The house
Casa San Gentile
Casa San Gentile is located on the border of Piedmont and Liguria (in the Alta Langhe area). Our house is located in the hills of the Langhe from where you have a breathtaking view of 9 valleys and in the background the high peaks of the Maritime Alps that end in the Mediterranean Sea.
Casa San Gentile is a so-called ‘rustico’, an old Italian house that once started as a ‘cachot’ on a vineyard. 300 years ago it was only a shelter for the vineyard workers. 200 years ago it was enlarged into a workers’ house and later it was expanded into the current house. A large house for up to 14 people. The layout makes it very suitable for two families or a large family.
Equipped with all amenities
The house is fully equipped. In addition to the 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, there is a large kitchen with all desirable equipment. You can relax on the couch in the cozy soggiorno. It is wonderful to relax under the portico until late in the evening (at the table or on the lounge sofa by the wood stove), with the great advantage that it is virtually mosquito-free. There are fireflies (clean air), deer, foxes, birds of prey and wild boars.
The House
Casa San Gentile is located on a slope on a plot of no less than 36,000 m2. Peace and quiet are therefore guaranteed. Around the house there are all kinds of nice (shady) places to relax and enjoy the peace and the view. There are also outdoor facilities such as two trampolines, a table tennis table, a pizza oven and of course the great swimming pool. From the terrace (on a lounger) and from the infinity pool (infinity pool) you have the most beautiful view, where the ‘million dollar view’ never gets boring. It’s different every time. And if you want, there is always a spot in the shade on the pool terrace: under the gazebo or under one of the parasols. Next to the beautiful swimming pool there is a private beach where you can play tennis, beach volleyball or football.
Beautiful environment
It is nice to walk around the house, there are numerous walking tours in the area, but also great cycling routes. And perhaps most importantly of this unspoilt environment, many authentically good restaurants and beautiful wine farms where it is nice to taste the best wines of Italy and experience the fantastic cuisine of Piedmont (slow food). And all for a good price.
The layout
The house consists of two parts with a shared kitchen and a large portico at the front. A family can stay in the old part, where there are two connected bedrooms on the first floor. They share a bathroom together.
The master bedroom is downstairs in the old house with a private bathroom where you can shower with a view of the Alps. The cozy soggiorno (small living room) also has a sofa bed.
The other part is the master bedroom with private bathroom on the first floor with a balcony. Next to this bedroom there is a small baby room with a baby bed suitable for children up to 2 years old. On the second floor there is an attic with three beds, a bunk bed and a sofa bed.
The house is especially suitable for friendly families or a large family, because you have your own privacy but are still together. Have a nice breakfast or lunch under the portico or cook together in the spacious kitchen, barbecue or bake the tastiest pizzas outside in the Italian pizza oven. Of course, you also share all outdoor facilities such as the swimming pool, sports field, table tennis table and trampolines.
Services
There is central heating throughout, a gas stove in the soggiorno and a wood stove in the kitchen. There is plenty of wood in the ‘capanone’ (shed).
Kitchen
The kitchen is fully equipped. Dishwasher, microwave, espresso machine, slow juicer, Boretti stove with two ovens and all kinds of kitchen appliances are standard. There is also a safe for storing iPads, laptops, etc.
Around the house
Under the portico there is a lounge area with a wood-burning stove next to it. On the other side of the wood stove there is a dining table. There is also a gas barbecue.
The table tennis table can also be used as a table. For example, to enjoy freshly baked pizza from your own pizza oven.
There is plenty of space around the house and enough furniture for everyone to sit and lie down. Hammocks, parasols, lounge sets (both under the portico and on the terrace in front of the house) and a nice hanging chair ensure that there is always a place to nap or read a book.
Daily groceries
For daily shopping there is a ‘alimentari’ downstairs in the village (Sale delle Langhe) which also includes a ‘pannetaria’ (bakery) for delicious fresh bread. Even brown bread (‘integrale’ or ‘ceriale’) is available there. Next to the alimentari there is a ‘maccelaria’ (butcher) with the best Piedmontese meat. There are larger supermarkets in Ceva (a 10-minute drive). On the main road there is the Conad and the IN’s (comparable to Lidl). The IN’s and Conad are open every day but, like many other shops, closed between 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM. On Sundays the supermarkets are only open in the morning.
Opposite the Conad is the Gran Casa, a combination of a hardware store and a shop for all kinds of household items.
Ceva center
Ceva is a beautiful and cozy town. In Ceva center there are many butchers and bakers. The bakery at the beginning of the main street with beautiful old porticos has very tasty brown bread. In addition, there are greengrocers, clothing stores and, above all, many nice coffee shops in that street where you can also have a nice lunch. In Ceva there is also the nearest hospital in case the need arises. You can find a pharmacy in both Sale delle Langhe and Ceva, where you can obtain both medicines and numerous drugstore items. The market in Ceva is on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This is always very pleasant.
Accessibility
By car
Sale San Giovanni is easily accessible. From the A6 toll road it is another 15 minutes to the house from the Ceva exit.
This exit can be taken from the south via the coastal route (from Genova) and from the north (from Torino) from the A6. The fastest way to Casa San Gentile is via the Gotthard Tunnel and then via Milan and Turin. A very beautiful route, and only 10 kilometers longer, is the route along Mont Bianco via the Gran Bernard tunnel. When the weather is nice, the Gran Bernard mountain pass is recommended, it is beautiful on the Italian side with fantastic views.
Train
The nearest train station is in Sale delle Langhe. From Turin you can change in Fossano to the train that serves Sale delle Langhe. It is also possible to go to Ceva from Turin, the train runs more often. From Ceva you can take the train to Savona and other coastal towns in 45 minutes.
Aeroplane
This region can also be reached by plane. The nearest airports are Turin and Genoa. With KLM you fly to Turin in 1.5 hours and a little longer to Genoa. It is then another hour’s drive by (rented) car.
You can also fly to Milan or Nice. These airports are approximately a 2.5 hour drive away. The advantage of these airports is that several airlines fly to them.
