Self-Catering in Romantic Farmhouse with Large Swimming Pool and Spectacular Views
Peaceful Location Close to the Historic City of Camerino
Sleeps 2/3 (1 Bedroom)
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Dating partly from the seventeenth century, this romantic farmhouse with its white-stuccoed, thick stone walls is set in five-acres of grounds with lawns, fruit-trees, flower-beds and a small fish-pond. There is also a welcoming 12m x 6m swimming-pool with amenities including sun loungers, a hot shower, fridge, a barbecue area and an inside toilet. From the house and grounds, there are splendid views across a gentle valley to distant mountains and the medieval, hill-town of Camerino, the site of what is claimed to be the second oldest university in Western Europe. The English owners have lived here since 1989 and have lovingly restored the whole building including the two self-catering apartments. The largest has been available for holiday rentals since 2004: the studio apartment was finished in May, 2008. A guest remarked that it was wonderful to be somewhere free from all sounds of the modern world. Yet the house is close to shops, restaurants, great walks and famed tourist centres.
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| Rental periods | Apartment | Studio/Apartment |
| 1 November 2007 - 30 May 2008 | 350 euros | 250 euros |
| 31 May - 27 June 2008 | £400 | £300 |
| 28 June - 29 August 2008 | £450 | £350 |
| 30 August - 26 September 2008 | £400 | £300 |
| 27 September 2008 - 29 May 2009 | £350 | £250 |
| 30 May - 26 June 2009 | £400 | £300 |
| 27 June - 28 August 2009 | £450 | £350 |
| 29 August - 25 September 2009 | £400 | £300 |
| 26 September 2009 - 28 May 2010 | £350 | £250 |
| 29 May - 25 June 2010 | £400 | £300 |
| 26 June - 28 August 2010 | £450 | £325 |
Notes on prices
Prices are for the property per week in UK pounds (sterling). * A 25% deposit is required to confirm a booking. Arrangements for paying the remainder will be made with the guests. All payments can be paid in euros or UK pounds.
* Payment covers electricity, gas, water, parking and the use of the swimming pool (from May to September). Towels and bed linen are changed weekly. An additional charge of €25.00 is made for final cleaning. From December to March, an additional charge of €50.00 a week i
Changeover day
The preferred changeover day is Saturday - essential for bookings in June, July and August. You can arrive at any time - although the apartment will not be available until 14.00! You must leave the apartment before 10.30 to enable it to be cleaned.
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The Studio Apartment (1 Bedroom, Sleeps 2)
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This is a recently-renovated, independent Studio Apartment for self-catering holiday rental. It contsists of an entrance lobby, a bathroom and a large room providing sleeping and dining areas. The Studio is only a few metres away from the entrance to the Cottage. This means that the Studio can be booked either independently or by friends or relatives of those staying in the apartment. Guests staying in the Studio have shared use of the garden and the swimming pool. They also have their own independent outside dining-areas and their own parking space. The Studio Apartment has an entrance lobby, a separate bathroom and a large room providing sleeping and dining areas with a well-equipped kitchenette. In the bedroom area, there are two antique and very comfortable single beds, each with its own lighting controls. Furnishings include antique painted wardrobe and chest of drawers. While lying in bed you can look through both windows at the splendid view or watch television. |
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Notes on accommodation
Children are welcome. Apart from the swimmiong pool, there are two shildren's swings in the garden and over 5 acres of our land to explore. In a small copse of oak trees there is also a 'secret' tree-house.
The Cottage: obviously, the spiral staircase makes it somewhat unsuitable for very young chilren. Oustide the main bedroom, there is a small lobby (with its own door to the Cottage's terrace). A single bed is located there so that the Cottage comfortably sleeps 3.
The Studio Apartment has only 2 single beds on one floor and so is ideal for a single parent and child or for teenagers who then have independent accommodation a few metres away from their parents.
For both the Cottage and the Studio Apartment, a cot can be provided.
Special rates are available for those booking both apartments at the same time.
