The verdant hills of Castelli Romani, just south of Rome, are known for their towering castles, refreshing white wines, hidden lakes and storybook villages. This land is brimming with historic treasures dating from pre-Roman settlements to the WWII Allied landings at nearby Anzio. From Caligula to Benedict, emperors and popes vacationed here to escape Rome's scorching summers.

Porta Sabina was built in the 1600's as a cardinal's summer residence and is now in the midst of a contemporary residential neighborhood on the outskirts of Velletri, just one hour from Rome. The home is converted into an attractive duplex with the estate's owner rarely occupying his wing next door. Along with commuting into Rome, this is an ideal location for exploring Lazio's historical sites, the coast and even venturing into the region of Abruzzo.

Porta Sabina's country kitchen opens to a furnished covered patio overlooking a spacious lawn featuring a barbecue and an outdoor hot tub, available from mid-April to October. Trees and shrubs ring the grounds and do a good job sheltering the house to provide privacy from neighboring homes.

Tuscan-like charm pervades the interior. An impressively arched stone entryway, cotto floors, an open-hearth fireplace, antiques and a tiled country kitchen all ooze charm. The bedrooms have screened windows and air conditioning. There is no internal connection between floors. The two bedrooms on the first floor are reached by going outside and using an outdoor staircase located 30 feet from the main entrance.

Velletri, a 6 minute drive away, was founded in 338 bc by the Vulsci and is now a thriving community of 50,000 with numerous restaurants and shops. It's train station offers hourly service into Rome's Termini station with the commute taking 60 minutes. Hardly a month goes by without a major festival taking place in town. Among them are the May 1st Madonna delle Grazie celebration with a candlelight procession, music and fireworks and the 10 day grape harvest festival taking place in October.

Nemi, a 20 minute drive away, is known for its luscious strawberries and its famous lake, as seen on the History Channel. On the lake, Emperor Caligula used advanced engineering techniques to build two floating palaces the size of islands - one served as his imperial headquarters and the other as a temple devoted to the goddess Diana.

Within a 25 minute drive, Castel Gandolfo, one of the region's most charming hill towns is the Pope's summer residence and overlooks perfectly terraced wine country and Lake Albano. The white wines of Frascati are within 35 minutes; Nettuno's lively waterfront and Allied Landing Museum: 45; the beaches and Roman amphitheatre of Anzio: 50; Rome or Tivoli: 60; the pristine beaches of Terracina or Sperlonga: 75; Montecassino's Benedictine abbey, L'Aquila or Gaeta: 90; Orvieto or Sulmona: 2 hours.

Technical Description
Ground floor: Dining room with French doors to the outside opens to a sunken living room with fireplace, TV, CD player, door to outside and 12 steps up to one bedroom with two single, joinable beds. Kitchen with stove top, oven, two fridges, dishwasher, decorative wood stove and door to furnished covered patio. One bathroom with shower.

First floor: Entered from a separate external entrance. From the main entry, a 30 foot gravel path and 21 stone steps lead up to a loggia and into a small kitchen with stove top, fridge and washing machine. One bedroom with a queen size bed and ornamental fireplace. One bedroom with two single, joinable beds. One bathroom with tub and shower. All the bedrooms are air conditioned.