Belvedere - charming home with the most beautiful mountain views in Abruzzo

Abruzzo is Italy's best kept secret. If you appreciate and seek out Nature - from a comfortable chair on the terrace or striding out with a rucksack, walking poles and binoculars - you will not be disappointed. If you love good authentic locally raised and produced food and wine, come to Abruzzo.

This apartment looks out onto the Orfento Gorge straight up at some of the Apennines’ highest peaks. It’s in Abruzzo’s Majella National Park on the edge of a small village called Decontra above the spa town of Caramanico Terme .

Although it is just two hours from Rome, and only 40 minutes from Pescara and the beaches on the Adriatic coast, Decontra is a place that seems almost forgotten in time.

The Majella is an area of extraordinary natural beauty with some of Europe’s rarest plants and animals. It is, without doubt, one of Italy’s great secrets – an experience for people who love nature, who love walking in the mountains and who appreciate the simplicity and serenity of this region’s way of life.

This apartment is one of three available in the house which is arranged over three floors and contains in total five bedrooms with a kitchen, living room and bathroom on each floor. Each flat can be rented separately or together with the rest of the house.

The flats are light and airy in the summer thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows that give on to balconies or terraces. It's also cosy and warm in the winter with working fireplaces on each floor.

The house is approached through its wild flower garden where there is also a picnic table. There are also walking sticks for guests' use, as well as maps and extensive information about hiking trails.

The ground floor also has a taverna available for guests' use: a large common area with a large table and seating area that can accomodate up to 12. There's a kitchen as well at one end of the taverna where food can be prepared and served. The taverna is also ideal for workshops.

The ground floor also has a laundry room with washer available to all guests. There is also good high speed wi-fi throughout the house.

The flats are probably best suited for people who want a relaxing week in nature, whether walking in the mountains or reading on the terrace. May through July are the most stunning months if you like walking because the high meadows are literally bursting with flowers. The autumn is also very beautiful as the beech begins to colour with the days still warm and cooler nights.