Accessibility
Unfortunately, the accommodation is not suitable for wheelchair users.
The Cottage is on two floors and has a spiral staircase.
The Studio Apartment is entered by way of three steps. However, if these can be negotiated by people with mobility problems, the Studio may prove to be ideal.
An important proviso is that it is essentail to have a car in order to use this accommodation.
Outside
Guests in both the Cottage and Studio have their own outside shaded dining areas in a separate part of the garden. The rest of the large garden and the swimming-pool are shared. There is parking space for guests. The 12m x 6m swimming pool (which is shared with the owners) has a hydro-massage and a counter-current flow - so you can swim on the spot for hours! Also provided at the pool, in addition to the fridge, are plastic glasses because, obviously, it is unwise to use glass beakers around the pool. Other provisions include an inside toilet and small changing room, an outside hot-water shower, and excellent sun-beds.
Guests are invited to pick fruit from the trees that include (in season) figs, plums, cherries, apples and mulberries. There are also grapes (some above the Apartment's front door) and a small herb garden reserved for guests.
There are several easy walks from the house and, within a 20-minute drive, there are many excellent walks - easy to difficult.
Coast/Beach
The nearest beaches, on the Adriatic coast, are 46 km away. By car, the journey takes under an hour but, especially in August, it may take some more time to find a parking place!
Skiing
About a 45-minute drive away, you can ski in the spectacular scenery of the Sibillini Mountains. The nearest small village is Bolognola, or 'Little Bologna' so named by the four rich familes who, in medieval times, fled from Bologna. A few kilometres away, at a height of 1070 meters, is Punterra where there are seven ski lifts taking you up to 1845 meters and the pists that have a run of 5 kilometres. The place is unsophisticated but never overcrowded and with no queues for the ski lifts. It is also unusually cheap! The ski season is normally from mid-December to the end of March.
Special interest holidays
On request, we can organise for an ayurvedic massage and, at a nearby excellent restaurant, a private course on Italian cookery. We can also arange for our guests to attend courses on yoga (not in August) and art (not always available).
Travel
A car is essential. Nearest international airport: Falconara, Ancona at 48 kilometres. (Cheaper fares than those to Ancona are normally available from other nearby airports, including Rimini, Pescara, Perugia and Bologna/Forli.)
Nearest ferry port: Ancona at 52 kilometres. (Ferries to Croatia and Greece).
Nearest railway station: Castelraimondo/Camerino at 4 kilometres. (Train links to Fabriano and Civitanuova).
Nearest motorway junction: Camerino La Sfercia at 6 kilometres.
Distances
Camerino - 4 kilometres.
Travel times by car: Matelica, San Severino & Tolentino - 20 mins.
Macerata - 40 mins.
Assisi - 1 hour.
Ascoli Piceno & Perugia - 1.5 hours.
Urbino & Siena - 2 hours.
Florence, Bologna & Rome - 3 hours.
Further details
Despite recent publicity, the Marche is still one of the least visited tourist areas in Italy. Our farmhouse is situated in open countryside within sight of Camerino. This walled, medieval city has a population of less than 5,000. Yet it has its own Archbishop and is the home of a university that claims to be the second oldest in Europe. It is difficult, when sitting at a table outside the bar in the main piazza or when strolling along the narrow streets, not to feel you have wandered into an elaborate film-set. This is an ideal base for exploring this fascinating area. Within easy reach, you can be walking in the Sibylline National Park, having a picnic beside a large mountain lake, sunbathing on an Adriatic beach, visiting the cultural centres of Urbino and Assisi, or finding an unexpected art treasure in a village church. Of course, if you prefer, you can laze, drinking a glass of the excellent local wine, in the silence of our extensive garden or beside our swimming pool.
Within 3 kilometres of the apartment, there are two supermarkets selling a wide range of foods that includes local and regional specialities. Also close by, there are local specialist bakers, butchers, greengrocers and delicatessens. There is also a local market where it is possible to buy fresh fish. It is, therefore, very easy to buy locally almost any food required - apart from some essential Ingredients for Indian and Chinese food!
