Live the castle life in a splendidly renovated three-bedroom apartment in Bocchignano, Lazio
Thick stone walls shelter Bocchignano, a medieval hamlet set high above the olive groves and vineyards of Sabina, a stretch of lush countryside an hour’s drive from Rome. An 18th century archway grants access to the heart of the borgo, crisscrossed by narrow, flower-strewn streets lined with genteel palazzi and guarded by an ancient, majestic castle.
It is here that Casa Travella are selling a large, painstakingly renovated apartment full of historic charm. Built into the castle walls, it forms an integral part of the complex, which originally dates from before 939AD.
On that year, explain selling agents Casa Travella, the Duke Franco Ingebaldo gave part of the castle to the abbey of Farfa, handing the keys in a recorded ceremony to the Abbot Campone. The good abbot went on to make a false sale of the property, giving it as dowry to one of his seven daughters, and for a period, both the Abbey and the lady’s husband, Azzone, claimed ownership.
Azzone’s son had the clever idea of selling the estate on to another family, the powerful Crescenzi of Rome, thus solving his own problem. Since then, the castle changed hands many times— razed to the ground in 1235 by Cardinal Raniero Capocci (on orders from Pope Gregory IX), it was rebuilt in the early 14th century, and saw great glory throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.
Imbued with more than a millennium of Italian history, the apartment has been carefully restored to preserve this extraordinary feel. A beautiful wooden door opens into the forbidding stone façade to reveal exposed beams, traditional tiles and splendid fireplaces. There are two large living rooms, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a new kitchen, a dining room and a light-flooded conservatory with far-reaching country views.
“Many of the interiors are either original or renovated in keeping with the general style of the property,” says selling agent Linda Travella of Casa Travella. “There is a beautiful old wooden bath and the property also benefits from an eight-metre high fireplace.”
Unusually for a village apartment, this one also comes with a small private garden, as well as a balcony fringed with purple bellflowers.
The asking price is €350,000, and the property is big enough to be split into two independent units, if required. For more information, contact Casa Travella on +44 (0)1322 660988 or visit www.casatravella.com.
