Imagine sitting on the sunny deck with an entire valley and snowcapped mountain range in front of you - add beautiful sunsets, total peace and a big serve of privacy and enjoy your Villa Daphne 'cocktail' A very special home in a very special area of Italy Villa Daphne is a 150-year-old stone cottage secluded in a tiny hillside hamlet just outside of the small mountain village of Santa Maria del Molise (population:660) in the region of Molise . It's just 2 hours from Rome, 1.5 hrs from Napoli, Pompei and the beautiful Amalfi coast: just to mention a few of the many major tourist attractions within easy reach. It is the most wonderful base-camp for your Italian holiday! ABOUT THE AREA - U.S.Today wrote: “The region of Molise, located in central-southern Italy, offers small-town Italian life tucked between the major tourist draws of Abruzzo and Puglia. While Molise lacks major cities and the colossal sites of its neighbors, its rich Sannite and Roman heritage and the churches and castles of its principal towns offer visitors an authentic view of life in Italy's countryside.” ABOUT THE VILLAGE My village , Santa Maria del Molise, will give you the chance to experience the Real Italy while still being able to visit the major tourist attractions. The local people here are honest and helpful, some even speak english having returned ‘home’ after immigrating after WW2. The village church has a spring-fed stream in front where the local women still meet to hand-wash their clothes (luckily, you have a new washing machine at Villa Daphne!!) There is also a coffee bar and a wonderful little restaurant in the piazza in front of the church) You can have a picnic on the grass or use the tables next to the little waterfalls and the mill at the entrance to the village. Luigi’s shop is the closest of 2 shops in the village and is only about 5 minutes walk from Villa Daphne, where you can buy wines, local olive oil, bread, salami, tobacco, etc. He also fills gas bottles.He speaks english and can help you if you get stuck! The snow-capped Campitello Matese with its ski slopes and mountain tracks, only 20 minutes away across the valley. There is a limited postal & health service in the village but the nearest town of Bojano (7km) has a large Saturday morning street market, and some big supermarkets like LIDL, a very good hospital, etc. The nearest city is Isernia(15km) where the interstate trains leave from. As the village has limited public transport access, you will need your own wheels to get there, and get around. Petrol and GPL service stations are nearby on the main road. ABOUT THE HOUSE The house is on 3 levels : Ground floor : cellar/store room with washing machine, large fridge, 2 portable drying racks, wood shed; First floor: Entry, living room with comfortable double sofa bed (spring mattress) & single sleeping loft (living room sleeps total 3), dining room with single sleeping loft (dining room sleeps total 1), bathroom/toilet with bidet , and kitchen / sitting nook with single sofabed (kitchen with gas stove, small fridge) , wooden table in front of fireplace , timber deck with wooden table and chairs, 1 deckchair; Second floor: bedroom ( double bed with innerspring mattress, sleeps 2) with en-suite bathroom/toilet and bidet, balcony with view over the valley and beautiful sunsets plus door leading onto back lane . (attention - there is a steep staircase from dining area to bedroom) Other information - For heating during winter, there is a wood burning combustion stove (living room), a beautiful open fireplace (kitchen), wall-mounted bar heaters (bedroom and en-suite bathroom), wall-mounted heaters in dining room and living room and towel heaters (in both bathrooms). The house has double-glazed windows throughout. The house has the following amenities: Sheets and towels included, 2 x TVs, 2 x DVD players, CD/radio portable stereo ,1 Gas stove (no oven) and 1 Wood-fired stove with wood-fired oven in living-room, Microwave, small fridge in kitchen, larger fridge with freezer in cellar, stove-top Coffee maker, electric coffee maker and Toaster, stove-top Kettle , 2 Showers, 1 small Bath tub, 2 Bidets, portable Barbecue , Board games, Books, Outdoor furniture, Deck umbrella, Iron, Ironing board,2 folding Clothes dryers, Hairdryer, Vacuum cleaner, Fan, Portable gas heater, Working open Fireplace , Smoke detectors.