Full Description

The Posthouse is a handsome, fortified 15th Century tower-house built mostly of stone. Carrier pigeons used to fly from here as far as Verona, carrying messages from the Da Varano, the Dukes who controlled Camerino and surrounding areas, and horses were supplied to the travellers who rode through the valley to and from Umbria, about 15 miles away. The layout is unique and reflects the history of the house. Originally consisting of two towers, one was later lowered and roofed over, and the house grew as additions were built on. This structure has been standing unchanged for 500 years. It is one of only 600 such tower houses in the Marche region, and the only one with frescoes.

Bought 15 years ago by the present owner from the descendant of the original owners, the property has been renovated without changing anything of the original unless absolutely necessary.

- The ground floor at garden level (above the cellars) is the main living area, with large, airy rooms, high timbered ceilings and a nice, open feel. Old features such as niches, large wood joists, faded 15th Century frescoes and original painted doors add special touches. All the floors are terracotta, some probably unchanged since the house was built. The kitchen, which used to be the wood-shed and the carbon-store, is open-plan and comprises 2 rooms (each 4m x 4m). It is especially suited to entertaining, as there is a large adjoining room (about 45 sq.m.) and the main living room beyond that, which leads to the 4 very large bedrooms. There are 2 bathrooms on this level, both with bidet, w.c. and wash-hand basin; one has a bath and the other a shower.

- At street level, with large double doors opening onto an unused gravel road (the old road leading to Umbria), the large rooms with mangers still in place were used as stables , but were later converted to produce large quantities of wine, and the machinery (vats for grape-treading, copper cauldron etc.) is still intact.

- The upper floor, the guest quarter, is a self-contained unit with independent access. It can be closed off from the rest of the house, though it can also be reached from the main floor by a wide, original stone staircase. One of the main features is the Tower room (now a kitchen). The owners decided that the best way to make use of this space without encroaching too much on its feel was to build a plain balcony stair with walkway in chestnut to access the top floor of the Tower

. The original kitchen, (now lounge with fireplace) still has the old sink basin made of terracotta with a hole underneath from which water drained directly outside, with the cooking range to one side of the fireplace. It is unusual for a house of this age to still have these original features undamaged. Central heating throughout – the guest area central heating can be closed off from the rest of the system. The house has an environmentally friendly heating system which burns solid fuel called “sansa” which is the residue left over when olive oil has been extracted from the olive. The boiler also burns wood and nut kernels. There is also a large gas tank to supply cooking and hot water needs, and the central heating system can be switched over to gas should the sansa run out. The main living area has big, cast-iron radiators, while the guest apartment has more modern aluminium radiators.

Land: approx. 13,000 square metres of land (about 1.3 hectares), mainly flat, open meadow (with several species of orchid) and partly uphill toward the mountain. The sound of the small river which runs through the hamlet adds to the magic of Palentuccio.

Renovation work done: - entire roof strengthened, screeded, waterproofed and insulated. - all timbers checked and treated for woodworm - windows on main living area new (mostly chestnut) and all double glazed - floors in tower area strengthened, remainder are solid and original - 10,000 litre water tank installed - central heating (eco friendly boiler and gas back-up) throughout main floor and guest apartment - new plumbing throughout - rewired (using external plaited wiring in keeping with age and character of house)

Internal photos the property of Helen Miller, Photographer.