Casa Hala, villa and private pool near San Ginesio, Macerata, Italy

Casa Hala

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Near San Ginesio, Marche, Italy

Casa Hala is a five bedroom traditional stone-built farmhouse with a luxurious modern feel. Beside the house the garden has a grand piano shaped pool and to the side a handy barbecue. Beyond the pool are great views of the whole Sibillini mountain chain with the gently rolling hills of Macerata and Fermo provinces to the fore.

Access to the property is via a short white road which is safe and easily passable in a normal rental car.

The house is spacious, comfortable and well furnished with a large open living room and separate modern kitchen dominating the ground floor. The living room has a large open fireplace and french doors leading out to the covered loggia with arches running the length of the house. There is air conditioning on the ground floor if required.

The adjoining kitchen is well equipped with dishwasher and double fridge freezer and fitted concrete work tops. There is a central kitchen island, ideal for informal cooking classes, and breakfast bar with high stools as well as a table and benches for indoor dining. Doors lead to a side terrace with barbecue.

The property has five spacious bedrooms on the first and second floors, with a mix of garden, vineyard and mouintain views. Two have king size beds and one is a double room which has a private en suite bathroom. There are two twin rooms and a study room.

All bedrooms have freestanding fans but window shutters keep rooms at a pleasant temperature.

There are three bathrooms - a downstairs shower room with toilet, basin and bidet, on the first floor there is a twin basin area which leads into the bath, toilet and bidet. On the second floor, there is a shower room with shower, toilet and bidet which is a private en suite to the double. In addition, there is a large wet room on the first floor.

The pool is 14m long and 9m wide at its widest with a 1m safety shelf around its edge. The shallow end is 1m deep with a ladder and the deep end reaches a depth of 2.5m.

There is direct access from the kitchen onto the covered loggia, ideal for outdoor dining and relaxing in the shade. Around the corner to the front of the property is the rest of the garden and pool, complete with sun loungers and parasols. Several hammocks are dotted around the garden to provide great places to relax with a book and a drink.

Nature lovers are also spoilt, with this lovely country house ideally located for exploring the nearby Monti Sibillini National Park, a little trodden wildnerness of intoxicating beauty and one renowned for its rare flora and fauna, including wolves, the odd bear, chamoix, red and roe deer, an occasional eagle owl, and several nesting pairs of golden eagles.

Small groups of walkers and hikers enjoy the park in the spring and summer, and it is popular with local skiers and snow boarders in the winter. The ski resorts of Sassotetto, Frontignano and Pintura di Bolognola are ideal for beginners. From the property you can be on the slopes in 30 minutes.

The local villages are unspoilt and charming, San Ginesio, the closest, being a fine example of an Italian medieval walled town. The borgo proudly flies the Bandiera Arancione, an excellence award given to the elite among smaller Italian towns with a superb track record in hospitality and the environment. Colmurano has an "international" music festival every July and Urbisaglia (from the ancient Roman town Urbs Salvia) has a nationally significant set of Roman ruins. Also close by is Sarnano, just a twenty minute drive away, a thriving market town set in the national park and a mini mecca for walkers, hikers and skiers.

All the local towns have a range of amenities and shops, as well as excellent restaurants serving delicious local delicacies such as wild boar, the local lasagna vincisgrassi and white and black truffles.

The National Antiques Fair is held annually in the historic centre of Sarnano and sees the winding medieval streets of the town transformed into an antiques market, whilst in August the Medieval Festival - Palio del Serafino - is an unmissable event for tourists and locals alike.

Sarnano is known as one of the gateways to the Sibillini Mountains and is a buzzing place in both summer and winter, when it becomes a popular ski basefor the little resorts of Sassotetto and Pintura di Bolognola in the mountains which rise up behind the town.

San Ginesio, nicknamed "il balcone dei Sibillini" is found at nearly 700m altitude and is only a five minute drive. It offers a limited mix of shops, cafes and restaurants and has a popular Sunday market.

Numerous other towns and villages offer a treasure trove of history and art waiting to be discovered. A popular theatre festival takes place in Amandola in August and September, attracting visitors and artists from all over the world. And in November people flock to the town from far and wide to take advantage of the nationally renowned white and black truffle fairs held there.

In the small church of San Martino in Monte San Martino you can see one of the few remaining intact poliptychs painted by the brothers Carlo and Vittore Crivelli.

If during your stay you feel like a dip in the sea or visiting some fine fish restaurants, then the Adriatic coast with its numerous seaside resorts is only 40 minutes drive away.

Here you can visit any number of seaside resorts all with their own charm. Among the popular coastal destinations are Sirolo and Numana, although they can get very bust in high summer. Also lovely to visit are Porto Recanati, Civitanova Marche, Porto Sant'Elpidio, Porto San Giorgio, Grottammare and San Benedetto del Tronto. These provide a mix of pebble and sandy beaches.

Even closer is the freshwater lake of Fiastra at around half an hour's drive, surrounded by the Sibillini mountains and offering canoeing, kayaking, swimming and fishing as well as a number of restaurants in the two villages found on its shores.

The Abbadia di Fiastra nature reserve is also popular with locals and tourists alike for its nature walks and cycle routes.

For those looking to relax and unwind or guests planning to celebrate a special event or anniversary, Casa Hala and the surrounding villages and towns provide the perfect location. A local cook can also be arranged to prepare you authentic local dishes at the villa on request.

The property even has a grand piano in the main living room and is a true home from home for the owners.

Families with children are welcome but the pool is not fenced and its use is entirely at guests' own risk.

ACCOMMODATION DETAILS

- TV & dvd player

- Wi-fi internet access

- Main kitchen with dishwasher, large fridge with ice dispenser, microwave and freezer

- Washing machine

- Mature fragrant garden with generous lawn, olives and fig tree and stunning views

- Private 12m grand piano pool

- Outdoor barbecue

- Outdoor dining under a shady loggia for ten guests in comfort

- Roof balcony with recliners