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Villa Daphne is a 150-year-old stone cottage secluded in a tiny hillside hamlet just outside of the village of Santa Maria del Molise (population:660).
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 Samnite 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 HOUSE: Villa Daphne is on 3 levels :
Ground floor : cellar/store room with washing machine, wood shed;
First floor: Entry, sitting room with comfortable double sofa bed (spring mattress) & sleeping loft (sleeps total 3), reading room with single sofa bed & sleeping loft (sleeps total 2), bathroom/toilet and kitchen/dining room, timber deck;
Second floor: (steep stairs up from dining area bedroom (sleeps 2) with en-suite bathroom/toilet, balcony.
For heating during winter, there is a wood burning combustion stove (sitting rm), a beautiful open fireplace (kitchen/dining rm), bar heaters (bedroom) and towel heaters (bathrooms). It has double-glazed windows throughout.
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)
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 supermarkets, 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.