2 bedrooms historic house, 140 m²

Pornassio, Imperia (province)

This prestigious property, the CYCLAMIN HOUSE / CASA CICLAMINO, is the one of the three historic homes that I have been renovating over the past seasons. It is adjacent to the other two, and is at 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. The neighborhood, adjacent to the church square, was inhabited by the noble families of the village over the past seven centuries. The building was one of the oldest, dating to before the church itself. Its main entrance, flanked by single stone pillars attest to its age and value. I have just finished completely renovating the property from top to bottom: as such the floors, the plastering, plumbing and electric systems are all new. 
 As a designer, and contractor, with sixty years of experience, from Manhattan to San Francisco, and many Italian cities, I have have tried to restore the home in keeping with the original materials used to build it, and thoughfulness regarding the use of the spaces, to create a luminous and cheerful abode. The finishings and the second floor covering (parquet or tile) can be installed to the future owners’ tastes, after the closing of the sale, by very competent local artisans.
   The property 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. This floor comprises a barrel-vaulted ceiling dating back to the thirteenth century. It can be used as a large summer or winter living space. It has a full bathroom, a high functioning wood stove and a tiled floor.
   The central staircase leads up the open space on the first floor, which includes the kitchen, dining and living area and a second, equally powerful, wood stove. The dining area opens out to a sunny tiled terrace, essentially the roof of the portico. This floor has both tiled and parquet flooring, and an extra large floor to ceiling closet for storage of all kitchen needs.
   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. It has panoramic views of the surrounding hillsides, vigorous rose and jasmine bushes, a barbecue area and a sink for outdoor dining.

 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 (S.S.28) leads down to the sea, up 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, horses, donkeys, foxes, porcupines, rabbits, mountain goats, and farther up the mountains wild boars. In this sense it is real countryside, As an official ‘green area’ it 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.
If you would like to visit Ponti and view the CYCLAMIN HOUSE, please telephone me at 0039 349 7344128, to arrange an appointment. I am trilingual in English, French and Italian and would be delighted to talk to you.