile floors and are reached by a terracotta staircase with an artistic wrought iron banister. Once upstairs you find an open area suitable for a desk and chair, the guest room and guest bath. The guest room has two single beds and the tiled bath is equipped with a shower, sink, toilet, bidet, a chestnut cabinet and a stained glass door.
To enter the master bedroom you pass through glass-paned doors
that lead to an ante chamber with built-in closets with chestnut and moiré fabric doors, book shelves and attic storage. The ensuite bathroom has a stained glass door, sink, toilet, bidet, tub with shower, telephone and a chestnut closet.
The second bedroom
apartment is reached by a corridor with glass roof and sides. It consists of a large bedroom with antique terra cotta flooring, air conditioning, three large picture windows and a bathroom with a stall shower, toilet, bidet and sink finished in marble. This apartment is very private and has independent heating.
Also part of the main villa is a separate apartment with an independent
entrance that is presently used as a gymnasium. It is reached by descending an external staircase and consist of a small kitchen area, living room with a view of the pool, two bedrooms with built-in closets and bookcases, and a bathroom with a stall shower, sink, toilet, bidet and a chestnut cabinet. It also contains a sauna and adjoining changing room paneled with pine with shelves and benches and another stall shower. All the windows are chestnut and have screens. There is a table
outside for al fresco meals.
The adjacent laundry room is equipped with a washing machine, dryer, boiler for water and heating system and ample shelving.
The Studio
Below the pool is a self-contained, open plan studio with two sides entirely made of glass, offering an excellent view over the valley and also plenty of light. The building has beamed ceilings, a terracotta floor, a wood burning stove, gas heating and air conditioning. Attached to it is a covered
area ideal for wood storage and an additional work room with a separate entrance that has a sink, hot and cold water and another gas convection heater. The studio is enclosed in an attractive garden separate from the rest of the property.
The Upper Cottage
The upper cottage is restored with the original stones with beams and antique terracotta floors. Large panoramic, double glazed, windows in chestnut dominate the sitting room and the smaller windows are equipped
with screens. The front door opens into the kitchen/dining room which has cupboards, a cook top and sink. The room features an air-ventilated fireplace and leads down to the lower level sitting room which has beautiful views of the property. There is one bedroom with two built-in closets, bookshelves, and remote controlled ceiling fan. Nearby is the bathroom equipped with a glass-doored shower, sink, toilet, bidet and a floor to ceiling closet. The entire cottage is equipped with independent
central heating. Outside there is a wrought iron gazebo for al fresco dining, a fountain and ornamental plants and trees.
The Lower Cottage
The lower cottage is situated near the peaceful fish pond. The massive chestnut front door opens into the sitting/dining room with a galley kitchen that has a cook top, sink, refrigerator and a hand painted mural wall. The room is equipped with a wood burning stove and has a large picture window with beautiful views. The
bedroom has a ceiling fan, a panoramic window, an adjoining shower room and a separate bathroom with sink, toilet and a heated towels rack. It also has antique terracotta flooring. The entire cottage has independent central heating. There is an outside table for al fresco dining.
Outside the Main Villa
The terrace directly outside of the main villa faces the valley with a view of the mountains, the swimming pool and the lower gardens. It has an external
eating area, a wrought iron and glass gazebo that has double glazed windows and is equipped with electricity and TV socket, a mature walnut tree, and a mature fig tree. Close to the main villa is an attractive stone structure with a tiled roof that houses a barbecue (with chimney) and wood storage.
The swimming pool is 15 X 30 feet and is reinforced concrete lined with ceramic tiles and is illuminated at night with two underwater lights. It has a thermal summer cover with roller system and
a winter cover. Its maximum depth is 6 1/2 feet and the minimum is 3 1/2 feet. It is situated on the attractive lawn below the main villa with a stonework pavilion, tiled in terracotta, equipped with a cook top , water heater, double sink telephone and cupboards. Nearby is a permanent stone and iron barbecue and stone bar area. It is the ideal place for outdoor meals and pool parties.
There is a pump room reached by a stone stairway near the pool with a bathroom with toilet, sink and
shower (with separate water heater), a changing room equipped benches, shelves and closets and an area containing the pool operating system.
Description of the Grounds
The property is on land which slopes downwards on which many terraces have been created. The road leading to the property runs along the upper side of the land. The grounds are enclosed by fencing set in a base of stone and reinforced concrete making passage from the outside by animals impossible.
The fencing on the upper side of the property runs along the main road and is protected by a thick laurel hedge ensuring privacy. The remaining fence, sloping downwards, borders on two sides with fields and the fourth side, on the lowest part of the land, with a small copse.
There are four gates of access at strategic points around the fence as well as the main gate. The main entrance gate, at the uppermost part of the grounds, operates electronically and opens onto a tree-lined
avenue, winding down to the main villa which is barely visible from the road above. Great care has been taken to maintain privacy.
Meticulous attention has been given to the landscaping of the grounds, creating five lawns on different levels that are connected by gravel pathways and stone stairways. The pathways between the different areas are lined with bay leaf and boxwood hedges. You will find rock gardens, grape vines (table grapes), and a pergola; wooded areas with native trees
and ornamental trees and bushes (cedars, pine, cypress, etc.); fruit trees (apple, pear, fig, persimmon and plum), olive grove; a vegetable garden and an ornamental pond with fish, aquatic life and plants.
Casa Rossetti is a luxurious, self-contained estate where once you enter you'll find all that you might want or need.
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