Description
In a very private and panoramic location in the heart of Umbria, in the hills overlooking the Val Todina, restored Romanesque abbey for sale. The main building is an 11th-century church (the only remaining part of a much larger complex) while the actual house is a single-story stone building a short distance from the previous one. Great privacy is provided by more than 230 ha of wooded land that ensures peace and tranquility.
The unpaved road to the property (3.5 km) descends to the valley and leads directly to a medieval town where all basic amenities are located (6km). Once in the valley, it is then easy to move around all of Umbria and visit the region’s best-known art cities (Todi, Spoleto, Narni, Civitella del Lago, Assisi, Orvieto, Perugia...). Rome is also just over an hour and a half away by car.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDINGS
The Romanesque church (152 sqm – 1,635 sqft, 1 bathroom) has been converted into a beautiful reception hall with a fireplace that maintains the original appearance of the building with large columns and rib-vaulted ceilings. At the back is a small service room with bathroom. On the upper floor, which is equally accessible from the outside since the building is located along the slope, is the old deconsecrated chapel and a wooden balustrade that runs all around the lower floor hall.
The rear part of the building, now entirely in ruins, could be recovered and rebuilt according to its original appearance subject to the opinion of the relevant authorities. This wing would stand on two above-ground floors totaling about 90 sqm – 968 sqft.
The owners' cottage (90 sqm – 968 sqft, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom) is located not far from the church, along the slope down to the valley. The building consists of five rooms, all accessible directly from the outside. At the ends are the two rooms (one of which has access to the attic) and the dwelling's bathroom, while the living room and a small kitchen are located in the center. Two porches at the ends of the structure complete the building.
It is important to note that, with the exception of the reconstruction of the ruined part of the church, no expansion and/or new construction is allowed in the area surrounding the two buildings, which are classified as Heritage Site of Historical, Architectural and Cultural Interest.
HISTORY, STATE AND FINISHES
According to a 16th-century historian from Foligno, the monastery was built around 900 AD at the border of the Byzantine Corridor by Benedictine monks. By the end of the century, however, the building was gifted to the Ordo Cluniacensis. The first documentary evidence relating to the monastery is from 1033 and is now preserved in the Spoleto Archives.
The shape of the building and its positioning suggest that the monastery was built over the remains (or at least in the same location) of a Roman temple possibly dedicated to Mars, a deity whose name is still well associated with many of the toponyms in the area.
Over the years the monastery accumulated various properties, whose ownership was confirmed first by edicts and diplomas promulgated by the Germanic emperors and then by Pope Innocent III.
The end came in 1303 when the then Pope Boniface VIII suppressed the monastery and joined its possession to the Cathedral of Spoleto. The suppression was later confirmed by the two popes Boniface IX and Martin V over the next hundred and fifty years.
Of the original abbey, which must have been significant in size, only a portion remains today, but the ruins and remains of walls all around give an idea of how the building might have developed originally. The only remaining religious element is a small chapel (now deconsecrated), along with a memorial stone with a Latin inscription that once supported the church altar.
EXTERIORS
The church is located on the top of a mountain (about 1,000 m above sea level) with an incredible view of the Val Todina. The land stretches all around the building, along the sloping hillside and covers about 232.2 hectares (573.8 acres). Of this, much of it is covered by mixed woodland (184.4 ha) but there are also large portions of arable land and pasture (47.1 ha). Around the buildings the land is flat and could be landscaped to create a welcoming garden, perhaps with shading elements and sunbeds.
CLOSEST CITIES
Paese con servizi (6km; 15’), Todi (22km; 35’), Montefalco (31km; 40’), Foligno (38km; 50’), Terni (38km; 40’), Spoleto (40km; 50’), Narni (43km; 45’), Civitella del Lago (54km; 1h), Assisi (56km; 1h 10’), Orvieto (66km; 1h 10’), Perugia (68km; 1h), Bolsena (79km; 1h 25’), Castiglione del Lago (111km; 1h 25’), Roma (128km; 1h 45’), Montepulciano (129km; 1h 50’), Siena (172km; 2h 10’), Firenze (216km; 2h 50’)
CLOSEST AIRPORTS
Perugia San Francesco (68km; 55’), Roma Ciampino (142km; 1h 45’), Roma Fiumicino (155km; 1h 50’), Grosseto C. Baccarini (204km; 2h 45’), Firenze A. Vespucci (233km; 2h 55’), Pisa G. Galilei (294km; 3h 35’), Bologna G. Marconi (306km; 3h 50’)
