Description:
The current owners bought this Casa Colonica - or Casa Muscatello as it is unofficially known by all the people in the local village - in August of 1998, and have been renting it out every summer since 2001. They bought it from Dario, their eighty-two year old neighbour, or rather his wife, Anna, who was born and grew up in the house. Dario was born in the house about half a kilometre up the hill - so he really did marry the girl next door. Dario is a great source of (his own) olive oil and eggs, which he is always happy to sell, as well as plenty of stories of the house and local village, Colmurano (he also knows where all the wild asparagus grows in the area, but he tends to keep that information to himself!). Among other stories, they told them that an English escaped prisoner of war was hidden in the house for a period during the Second World War.
Nobody had lived in the house for about ten years when they bought it, and the large downstairs room - now the kitchen/dining/living room - was a deep-litter animal storeroom, with cattle troughs still in place. The owners decided to keep the original floor of the room to maintain the rustic feel of the house, and they even used some of an old hard-wood beam which was part of a cattle trough as part of the window seat. Where possible they have left the original beams and pianelli bricks in the ceilings of the house to maintain that rustic feel throughout.
In the attic they found literally hundreds of wine bottles - remnants of a previous occupant, who had a reputation for being a bit of a drinker. The villagers named the house after the Muscatel grape which he was rather fond of.
The house does not come with much land - the current owners were offered fields surrounding the house when they bought it, but they wanted to keep the maintenance side to a minimum - but Dario would be keen to sell any land to you. There is a south-facing slope on one side of the house which would be perfect for a vineyard.
They have been made aware of the tranquil feel of the house by the many guests they have had staying over the years. It seems to have an incredible effect of relaxation on the occupants - and the people who have looked after the house for the owners frequently comment on the difference in the guests between when they arrive, stressed out, and when they leave, completely relaxed. The amazing views from the house may have something to do with it - not just the Sibillini mountains in the distance, but also the rolling hills that you can see for many miles from the whole of the southern aspect of the house. It is easy to while away the hours just staring at the view and watching the activities on the farms and houses nearby.
