The house is called Il Bacio, Italian for The Kiss, which I can’t help but like, and as you turn down its driveway it welcomes you like a stone-clad ship sat at dock. Spread over two floors and holding five sprawling bedrooms with their own bathrooms, it even has its own courtyard and library. The old wooden olive press from its 19th century farmhouse days stands by what is now the dining room. The ancient hearth, dating back to the 15th century, remains as much the centre of the household as it was when all living there had to gather round it for cooking and heat.
