Built in a traditional style where an old barn once stood, with a roof of old pantiles over wooden beams, a decorative cornice of old bricks & brick surrounds of windows & door. Set well apart from the main house in a garden of olive and fruit trees, on a hill which overlooks the sea, amid vineyards & olive groves, in a rural hamlet now being developed as a holiday area because it is near to the beach. Sleeps 4 to 6 people: 2 double bedrooms & a sofa bed in the living room, which also has 3 wicker armchairs & an open fireplace. In the kitchen there are a sink, draining rack, gas hob, cooker hood, electric oven, microwave, fridge-freezer, dishwasher & washing machine. The bathroom has a bath, shower, washbasin, toilet & bidet. The house has central heating for the winter months & excellent insulation that keeps things cool in summer & warm in winter. Outside, there is a sheltered seating area, in the shade of a great oak tree, a barbeque (shared with the main house) & secure parking. We will give you notes on the house, area, local shops & restaurants, some food and drink on arrival & any help you need. A friend (phone no. supplied) will do so for us if we are not there.

Robert & Monica are retired. Robert was a Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies at the University of Manchester & Monica taught English at Withington Girls School. Their bungalow is less than 5 mins from the beach by car, 45 from the mountains, 20 from Pescara airport & 2 or 3 hours from those of Rome. It lies between the popular seaside resort of Francavilla (which holds a spectacular firework display over the sea in the summer that you can see from near the house) and the medieval port of Ortona, with its Aragonese castle, promenade overlooking the port and cathedral reputed to house the remains of St Thomas the Apostle. There too is the Regional Enoteca, where you can taste and buy a wide range of Abruzzese wines or sit over an aperitif and antipasti before dining at one of the town's excellent seafood restaurants. There are plenty of local shops (excellent greengrocers, butchers, bakers, confectioners, fishmongers, etc.), and supermarkets, bars, restaurants, banks, post offices, petrol stations, some a short walk away, all in easy reach by car. There is an 18-hole golf course at Miglianico, just 4 miles away, and skiing in the winter at Passo Lanciano, 25 miles from the house.

In addition to the bungalow, there is a ground-floor flat, converted from an old stable, also advertised on this website. Abruzzo is a region of outstanding natural beauty: sandy beaches, green fields and woods, vineyards, olive groves, steep-sided valleys and towering mountain ranges. It has 3 national parks and one regional park, protecting no less than 30% of the region as a whole, and is home to falcons, eagles, wolves, bears, wild boar and chamois. In the mountains are rushing torrents, picturesque lakes and caverns filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Abruzzo is also a land of ancient hill-towns, imposing castles, beautiful medieval abbeys and churches, remote mountain hermitages and significant Roman remains. Its people have preserved many colourful local traditions, and every year each town or village holds its own traditional festival. They have a great tradition of food and wine too, based on simple, natural ingredients. You can eat well and often inexpensively in its many fine and family-run restaurants. So there is something here for everyone, and the best thing of all is that most of it is still relatively undiscovered.