Monastery with church, golf course and private pool. A Monastery situated in the beautiful open countryside of Le Marche, between the Adriatic sea and the Sibillini mountains.
Surrounded by 360°panoramic views, the property nestles into the hillside where it has been a focal point for the surrounding landscape for hundreds of years.With its 2 apartments, annex, private chapel, 5-hole golf course, pond and swimming pool, it is the perfect property for a retreat in style or as a high-level wedding venue. Formerly a small monastery with its own exquisite chapel, the villa was bought by the current owners in 2000 as a ruin, and it has been lovingly restored over a number of years. Great emphasis was placed on retaining the original features of beams, antique terracotta floor tiles, open fires and stone walls, whilst adding the modern day comforts that we have all come to expect, such as en suite bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens, wireless internet connection and satellite television. The Monastery was renovated with a view to offering a permanent home to the current owners, but also to optionally provide a unique holiday and event venue. For this reason, the main house was equipped with three separate kitchens to maximize the flexibility. One of these kitchens has now been converted into a library, but the wiring and plumbing for a kitchen still exists should new owners want to revert to this layout. A 4th kitchen is placed in the dependance. All sections of the house are interconnecting on the ground floor, which offers all the facilities of a wonderful family home. It would be a simple task, however, to divide the sections of the house into three completely self-contained houses.
The ground floor of the property consists of an entrance hall, two large living rooms with open fireplace, two kitchens, one utility room, one large bathroom, a small library, and a dining room with open fireplace. The upstairs layout is consisted with double bedrooms, both with suite facilities and private bathrooms. The central section has three double bedrooms all with suite facilities and private bathrooms. There is also a separate apartment (annex) with its own well equipped kitchen, a bathroom, a storage room for laundry and linen and an outside pizza oven. The apartment has its own terrace, and offers excellent accommodation for a housekeeper or nanny. In the front of the property there is the lovely small Chiesa (chapel), accessed from the formal gardens. The Chiesa can be used for weddings or as a small gymnasium. At present, the chapel is entered externally, but it would be possible to put an inter connecting doorway either in the library or in one of the kitchens.
The garden of the Monastery sits in 2 hectares of land, which has been landscaped to provide beautiful areas for relaxation and enjoyment. The grounds have matured well over the years, and now include a 5 hole golf course served by an automatic irrigation system and a 15 meter irregular shaped swimming pool, surrounded by sub-tropical planting. It is position within the grounds provides a sheltered spot in full sun until the early evening. At the front of the house there is a formal garden with fountain, and a small lake provides the perfect hazard for the golf course. The 80 meter drive is lined with olive and cypress trees, and there are several additional olive trees in the grounds, together with a small orchard of apricots, plums, cherries, apples and pears. At the rear of the property there is a very large paved terrace, which can be used for weddings and it is also ideal for al fresco dining, and situated just above the pool is another large terrace shaded by albizia trees.
The Location is wonderful. Adriatic beaches of Sirolo, Numana and Portonovo are just an hour from the villa, and the Sibillini mountains are approximately the same distance. From the property, it is possible to see both the sea and the mountains during clear days. There are a number of ski resorts open during the winter months in this area, within an hour’s drive. Le Marche is a beautiful region of Italy, sometimes referred to as Italy in one region, simply because it has everything from the stunning scenery of the Adriatic coast, the mountains and the wooded hill sides to wonderful medieval hill towns with well preserved architecture. Whether art history, the natural world or delicious food and wine are your main interests, Le Marche will not disappoint. The property is within easy reach of Ancona airport (45 minutes) with regular flights direct to London, Brussels and Munich as well as to Catania, Palermo and Cagliari. Rome and Bologna airports are around 3 hours away, but there are further connections available via Rimini ,with regular flights to Moscow, St Petersburg, Berlin and Amsterdam to name but a few destinations, and Pescara with additional flights from Barcelona and Oslo. Both these airports are under two hours drive from the property. The current owners bought the Monastery as a private home, but soon realized its business potential. With this in mind, they began offering the property for holiday rentals. Initially the plan was to offer separate apartments, but due to the importance and beauty of the property it became clear that it would have greater appeal for those seeking exclusivity. Since then, the property has only been rented to one group of family or friends at any one time. Whilst the rental began as a hobby, the Monastery soon became a highly holiday destination, and increasingly it became a venue for romantic weddings.