FORMER FRANCISCAN CONVENT MONASTERY, STUNNING VILLA FOR SALE IN ITALY

The convent is made up of several buildings, all connected with each other but potentially independent thanks to the numerous doors that can be closed. In particular we have a manor villa, a second villa and a section entirely used for the hosting business and split into three independent apartments.

The manor villa is laid out onto five floors:

• Basement: cellar, storage rooms and keeper’s apartment (kitchen, studio, bedroom and two bathrooms);
• Ground floor: long hallway, studio with bathroom, ample living room with fireplace and frescoes (formerly a refectory, with access onto the panoramic terrace), fine dining room, kitchen with service room, laundry and a covered terrace linked to the pantry;
• First floor: landing, two bedrooms, bathroom and library;
• Second floor: bedroom with en-suite bathroom and terrace, two bedrooms with balcony and shared bathroom, two bedrooms, bathroom and living room with balcony.
• Third floor: bedroom with terrace.

The second villa is laid out onto three floors and made up as follows:

• Basement: tavern and storage room;
• Ground floor: sumptuous living room/dining room with fireplace, two comfortable twin bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen with fireplace, ample living room and private park;
• First floor: ample bedroom, bathroom, balcony and studio.

Three apartments, all reserved for the hosting business, overlook the garden and have independent access:

• Apartment N°1: entry, kitchen, open space living room, bathroom, two bedrooms and terrace; 
• Apartment N°2: open space kitchen, living room with fireplace, two bedrooms and bathroom;
• Apartment N°3: ample living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom and balcony.

The beautiful church boasts an original choir, perfectly restored and fully working.

The monastery here described is part of a series of religious structures built between the 10th and 11th century along the Tiber. These smaller shrines were a fundamental part of the main pilgrimage routes, such as the ones to Santiago de Compostela and Rome.

The area was already inhabited during the Roman age, as testified by the remains of a temple and the retrieval of bronze statues and marble capitals. During the Middle Ages numerous complexes were built and we know that during the 10th century they were owned by the San Leucio’s abbey.

On October 11, 1051 the pope Leo IX confirmed to San Leucio the possession of omnia in civitate vel foris monasterium pertinentia (all the properties in the city and outside owned by the monastery) and granted the right to chose the abbot even without the approval of the pope.

The abbey had potestas et imperium over a series of subordinate convents and on March 20, 1145 the pope Eugene III confirmed the apostolica protectione to the complex. In 1177 the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa conferred a similar privilege to the abbey (trying to affirm his right of investiture over Italian feuds).

With the seal by Innocent III dated October 13, 1207 the apostolic protection was confirmed again and for the first time the monastery of the listing is clearly mentioned through its master Egidius of S.J. de Cuti. The monastery was part of the Premonstratensian Benedictines running San Leucio, one of the abbeys ruling one of the circarias instituted by Saint Norbert in Italy after 1120.

On January 3, 1236 the bishop Boniface gifted the Roman Church a locum qui dicitur Mons Mascaranum situm prope Tudertum (a place called Mount Mascarano located near Todi) for the construction of a monastery to be owned by the Franciscan Clarissae (the Convento di Montesanto).

The dramatic events of the 14th century, among which wars and the devastating Back Death of 1348, forced the nuns to flee the abbey to seek refuge in the city. In 1355, the convent was used as a refuge by a small group of Cistercian monks.

In 1404 Nicolò Offreduzzi restored the complex and gave it back to the Order of Friars Minor. From that moment onward, the monastery was object of several economical donations which allowed the building to flourish.

In 1448, after a mass, the prior declared that the monastery was no longer a locum sanum (safe place) for the great number of monks living there; a condition which imposed frequent works to keep the building in a good shape. He then requested the acquisition of the nearby Convento di Montesanto (at the time abandoned and partially ruined).

In 1810 the monastery was seized following the application of the Napoleonic laws and the building was pillaged and damaged by French troops. The church was restored a fundamentis only in 1848.

The last and ultimate requisition took place in 1860, just after the annexation of Umbria to the Kingdom of Italy and since then the monastery was abandoned for almost sixty years before being purchased by a private individual who fully restored the building.

The property was restored some years ago, it is in excellent condition and the roof is new.

The convent, combining historic charm with the most up-to date facilities, features wonderful rooms, vaulted ceilings, ceilings with wooden beams and terracotta tiles, frescoes, one internal cloister, courtyards, modern and bright bathrooms, numerous balconies and terraces. The main fireplace, the frescoes and the sundial are original.

The convent is located in a hilly and very panoramic position, well exposed to the sun and blessed with excellent privacy. The property can be accessed via two separate entrances leading to two parking areas. Both roads are embellished by two rows of cypresses.

The monastery sits in its own private land, spanning roughly 9.5 hectares (23.5 acres) and mainly covered by a mixed woodland typical of the Umbrian countryside.

Half of these (roughly 4.7 hectares) are enclosed by a restored stone wall. The property boasts a wonderful medieval cloister, a panoramic terraced garden, an ancient well, vegetable garden, olive grove and a swimming pool. While the basin is little in size it is also possible to build another, much bigger Infinity pool in the property.

The garden, decorated with hedges, ornamental trees and crossed by graveled walkways offers a pleasant and convenient outdoor area to enjoy the caressing climate of Umbria.

Town with services (2km; 5’), Todi (3km; 10'), Deruta (27km; 25’), Marsciano (29km; 30’), Orvieto (35km; 45’), Foligno (40km; 55’), Perugia (46km; 40’), Spoleto (47km; 50’), Assisi (58km; 50’), Castiglione del Lago (68km; 1h 10’), Montepulciano (93km; 1h 25’) Rome (135km; 1h 45’), Siena (148km; 1h 50’), Florence (201km; 2h 25’)

Perugia San Francesco (46km; 40’), Roma Ciampino (148km; 1h 40’), Roma Fiumicino (165km; 1h 50’), Firenze Vespucci (202km; 2h 10’), Pisa Galilei (273km; 3h), Bologna Marconi (294km; 3h 10’)