Casa Carlo

Price: From £1,250

Located near Grottammare, Marche, Italy

Large luxury villa set among ancient olives and vineyards, sleeping up to 10 guests, with swimming pool (11.5x4m)

This splendid villa is found on a 120 hectare organic farming estate boasting some of the lovliest countryside in Marche and wonderful views across the Sibillini Mountains and several national parks.

The property is surrounded by vineyards producing optimum wines using grapes such as merlot, montepulciano and cabernet sauvignon and is reached by a private country lane lined with a mix of cypresses, olives, mulberry trees and oaks.

The villa is immersed in some of the most peaceful Marche countryside and is close to three national parks, Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, Maiella and the Monti Sibillini, together providing a total of almost 3,000 sq km of incontaminated countryside and wildlife. Views from the property take in parts of all three of these parks and the mountains of Abruzzo, Marche-Umbria and Lazio.

The property is at the very centre of Italy in an area famed for its "buon vivere," history and culture.

Within 90 minutes drive, over and above the three parks, there are towns and cities of great cultural and historical importance and beauty - with historical figures and legends creating a magical sense of history, among them St Francis of Assisi, the mythical Sybil, Guerrin Meschino, master painter Raffael and poet Giacomo Leopardi of Recanati.

Fine cuisine, good wines and local festivals and sagras are central to this part of Marche and are celebrated all year round, providing the visitor with a varied choice of events to witness and enjoy - some Christian and some pagan in origin but all accompanied by culinary delights.

For music lovers summer events include Umbria Jazz and Pescara Jazz, among the most important jazz festivals in Europe

On the estate itself tranquility is paramount but as well as relaxing by the pool or on the shaded terrace it can also take the form of various acitivities, including trekking on horseback down to the Adriatic Coast.

A little further afield is the 18 hole golf course within an hour's drive.

Also available for touring trips are various classic motorbikes and an 86 year-old 35ft yawl yacht moored at nearby San Benedetto del Tronto and originally owned by the family of Francis Chichester in Glasgow.

Mountain bike excursions can be undertaken and there is some wonderful winter skiing, with the Abruzzo mountains providing some of the heaviest sustained snowfalls in Italy.

And of course the Adriatic Coast just fifteen minutes drive away provides an enormous choice of beaches - from the secretive sandy coves of the Conero Riviera south of Ancona to the large sandy umbrella-filled beaches popular with Italian holiday makers around San Benedetto and Grottammare.

ACCOMMODATION DETAILS

The bedrooms are a mixture of en suite doubles and twins but can be arranged to suit clients' needs. All are spacious and if required extra beds can be supplied for children.

- Five en suite bedrooms (doubles or twins as requested)
- Private swimming pool
- Phone and internet line
- Kitchen, including oven, hobs, fridge freezer, dishwasher
- Planted garden and lawns
- Horse riding nearby
- Cots and high chairs available
- Washing machine