8 bedrooms historic house, 550 m²

Pornassio, Imperia (province)

A PALATIAL MEDIEVAL NEIGHBORHOOD FOR SALE

OVERVIEW:
This unusual multiple property is the core of the early medieval neighborhood in the village of Ponti, bisected by the Arroscia river, part of the town of Pornassio, in the province of Imperia. It is composed of three very large houses: three floors and large roof terraces for two of them; four floors and terrace for the third. All together they represent five hundred and fifty square meters, (ca. six thousand square feet.) They are interconnected by courtyards and archways.The houses mainly date back to the thirteenth century, and one of them contains what is known to be the oldest cross vault of the village, said to have been built in the year one thousand. They are situated at the entrance to the village just across the bridge on the church square. These homes were owned throughout the centuries by the noble families of the village, as attested to by the enormous single stone granite portals framing their respective doorways.                                                                                 This group of homes would make an excellent investment for a multigenerational family, a group of friends or a splendid boutique hotel, as together they comprise eight bedrooms with ample privacy, six bathrooms, and five terraces, as well as spacious double living areas in each of the homes, which could also serve as artist studios. I have completed all of the structural work to rebuild the interiors of the houses, and am finishing the documentation, necessary to conclude the work for two of the homes and execute the paperwork for the third. As a designer, and contractor (originally from Princeton, New Jersey and Manhattan,) I have renovated and rebuilt structures over the past fifty eight years in San Francisco, Montpelier, Torino, Genova and in my home area in the hill towns adjoining the Italian coast. My intent has been to create the most thoughtful, luminous uses of the spaces, while preserving as much as possible the original building materials of stone and wood.
What remains to be done on site is the choice by the future owners of floor covering, (parquet or tiling), the interior roof insulation and plastering of two of its nineteen rooms, some upgrading of the windows, (which can be executed speedily by local artisans,) and the usual accessories that homeowners tend to choose for themselves, with regard to kitchen appliances and furniture.  I am selling the entire multiple property at a significant discount, as at eighty-one years, the unexpected collapse of my own health prevents me from personally finishing this multiple property of my dreams.

THE SURROUNDING AREA:
The village of Ponti has the advantage of being a half hour from the coast of the Italian riviera and forty-five minutes from skiing on the mountains to the north. A good state highway leads down to the sea, North to the freeway to Torino and along the coast to the freeway to both Genova and Nice, where the international airports are located.  Pornassio is facing a national protected forest that will be permanently preserved. The terraced hillsides, adjoining the village of Ponti, are planted with vegetable gardens, orchards, olive groves and vineyards, and accommodate  sheep, cows, donkeys, foxes, porcupines, rabbits, mountain goats, and farther up the mountains wild boars. In this sense it is real countryside, that as a ‘green area’ will never be divided up into condominiums or developments.
Three miles down the hill is the town of Pieve di Teco, known for its well-preserved medieval arcades and its monthly antique market. Its varied stores and restaurants serve all possible daily needs.
The three houses of the property are described in detail below.

CASA CICLAMINO, CYCLAMIN HOUSE: this is the middle home adjacent to the other two. It is composed of three floors plus a thirty square meter roof terrace, a total of a hundred and fifty square meters. At the entrance is a covered portico, with an elegant welded grate for security for the ground floor window. The ground floor comprises a barrel-vaulted ceiling dating back to the thirteenth century, a large summer or winter living space, a full bathroom and a high functioning wood stove.
The central staircase leads up the open space on the first floor that includes the kitchen, dining and living area and an equally high performing wood stove. This floor opens out to a sunny tiled terrace, essentially the roof of the portico. This floor has tiled and parquet flooring.
The second floor comprises two bedrooms and the large main bathroom between them. It also has a balcony overlooking the piazza.  An exterior staircase in the courtyard leads to the thirty square meter roof terrace with panoramic views of the surrounding hillsides, vigorous rose and jasmine bushes, a barbecue area and a sink for outdoor dining.

CASA IBISCUS, HIBISCUS HOUSE:
The HIBISCUS HOUSE is the largest of the three homes with four floors and an ensuite terrace, roughly two hundred and twenty square meters. It is next to the church and contains a small but flourishing flower garden at its front door. It too has elegant grates protecting its floor to ceiling windows. The entrance, ground floor, whose high barrel vault also dates to the thirteenth century, is an open space that serves as a summer living room. It houses as well an antique cast iron wood stove.
The first floor contains two bedrooms, a bathroom and a mini kitchen. It could serve as an independent unit for bed and breakfast use. The second floor is a very luminous open space of forty square meters with a kitchen area in the middle and the dining and living areas on each side. The top floor houses the master bedroom and main bathroom. It leads out to the roof terrace with panoramic views of the surrounding woods and hills.

CASA GELSOMINO, JASMINE HOUSE:
The JASMINE HOUSE in the center of the property, is the oldest of the three structures. Its cross vault and four ample archways on the ground floor are said to date back to the year one thousand. Its double entrance doors face the pathway leading to the main road to the right of the church. Its entrance is a three-story atrium up to the translucent roof of the structure. With its very ample ground floor it is also circa two hundred and twenty square meters.
The main stairway takes one up to the double height, cathedral living room of the first floor. This floor also contains the kitchen, main bathroom, study, guestroom and the interior courtyard. The guest room and kitchen have large skylights as well as floor to ceiling windows. The top floor houses the master bedroom and its own ensuite bathroom. It opens onto the roof terrace with a flourishing lemon tree, a kumquat tree and many strawberry plants. All told, the various terraces can house ample vegetable gardens in the sky, with large planters, protected from the wind, snails and insects.
The property can be finished, after the closing, to the future owners’ tastes and budget, in terms of tiling, floor coverings and designer accessories. Below is a small selection of photographs of various angles and details of the property. If you would like to visit and view it, please TELEPHONE  me at the following number to arrange an appointment: 0039 3497344128. I ONLY make appointments to people whom I have actually spoken to, so as to understand clearly what your needs are and if the property is suitable to you in terms of budget and tastes. I am trilingual in English, French and Italian. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting you in person.