Real estate for sale - Country houses

Back to list

Magnificent Italian property with pool and open-plan living areas, built to exacting Swedish standards

Magnificent Italian property for sale with an impressive view over the Luccola Valley in the Province of Reggio Emilia. The villa was built in 2005/06 by the current owners, professional builders from Sweden. The house is south facing and has been built to exacting standards from the viewpoint of Swedish norms for insulation and thermal bridging – and also to rigorous Italian building standards, especially regarding earthquakes. The villa has been designed to be bright and spacious – the lounge, dining and kitchen are open-plan and are double-vaulted. The property has been designed completely wheelchair accessible with low thresholds giving access to the south facing portico (approx. 35 m²) serviced with electrical fans and swimming pool, including a 50 m² pergola. The villa comprises 4 bedrooms (3 double) with 3 bathrooms (2 en-suite on the ground floor) and a guest toilet. In addition, the upper floor comprises a large bright south-facing studio and study. All bedrooms have at least one window fly-screened, the upper bedrooms, bathroom and study are also complete with manually operated Velux windows, bedrooms have darkening blinds. The double-vaulted area is also serviced by electrically operated fans and Velux windows with automatic opening and closing in the event of rain. The upper floor could also be adapted for wheelchair access, as an area for a future lift is planned. The lounge has access to the portico through folding/sliding doors to give two openings of 7.5 m² each to allow uninterrupted views of the garden, swimming pool area and the valley. All windows are turn and tilt and the larger portico doors have door brakes. The kitchen is fully-equipped with granite worktops, double sinks, gas cooker and oven, with under counter draw fridge, dishwasher and walk-in cool room. The villa has four heat sources, originally wood and gas with electrical support. A 29 kW pellet boiler (added 4/5 years ago) now primarily supplies the villa's underfloor heating and can also be used to maintain the pool temperature. The heating system has been equipped with an uninterrupted power supply to allow heating and boilers to work in the case of a power failure. The portico incorporates approx. 30 m² of thermal solar panels on its roof, which help maintain the pool water temperature at the desired level and allows for free domestic hot water. It also has a wood-fired fireplace, which is connected to heat the pool and domestic hot water if desired. The villa is also serviced with circulating hot water for instantaneous hot water at all outlets including anti-freeze outside faucets. The property also benefits from a centralised vacuum system for both internal and external usage. The chlorinated mosaic infinity pool (12 x 6 metres) is equipped with lighting, water-fall, pool robot, and is serviced by a cartridge filter and has a Pentair variable speed pump (to reduce running costs). The pool has an electrically operated cover, diving board and a depth of approx. 1.9 metres at its deepest point and 1.25 metres at its shallowest with access by internal stairs and ramp with a beach zone. The garage (approx. 100 m²) was added in 2010/11 and comprises a double garage, workshop/storage area, pellet boiler and a wood/pellet store. The garage area is serviced by remote controlled double overhead garage door. The workshop frontage has extra concrete beams to allow for an additional opening to extend the available garage space if needed. The property is completely fenced-in, has communal water (mountain spring water) and its own waste water system. The mature gardens benefit from an automatic computer steered sprinkler and drop irrigation system. The upper terraced area has fruit trees, bushes, and a herb garden, the lower is left more natural. The area around the house has trees, ornamental plants and lawns. The areas are easily maintained by the owners and a local gardening company. The main town with banks, restaurants, post office, chemist and shops is 5 km away. There is a great pizzeria and a restaurant at only 3 km. Porcini mushrooms can be found locally as well as truffles when in season. The national park, Parco nazionale dell'Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, is at the doorstep, to Modena is 60 km. The closest airport is Bologna (BLQ) 110 km (75 minutes), access to Florence 2 hours, Verona 90 minutes, Venice 2,5 hours, Adriatic coast (Rimini) 2 hours, Mediterranean coast (Tuscany) 2 hours. Ski-slopes at Febbio 20 minutes to an altitude of 2,100 metres (Mount Cusna).