UMBRIA BOUND PART 3 - THE PROFESSOR'S APARTMENT

Lunch over it was time to carry on with our afternoon viewings. The two properties we were to see were in parts of the old town of Citta della Pieve either side of the Via Vannucci. 

Restaurant Silvana where we had our lunch in Citta della Pieve

The first property proved to quite interesting and it had only just come on the market. Laura had literally just received the keys for it that day. It was just a short walk from Krister's office and the main entrance was on a small lane just off a routeway from the Via Vanucci which led through a tunnel and enclosed staircase to the road just the other side of the city walls. It was a period building divided into three separate studios each with an access from a common, generous staircase and each with separate kitchenette and shower room. The studio on the top floor was let out to a local man for 300 euros a month. The other two were quite spacious and had interesting barrel vaulted ceilings in the main room. The principal feature of the lower flats was that each had the use of a large tiled terrace approached through french windows from the lower studio or from a doorway on the way up to the middle one. It would have been possible to make it into one huge outside terrace. The terrace was in fact sitting on top of the old city walls but the downside was that the main road was just below so it was a tad noisy. Also the overall view, though pleasant and overlooking the back of the Vannucci hotel, wasn't long distance. The aspect to the sun wasn't ideal either and I suspected it might have been a bit dull when the sun was low in the sky during the winter months. At 185,000 euros though, with a bit of general refurbishment, the overall impression was one of potential and the property seemed another good contender. It also had the benefit of an income to be had from the letting out of the top flat as Krister had indicated the tenant wanted to stay if at all possible. 

The property with studio apartments - Citta dell Pieve

Ground floor studio 

Studio aparment terrace and view to the Vannucci hotel

The short journey to the second property revealed more of the nature of this charming little town. We walked back across the Via Vannucci and entered a narrow walkway which led, via a gentle slope, to another narrower street lined with brick built terraced properties with little in the way of architectural detail or ornamentation. There were charming and  interesting vistas up and down the street, in one direction an arcaded tunnel which we had to walk through to get to the building where the apartment was situated. 

One of many narrow streets in Citta della Pieve

We arrived in front of a pair of stained and varnished wooden entrance doors which Krister unlocked. Inside was a dark hallway containing a marble staircase with a modern looking painted iron balustrade and wooden hand rail. There proved to be three apartments in the block, one below the entrance level, one up the first flight of stairs and the one we were going to see on the floor above. After a few moments during which our eyes accustomed to the gloom we set off up the stairs to the top floor. Whilst Krister went in to the apartment to open up the shutters we stood on the outside landing and I nudged Jon and said - "What on earth have we come to see here?" and he grinned and replied "I wouldn't hold your breath about this one." Neither of us had viewed it on the internet so the whole thing was going to be a complete surprise. 

The Approach to the Professor's Apartment

Front door to the Professor's Apartment

  On entering the apartment we were immediately stuck by its light atmosphere and its spaciousness. There were six rooms altogether including a modern refurbished kitchen and a bathroom and all the main rooms faced away from the street side and looked out across the magnificent Chiana valley. One of the smaller rooms, presently being used as a little snug, had a pair of French windows and Krister had opened these to reveal a small balcony big enough to walk out on to and accommodate a small table and chairs. The views from this side were truly amazing, acccentuated by the fact that on this side of the building we were not on the second floor but in actual fact the fourth floor. Below the two apartments below this one there was a ground level which accommodated a large garage at street level and it belonged to this flat!

Though the flat itself was a little dated (I didn't particularly care for the 70's black and white floor tiles) it really was in good condition and we both couldn't take our eyes off the marvellous views from the tall windows. It was starting to cross my mind that we could be looking at this view on a daily basis should we buy this splendid flat. 

Professor's Apartment - the top floor of this block

The Chiana Valley - view from the Professor's apartment windows

Archway below the Professor's apartment which leads to lower street level

It turned out that the apartment had belonged to an English Professor of Medieval History who had taught at one of New York's leading universities. He'd owned it for about ten years and passed away in 2012. The flat was being sold by his beneficiaries. Much of the Professor's furniture was still there and the bookcases contained many interesting volumes on medieval and Renaissance history and art. The property was still the subject of complex Italian inheritance proceedings which he explained was one of the reasons a previously negotiated sale had not proceeded to completion. In Italy, as I understand it, if a person chooses to leave an estate to others than the immediate next of kin, it can take months for all the proceedings to be settled and involve notaries from different citys. This was the case with the Professor's flat and another visit to Citta by his sister in law was imminent to deal with the final stages. 

We left the flat at this point to view the property from the outside at lower street level and to have a look at the garage. Outside the exterior door it involved a short walk down through the arcaded tunnel and a left turn down a slope to the level where we could inspect the garge which proved to be huge. 

It had been a long day and we had much to think about so we left Krister to return to our car and make the trip back to the hotel in Castiglione del Lago - we spent the rest of the evening enjoying a pizza in a restaurant in the old town and going over what we had seen. What to do now??

P.S. I forgot to mention the asking price for the Professor's apartment. When it first went on the market the asking price was 185,000 euros but after 12 months and a buyer pulling out because of the legal perambulations Krister told us the beneficiaries would accept a figure of 160.000 euros for the apartment and garage. Interestingly he also told us that the garage could be separated from the apartment and sold off for somewhere in the order of 25,000 euros. 

UPDATE - A recently broadcast BBC2 programme themed "Escape to the Continent" with an episode which featured the Lake Trasimeno area suggested (figures related to autumn 2013) that properties in Umbria were generally selling for approximately 13% less than the asking price. They also indicated that any prospective purchaser should set aside between 7 and 10 % of the achieved property price for taxes, legal fees etc.