Yesterday I went to see a house in Fabrica di Roma built in the 1500s by the wealthy Farnese family. The house was once connected to the castle and famously housed the Farnese garrison during the Papal Wars. I chose to see this house for its incredible historical elements that have been veritably untouched since the Renaissance: Massive carved beams, original cotto floors, velvet wall coverings, painted wooden ceilings, hand-carved peperino fireplaces, and dungeon cellars. Upon entering the house I was transported to another epoch. There were real suits of armor and Medieval antiques everywhere. You can really feel the weight of the years in this place. There were a few moments when I just had to chuckle. The first was when the owner removed a cotto brick from the floor to reveal a murder hole. He said, “Look this was Renaissance high tech for seeing who was at the door below.” I knew better. This was no ancient doorbell cam, this was a hole for pouring hot oil on invaders trying to break through, or for sniping them with arrows.
The second moment came when we stood on the second subterranean level (yes, you heard right), and he pointed down a shaft that looked like a descent into hell and said, “this goes to the torture chamber.” Of course, I braved those worn stairs and the dust and went down. How could I resist?
The palace is a bit like an iceberg with two levels above ground and three enormous hand-carved floors below. The cellars are excavated right into the peperino stone and maintain an ideal temperature and humidity level. Every floor was desert-dry which surprised me. The first floor of the house is the only one that could be made immediately habitable after some repairs. The other floors are in major need of refurbishment. To make the house whole would require a significant investment in capital. The electrics and roof need to be updated and heat added. Windows and shutters also need fixing, not to mention creating a kitchen, running plumbing, and creating new bathrooms. In all this house was close to 8K square feet, though how much of that footage would be actual living space is debatable.
Is it a good solid house? Yes. Is it for us? I’m not sure.
The town wasn’t as charming as some of the others in the area and doesn’t have a huge tourist draw. It is, however within 40 minutes of Rome’s airport in a great region. This house could be an amazing themed historical residence geared for B&B but I question whether people would want to stay in Fabrica. Then, there is the issue of the town water being investigated for its levels of arsenic in drinking water. Lastly, this house lacked any sort of green outdoor space. The terrace on the second floor was workable, but then again, the whole second floor needed to be redone. So all in all, there’s a lot to think about here.
Interestingly enough, the house had both good and bad karma. Its innards were used to house prisoners for centuries, but during WWII, those very same spaces saved people during WWII bombing raids.
Here are some details of the first floor and what originally drew me to see the house. My husband and I love historical properties with character.
The first subfloor was straight out of a museum complete with a torture chamber/prison and original Renaissance kitchen. This was truly an amazing space. I kind of loved it, but I have to think hard as to what we would do here. This floor has access to the street so it could potentially be made habitable.
As I continued to descend, the spaces became more and more cave-like and the whole thing felt more like a fortress than a home.
But, the home didn’t stop there! I am then told there is an apartment with a garage that is being sold for some additional amount and can be reconnected to the residence. This place just went on and on…
Here is a picture of the terrace.
Fabrica di Roma Centro Storico
After thanking the agent, I took a walk around the old town of Fabrica di Roma just to get my bearings. It’s a cute town, but somewhat sleepy compared to some of its neighbors. There are lots of alleyways that reminded me of the fantasy city in my epic fantasy book, The Unseen Hand.
Vallerano Centro
After I left Fabrica di Roma, I stopped by nearby Vallerano. Vallerano was quaint and sleepy, perhaps more so than Fabrica with many houses for sale. I saw a building near the main square with a VENDITA sign and was shocked to learn that the apartment for sale encompasses almost three floors, cellars, and two enormous terraces for 60K€. This could be an amazing house for someone looking for an apartment. Another house, also in Vallerano, features incredible Renaissance frescoes for a mere 120K€. See that listing here.