Close by, there are several pleasant restaurants and pizzerias, serving good and normally inexpensive meals. At some of them, it is possible to eat outside in summer. Within a twenty-minute drive, there are about a dozen slightly more expensive restaurants that present very good food and an excellent range of Italian wines.
All guests are provided with a list of local restaurants and we are very happy, if required, to provide advice and make any required bookings. At weekends in summer and on feast days, it is normally essential to book in advance.
Booking notes
A 25% deposit is required to confirm a booking. Arrangements for paying the remainder will be made with the guests.
Payment covers electricity, gas, water, parking, the use of the swimming pool (from mid-June to mid-September) and central-heating (November-April). Towels and bed linen are changed weekly. A charge of 25 euros is made for final cleaning.
Clients who book both our apartments at the same time will recieve a 15% discount on the listed price of both the Cottage & Studio Apartment.
Guest comments
'Michael and I wanted to thank you for your hospitality. We had a wonderful time at your house, and only wished we could've stayed longer. The place is beautiful and so peaceful. We think you did a great job with it! Also thanks to Anna for the delicious olives, which we polished off on one of our picnics during the rest of the trip. They were so nice to have.' Michael & Jennifer (New York), 2007
'My husband and I stayed in your beautiful apartment last summer and would love to spend another week in Camerino. Hope you have availibility at the end of August.' Lucy (UK), 2007
'We really did have a very pleasant and relaxing time – with the swimming pool and garden all to ourselves, we were spoilt. The area was much, much quieter on the roads in season than where I live in the mountains in France and I appreciated that.' Wink (France), 2007
House swap
House swap considered.
Owner profile
Sydney and Anna Higgins
About the owner
Sydney and Anna Higgins moved permanently to their Italian house in 1990 and have lived there very happily ever since. For much of the last 19 years, they both taught at the University of Camerino where Sydney has been the Professor of English in the Law Faculty. Both are writers and between them they have had published over 50 books, including travel guides, books for children and biographies. In 1993, they founded the Camerino Players, a theatre group that has presented many productions in both English and Italian. The company still flourishes, most recently producing plays for young children. From 1996 to 1999, Sydney organised a very successful annual European Medieval Drama Confrence and Festival. In 2000, he received the award of Camerino Citizen of the Year.
Year purchased: 1980's
Why the owner chose an apartment in this location
We had visited these beautiful and unspoilt rural area of Italy several times when we decided to look for a house we could use for holidays. Eventually, we found this house and because it and the surroundings were so exceptionally beautiful and tranquil we decided, after owning it for a few months, to move here permanently. It is a decision we have never regretted. Although the house is on its own at the end of a long road, we are only ten minutes drive from the centre of the beautiful walled medieval hill town of Camerino with its ancient university, cathedral and one of the mose beautiful theatres in Italy. A short distance away are spectacular mountain walks orand drives, other fascinating sities including Macerata, Tolentino and Urbino. And the sea is only a thirty-minutes drive away.
Unique benefits of the property
Normally there is peace and tranquilty - although it is a rural area and for odd days in the year there is the rumble of tractors or the whine of chain-saws.
In the large garden there are many fruit trees from which guests can pick fresh fruit that, according to the season, include plums, figs, apples, cherries, pears and mulberries.
The large swimming pool has spectacular views of Camerino and distant mountains.
The surrouding areas is - a rarety in Italy - a non-hunting area and so here it is possible to hear birds singing (including masses of nightingales in May) and, if you are lucky, catch sight of wild pigs, deer and porcupines. The grounds are totally fenced and so the wild anaimal do not enter the garden! We also have a large, friendly dog (called Benson), 3 cats and 3 chickens.
For booking and further information
Property Ref IT1212
Sydney and Anna Higgins
Tel: (Italy) + 39 0737 632 230
Owners Website: Click here
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Property Ref IT1212
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