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HOUSE AND VIEW
Our beautiful 16th century house is located in the heart of the medieval town, Cori – only 45 minute’s drive from Rome. From its roof terrace and balcony, you have a splendid view of the ancient Temple of Hercules, the Lepinian mountain range, and the volcanic Pontinian islands in the Terracinian bay. Only 30km from Cori, you find beautiful beaches, ideal for bathing. A unique holiday house in one of Italy’s most beautiful regions.
Cori’s best location
Our house is located in the historic heart of Cori Monte (the highest quarter of town) where Via della Republica runs into Via Veneto. Here, the landscape opens towards the sea and the Pontina plain, which is also known as Rome’s kitchen garden.
Three minutes walk from the house along cobbled streets leads you to Piazza Signina, Cori’s bustling square. This is where you find bars and clusters of excellent food stores: butchers, green grocers, cheese shops, a bakery, a confectionary, and a Sidis (Italian supermarket). So when you’ve stocked up on delicious foods, you don’t have to carry them far.
A piping hot espresso, a freshly squeezed orange juice or a chilled glass of white wine awaits you just around the corner at one of the Cori’s charming cafés, which are usually full of card-playing locals.
Cori’s ancient temple, the Temple of Hercules towers behind the house and is only a few minutes’ walk away. From the temple’s travertine benches, worn shiny by previous visitors, you can sit in the shadow of the trees and enjoy beautiful sunsets – only disturbed by Italian ladies swilling their vegetables in the fresh stream from the mountains.
It is possible to drive through Cori’s narrow streets by car as long as you remember to fold in your mirrors! Suitcases and shopping can be offloaded at the front door whilst you find parking nearby – if you’re lucky, that is.
View: Sea, mountains, plain, the Temple of Hercules and Circeo (The Odyssey)
From the house’s balcony and its 12m2 roof terrace, you have a 360-degree view of the beautiful Italian countryside. The view from the balcony, which faces northeast, is intimate and close; this is where you enjoy your morning coffee with the Temple of Hercules as your closest neighbour. From here, you look out over the roofs of Cori and its many small gardens, steep steps cluttered with flowerpots and terraces overgrown with vine.
The view from the roof terrace is more spectacular. Here, you have a full view of the soft Lepinian mountain range with its many olive groves and fields of grazing horses. The mountains slope into the Pontina plain that is literally bathed in light at nightfall. On a clear day, the Tyrennian Sea creates a beautiful blue backdrop to this view. To the right of Monte Circeo, you can see the Pontinian Islands, where, according to The Odyssey, the witch, Circe transformed Odysseus’ men into swine. To the east, the Temple of Hercules stands majestically in the background, towering over the ridge of the roof. You can hardly wish for more.
The house: Spacious, light and full of atmosphere
The house itself dates back to the late Middle Ages. In recent years, it has undergone renovation and been gently modernised. It is now a two-storied holiday home (115 m2) in first-class condition. Balcony and roof terrace is at the same level at the top floor of the house. This means that you don’t have to climb more steps when you want to enjoy the view (as is the case in most of Cori’s houses). This layout allows the outdoor areas to function as an integrated part of the house.
The house is spacious and sleeps six people. But its interior design ensures a cosy feel even if you’re only two people staying. The rooms that are not used as bedrooms create an open, sweeping feel to the house. The thick walls protect against the heat in the summer, and a newly installed heating system provides comfort in the cooler seasons – which aren’t many in this hemisphere.
On the first floor, you enter a spacious kitchen-cum-dining area (gas cooker, exhaust hood and dishwasher). From here, you access two rooms through separate doors: a bedroom with a double bed and a small desk, and a small TV room that easily converts into a bedroom for two. You also find a small toilet on this floor.
The stairs leading to the second floor open into a cosy sitting room with a fireplace and exit to the roof terrace (the small sofa unfolds to a bed). The sitting room leads into a large bathroom with washing machine and a lovely bedroom with double bed and balcony.
The roof terrace has an outdoor kitchen, with a Weber grill, sink and kitchen table with cooking plates.
A holiday home out of the ordinary – and available for rent!
CITY, SEA, MOUNTAINS
With its 5,000 inhabitants, Cori is a charming and lively medieval town, beautifully situated on the western slopes of the Lepinian mountains, only 45 min. drive from Rome. Cori looks out onto the Mediterranean Sea and offers ample opportunities for walks in the mountains. Lovely beaches are only 30 minutes drive away, and day-trips can easily be made to the Ninfa Gardens (WWF) Mount Circeo, San Felice, Sermoneta, Pompeii and Tivoli. In this wonderful setting, you find a lovely holiday home with a roof terrace and amazing views of the surrounding countryside. This is Italy at its best!
