A traditional Marchigiana Casa Colonica, built in the early 1800's. This lovely country house is located just outside the hamlet of San Venanzo near the hilltop village of Monte San Martino in southern Le Marche. Recently modernized yet retaining many original features, it is built of thick yellow sandstone that reflects the Italian sun. This keeps the inside cool during the balmy summer months yet insulates the property during winter. Sei Camini offers two distinct self-contained properties connected by a loggia (communal entrance hall). Properties can be rented separately if bookings allow outside of school holidays. The houses share a wonderful private swimming pool and have fabulous views over the surrounding hill villages and mountains. Perfect for large parties and friends and family reunions yet still cosy and romantic for long weekends 'a deux'.

Restaurants:

From the delicious fish of the Adriatic to the tasty dishes of the hills and mountains, Le Marche offers an incredible and cheap variety of food cooked in the traditional manner using only seasonal ingredients.

For those with more simple tastes the freshly caught grilled fish is unbeatable.

There are also the renowned Carpegna hams and wonderful salamis from Fabriano. The Marches is well known for the cultivation of truffles , both the black and the white variety and there is a truffle fair in Amandola each autumn. There are many excellent restaurants within 20mins drive of Sei Camini. Details are provided within the information pack at the house.

Shopping:

Handicrafts: The Marche has no large industries, or those that it does have are scattered about the region, it is a region of crafts and cottage industries. One of the oldest crafts is the dressing of hides, the centre of which is at Tolentino and has led to the rise of a number of leather industries, such as the manufacture of shoes and bags, in the areas around Macerata and Fermo.

The tradition of ceramics in the Marches goes back over centuries and the most important areas are around Pesaro (especially in the Metauro valley), Ascoli and Appignano in Macerata province. Wrought iron crafts can be found all over the region, copperware in Comunanza at Force, lace (particularly in Offida), wicker and bamboo (used in the making of mats, bags, hats and furniture) are all to be found in the Marches.

Hiking and Biking:

The region encompasses mountains and hills, valleys, woods, streams, foaming waterfalls, lakes and snowy expanses.

There are many areas of outstanding natural beauty in the province of Pesaro, such as the Cesane pinewood between Urbino and Fossombrone and the massif of the Furlo with a gorge some 3 kilometres in length.

Lake Pilato and the Gorge of 'Infernaccio'

A place of antique legends and magic rites, Lake Pilato and the Gorge of Infernaccio offer evocative landscapes with mountain-tops that reach up to 2476 meters (mount Vettore). Rigorous walking tours for people with walking experience.

The 'Infernal Gorge' is only 20 minutes drive from Amandola, in the Sibillini National Park – it’s a much less hellish walk than it sounds!

Natural Park of the Red Gorge and the caves of Frasassi

The stalactitic caves of Frasassi are the biggest stalactitic caves of Europe. One of its underground halls is so enormous that it can house Milan cathedral.

The Grounds

Sei Camini is set in two hectares. The pool and surrounding lawns, the four rows of vines, the fruit and olive trees are set in a hectare of gently rolling hillside. There is enough flat ground to play badminton, football or frisbee.

Two new large (up to 3.5m each) teak tables and 20 chairs are available for al fresco dining.

A built in barbeque (spot lit, for cooking after dark) and the original pizza oven are in good working order and available for use. A portable barbeque is also available for larger parties.

The swimming pool slopes gently, there are Roman Steps to enter and a ledge round the edge - but the centre is deep enough for jumping/diving.

The pool is alarmed. There is a sensor alarm at the pool. When activated, the sensors can detect waves from falling objects weighing more than 7kg and sound a 120 decibel siren.

Beyond the grounds, unworked pasture land and woods extend for a few hectares across and down the valley. Our nearest neighbours are out of sight, half a km away. (The two nearest houses are currently uninhabited).

To the west, beyond the seldom used access road, is the other hectare of virgin forest. This slopes steeply down to the valley bottom and is inpenetrable - a haven for a large variety of wildlife.

The Surrounding Area

In the east, the Le Marche coastline is lapped by the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea and in the west is protected by the Sibillini Mountains, a part of the Apennine range. The natural beauty of the Marche region extends from the Monte Sibillini mountain range in the Apennines, which provides skiing in the winter and has an abundance of hiking trails, to the Adriatic shore with it's resorts and fishing villages.

Its culture is closely related to its neighbours, Tuscany and Umbria, and yet is quite distinctive - as yet unspoilt with varied cuisine of locally produced rural fare and fantastic seafood as one would expect from the Adriatic.

It is an area with renowned health spas, local handicrafts still being produced in the same manner they were in the last century and many local fairs; especially the new wine, the fungi and truffle fairs usually held in the autumn.

Monte San Martino:

Our local village of Monte San Martino has a population of approximately 800 people and stands some 600 metres above sea level and is a village of great interest, standing in a good position precariously jutting out over the valley of the river Tenna. In its churches are preserved wonderful artistic works by Carlo and Vittore Crivelli and Giovanni da Camerino dating back to the 15th. Century - Prince Charles visited Monte San Martino to view the artwork and had lunch in the local restaurant in the piazza!

Festivals:

Local festivals include the chestnut festival in Monte San Martino, the truffle and fungi festival in Amandola and the flower festival in Servigliano.

In the summer at Fano there is a festival known as "Fano dei Cesari", where for a week people dress in Roman tunics, drive chariots and do battle with barbarians from Norway!

One of the best known wines of the region is Verdicchio dei Castelli Di Jesi and, in October in Cupramontana, there is a festival to celebrate the grape harvest.

Other events of some note at other times of the year are Verdicchio festo at Montecarotto in July, in the autumn the Verdicchio d'Oro festival at Staffolo and the wine fare at Offida celebrating the well known red wine "Rosso Piceno Superiore".

However there are festivals in most towns and villages on a regular basis, either celebrating the harvest, the new wine, an historical event, a religious feast or a pagan feast!