Villas and castles for sale

Villas and Castles in The Marche

The Marche is a captivating region, steeped in history and tradition, a land that is still capable of  giving us a glimpse into the past, as our villas and castles for sale throughout the area still  demonstrate today. 

From ancient villas, once elegant spacious residences with gardens or sometimes private parkland,  located in positions that gave succour to both the eye and the mind, to castles, a term that has  undergone a transformation of use and meaning over the centuries, from vast and fortified  complexes, and then, after 1500, large country residences of lords and aristocrats: these villas often  represented their escape, and so naturally were situated in coastal areas, old-town centres or the  gentle hills, and were rarely located where the terrain became wilder and less hospitable, while the  castles – using the more modern meaning – are the perfect example of an aristocratic country  residence, precious gems spread throughout The Marche region. 

Castles in History: Stately Homes

Castrum first and then castellum: this the Roman definition. Although we are led to think that the castle is a purely medieval invention, in reality its roots are much older, when the people of Rome  used the castrum (castellum is merely a diminutive of this term) – a fortification – to defend the  Empire along its borders. They could be permanent or temporary structures, with the former  certainly the most spectacular, with imposing walls and towers.

During the Middle Ages, there was a civic evolution, with castles gaining permanent defensive walls,  designed to protect all the inhabitants. This phenomenon has a precise name: encastellation. The  lords and the clergy had grandiose ones built to assert power and authority, as well as their decision making, administrative and juridical control over the city. 

Only around 1500 did the castle end up losing its supremacy in terms of protection and power: from  that moment on the term was used to refer to large residences spread over several floors, immersed  in the countryside, sumptuous palaces with large adjoining parks, residences with more modern  features, no longer in stone, and no longer with defensive walls and towers. 

Villas in History: From Work to Idleness

Villa is a Latin term, which since ancient Roman times has had an ambivalent meaning, where the life  of the lord and that of the servus were intertwined. A term used to designate a rural agglomeration  of houses, albeit with noble characteristics, the villa was the testimony of the power of solely one  person – who owned the entire collection of buildings – and of those inside it who worked for him to  guarantee his continued wealth, prosperity and otium.

Often, in fact, the owner wasn’t a permanent resident of the villa, but went there on holiday – precisely that – to rest and recuperate from the stresses and strains of city life. Following the  Frankish conquest, in Italy, the villa took on a new guise, a new identity, as it came closer and closer to the idea of a true village located in the countryside, in contrast to the life of a ‘village’ inside the castle walls. 

These days we picture the villa as a large and beautiful residence surrounded by greenery, especially  for use in summer, even though the contemporary interpretation is more often that of a luxury  home that can be found anywhere, even in the city centre. There’s a common thread here between  past and present, a story that continues to this day. 

In fact, The Marche can still boast a vast array of period residences, buildings of a high standard that  have witnessed momentous periods in history, and which thankfully are still perfectly accessible,  delightful and liveable in all their eternal beauty. 

Here at Marche Country Homes we are fascinated by the ethereal beauty and majesty of our region,  especially when the properties carry the weight of history in their walls, whether that’s the recent  past or much further back.

From the most modern villas to ancient castles for sale, each of these  architectural structures is unique in representing its link between past and present.