6 bedrooms villa, 380 m²

Ancona, Ancona (province)

At the end of a winding road between the woods, the olive groves and the vineyards of Monte Conero in the Marche, just minutes away from the beaches of Sirolo,and the famous 18-hole Conero golf club  just a few minutes away from Numana and Portonovo you will find this  country residence La Piancarda,

It stands on two floors on a small knoll midway up the hill of monte Colombo, in an area naturally protected from the northerly winds in the winter. The plot has shown signs of being occupied for at least two thousand years.

The present main building was constructed at the end of the 18th century on a terrace of land facing south, overlooking the valley between Monte Conero (the highest relief on the italian Adriatico coast, and the hills that gradually develop into the Appenine chain. On a clear day you can see to the south east the mountains of La Maiella, the Gran Sasso, the mountains  of the Laga, the Sibillini, the San Vicino and the Carpegna, a span of 300 km. Closer, on the hilltops you can appreciate the view of Recanati, Loreto, Osimo, Castelfidardo and Camerano as well as all the towns and communities in between.

This is Rosso Conero territory and the patches of vineyard dot the landscape. La Piancarda is at the head of a large vineyard owned by the firm Garofoli that produces a Rosso Conero with the same name.

The property was acquired by the family of the present owners in the 80s and completely restored and renovated. it’s use was as a family house. Greatest care went to the sourcing and installation of traditional architectural elements characteristic of the country estates of the region. Old brick and antique tiles were sourced, hand cleaned and treated so as to perfectly blend with the existing architectural elements of the house. The overall felling we wanted to transmit is the simple timeless elegance of country living.

Through the years, as the family dispersed around the world following careers in cinema and in yachting, the destination of the house was changed to become the first B&B in the region with a mainly international clientele interested in sampling the country lifestyle in contemporary Italy.

The estate is located 35 minutes away from Falconara airport, just 2 km from il Coppo, on the outskirts of Sirolo, a local bub with supermarket selling high quality local products, eateries, a famed “American Bar” and transportation to Ancona and the nearby resorts. Next door to la Piancarda there an equestrian center that boards private horses (they have organised world class endurance events) and also offers rides for beginners in the Parco del Conero.

The Parco del Conero has helped preserve the nature of the area, protecting the environment, rewilding certain areas, limiting new construction, regulating the use of chemicals in the cultivations. La Piancarda is inside this protected area and, as you can see from the attached video, the Park has been very successful in maintaining the area pristine without overwhelming developments.

The house itself is formed by two blocks connected together il an “L” shape plan. The older square element on two floors is the original building. With very nice proportions, it has a square plan and, on the second floor, a very interesting arch supporting the ceiling. The second block, attached to the main building, was built sometime in the 20th century and was used as as storage for the original farm’s machinery . The main dining room-kitchen is in this part of the house . This is the convivial area where most of the entertaining happens: the 4,5 meter table can comfortably sit 14 people (there where up  to 24 seated people during Christmas festivities). The fire place allows for grilling in winter, the open kitchen is well laid out. There is a separate pantry with refrigerator, dishwasher and whet work station.

A corridor with a linen storage space, a dry goods storage room and a guest bathroom  (with shower) leads to the billiards room. and the reading room which has it’s own fireplace.

In total La Piancarda offers 6 bedrooms and four bathrooms (three en suite) as well as the courtesy bathroom. Three of the rooms and two of the en suite bathrooms are on this floor while three bedrooms, a study and two bathrooms (one en suite) are on the second floor. A large open space sitting room, dining space and open kitchen complete the layout of the upper floor. Heating is centralised using gpl.

The grounds around the house include an olive grove, an orchard with fruit trees, a vegetable garden and green lawns. There is a large tool shed  (which could be turned into an extra 60 sq.m apartment) .