A recently converted ground-floor stable in a historic 18th-century farmhouse overlooking the sea amid vineyards and olive groves in a rural hamlet now becoming a holiday area because it is near the beach. The apartment has old wooden doors, traditional brick arches and vaulted ceilings, and has been carefully restored in a simple, rustic, open-plan style so as to respect the original structure of the building. The flat sleeps between 2 and 6 people: a bedroom with 2 single beds (separated from the living room by screens) and in the living room a sofa-bed and 2 armchair beds. The living room also has a large dining table and seating for 8. There is a big bathroom with washbasin, bath, shower, toilet, bidet, washing machine, clothes rack, iron, ironing board and hair dryer; a small kitchen with sink, draining rack, gas hob, cooker hood, microwave oven, fridge-freezer, kettle and toaster; and a sheltered seating area outside, looking on to the back garden, with a barbecue (shared with the owners when present) and secure parking. In addition to the ground-floor flat we also let a converted barn at the bottom of the garden. That too can also be seen on this website.
The apartment is less than 5 minutes from the beach by car, about 45 minutes from the mountains, just 20 minutes from Pescara airport and 2 or 3 hours from those of Rome. It lies midway 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.
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.