Price EUR 720.000
Sales Category townhouse
Dimensions The house is spread over three floors, covering approximately 211sqm. The garden, which is accessed via the caves, is approximately 580sqm
Location Click here for location map
Rental Potential
Building project Click here
Sleeps 6
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 3
Profile print Download as .pdf
Sustainability Through the sale of this property, 50 trees will be planted in SpecialUmbria’s name through our charitable partner, Trees for All.

Balneum

Part of a 14th century palazzo, this design-led property combines modern interiors with its ancient setting, in a majestic town that is accessed by a 300m-long footbridge.


Balneum is located in what is perhaps the ultimate Italian hill town: Cività di Bagnoregio. Perched high on a rock on the North Lazio-Umbria border, this fairytale town was, as the name suggests, where kings would come and bathe in ancient times.

The car-free town is reached by a 300m footbridge and entered through an Etruscan gateway. With its quiet streets and 7th century church in the main piazza, it is an exceptional place with a rich and splendid history preserved by the current inhabitants. It can appear as though the whole place is made of gold and silver – the gold of the tufa rock on which it sits, and the silver of its streets paved in basalt.

Balneum itself is part of a 14th century ‘palazzo’ that sits on an underground system of caves, Etruscan tombs and a Roman water cistern. The three-bedroom property sleeps six guests in three double bedrooms and is a spacious, light-filled and modern townhouse. Careful renovation has resulted in a minimal, design-led house that has retained its original features, including a magnificent basalt fireplace, and blends perfectly into its ancient setting. The caves underneath the house have been carefully used and lead to the impressive Italianate garden that overlooks the whole valley.

In practical terms, Cività di Bagnoregio inhabitants can get their luggage and shopping home using a small electric car service. A small price to pay for a setting of this magnitude.

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Layout

Bedrooms

There are two en-suite double bedrooms on the second floor. The third double bedroom is below the living room, on the same level as the former main entrance. It has a sitting area as well as a private bathroom.

Bathrooms

Spacious and well appointed, there are two en-suite bathrooms on the second floor and a third bathroom next to the bedroom on the ground floor.

Kitchen

The minimal kitchen is open-plan with the dining and sitting areas on the first floor. Simple and sophisticated, the run of low cabinets has a marble top and windows in front of both the hob and the sink. The oven is set into a discreet tall end wall of cabinets, giving plenty of storage space and views out of a third window.

Living room

Flooded with natural light, the first-floor living room is open plan with the kitchen and dining room. The terracotta floors and wooden ceiling beams that date from the 14th century have been carefully restored and an impressive basalt stone fireplace can be lit in the cooler months. The modern restoration is respectful of the history of the building, bringing light and comfort to this remarkable property.

Other rooms

An old Roman water cistern, still with its original plaster, has been converted into a unique wine cellar. The cellar is accessed through a set of medieval tunnels and caves dug into the rock that connect the house to the garden. Beautifully lit, they provide a wonderful, other-worldly way to enjoy these unusual spaces.

Facilities

Outside

Cività di Bagnoregio is built on a bed of tufa rock that had caves carved into it hundreds of years ago. The private caves beneath the property give a magical feel to the place as well as access to the house’s beautiful formal Italianate garden. Built on a wide ledge protected by railings, it offers incredible views of the surrounding valley.

Technical

The property is connected to mains water, gas and sewage. Heating is with a boiler.
It is possible to install a jacuzzi tub (standard) inside the caves and for this it is not necessary to obtain authorization from the authorities.

Energy

TBD

Other features

Direct environment

Balneum is part of a 14th-century palazzo and the neighbouring garden belongs to another property in the same building. The entire town is pedestrianised although it’s possible to use an electric car service that can use the bridge for deliveries to the property.

Property Management

Notes

The asking price refers to the property in its current state, as described in this profile. The property is being sold partially furnished – please ask for details.

Location


Click map for detailed location

Surroundings

Civita di Banoregio is a pristine Medieval town set high on a volcanic rock in the heart of the Alta Tuscia. Accessed via a pedestrian bridge, this is where, as the name suggests, kings would come to bathe in ancient times. As you enter the town, take a moment to admire the Etruscan gateway and the 7th century San Donato church in the main piazza. The views out over the surrounding limestone canyons are also extraordinary. There are lovely bars and restaurants in the town and for more everyday shopping there is Bagnoregio on the other side of the bridge. Orvieto is 15 minutes’ drive away, where you will find a good selection of shops, restaurants, and bars, as well as the cathedral which is famous for having one of the most beautiful church façades in Italy. Rome is an hour away by car.

Travel

Air: The nearest airports are Perugia [PEG] (84km); Rome Fiumicino [FCO](147km); Rome Ciampino [CIA] (159km); and Florence [FLR] (197km).

Train: There is a train station in Orvieto (22km) which is about an hour’s train journey from Rome.

Road: Civita di Bagnoregio is 15 minutes south of Orvieto exit on the A1 connecting Rome to Florence and 15 east of the ancient Via Cassia that connects Rome to Siena.

Distances

Balneum is close to several towns and cities in both Umbria and Lazio, including: Lago di Bolsena (20km); Orvieto (22km); Viterbo (30km); Todi (44km); Lubriano (51km); Città della Pieve (61km); Tarquinia (65km); Perugia (83km); Montepulciano, which is famed for its wine (88km); Lago Trasimeno (90km); Spoleto (105km); Porto Santo Stefano (111km); Giglio Island (137km); Rome (128km); and Florence (180km).

Leisure & activities

Lago Vivo is a very pretty, short drive away or there is Lago di Bolsena (20km). Lake Trasimeno, with its islands, boats, beaches and water-sport facilities is 66km away and Antognolla, one of Italy’s best 18-hole golf courses, is 126km away.

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