Cori is culture, atmosphere and unspoilt beauty
Forget about smartness and the stress of modern life. In Cori, you find no Louis Vuitton or Prada shops, and the pace of the city would drive any rationalisation expert mad! Cori has its own pace and character. It has warm hospitality, passion and clamorous enthusiasm. With seven butchers, 12 restaurants, four ice cream bars, four newspapers, a theatrical society and a choir, Cori is by no means a museum town on the brink of extinction. Although it boasts two ancient temples and a genealogical table that predates that of Rome, Cori represents a unique blend of bygone times and everyday life of today. That is its charm. Cori looks like a typical Tuscan town, but it’s neither genteel nor polished – no souvenir shops or tourist busses in sight!
Location: just perfect!
Cori not only has unique charm. It also has a perfect location with city, sea, mountains and cultural treasures within easy reach.
Cisterna, only 7km from Cori, is where you catch the train that takes you to Stazione Termini in the heart of Rome in only 27 minutes. So a daytrip to Rome is perfectly possible from Cori.
30km west of Cori, you find a 50km coastline with beautiful sandy beaches excellent for bathing and other seaside pursuits. Some beaches have beach cafés and fish restaurants – others only sand dunes and solitude.
If you continue south along the coast, you come to the lugomare, an embankment, and in front of you’ll see the amazing sight of Mount Ciceo. On Mount Ciceo, you find the town of San Felice, which has marvellous fish restaurants, breathtaking views and access to exciting caves.
From Cori, paths lead you directly into the soft Lepinian Mountains. Monte Imperatore, a cool plateau 3000m above sea level, is only a two-hour’s walk from Cori.
The sound of Sermoneta
Sermoneta is one of Cori’s neighbouring towns. Every summer, musicians from all over the world gather here for the international summer school of music. People from the whole area come to Sermoneta to enjoy world-class performances and concerts.
A unique botanical oasis: Ninfa Gardens (WWF)
At the foot of Monte XX (er det Imperatore???), less than 10km from Cori, you find the beautiful Ninfa Gardens, run by World Wildlife Foundations and Leslia Caetani, who is the last owner and descendent of one the area’s influential aristocratic families. The luxuriant garden is remarkable in that it holds biotopes from different climate zones. It offers a genuinely romantic aesthetic experience: Among the lush flowers and majestic trees, you suddenly find medieval ruins covered in flowers, exuding authentic patina. Trickling streams create a perfect aural background to this scenery. On the cliffs high above the Ninfa Gardens, you can see the town of Norma.
(http:www.italyheaven.co.uk/Lazio/ninfa.html)
Nemi and the sea route
Only 25km from Cori, you find Nemi, Lake Nemi and Lake Albano.
You can never tire of the beautiful scenic ‘sea route’ that leads to Nemi and the lakes. In the season, local vendors sell truffles, chanterelles, Carl Johan mushrooms, cherries and other fruits along this route.
Naples, Pompeii and Tivoli
Naples, Pompeii and Tivoli are only a few hours drive from Cori and thus ideal places for day excursions.
ROME
Cori is not only unique in itself. It has a perfect location too, with direct access to mountains, lovely beaches only 30 minutes drive away, and Rome and lots of other cultural highlights in the vicinity. In the middle of all this, you find a lovely holiday house with roof terrace, balcony and spectacular views – and it’s actually for rent!
Rome’s splendours within reach
Cisterna, only 7km from Cori, is where you catch the train that takes you to Stazione Termini in the heart of Rome in only 27 minutes. So a daytrip to Rome is perfectly possible from Cori.
When Cori’s charming pace gets too slow for you, you can always take the train to Rome and enjoy the city’s metropolitan attractions: the opera, museums, shopping on the Corso, or simply a stroll through Trastevere, Compo di Fiori, Piazza Navona and the rest of the Ara Pacis.
Visit the bar Il Custo at XXXX near Piazza del Popolo. Close by, you find a wonderful store with kitchen utensils and all that a passionate cook desires.
Last train for Cisterna leaves at 23.32, so you can easily enjoy an evening out in Rome and get back to Cori just after midnight.
Busses run from Cori to Cisterna, but it’s obviously far easier to get to Cisterna if you have a car.
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