Staying in Sessa Aurunca

The second accommodation option we can offer you is in the beautiful ancient town of Sessa Aurunca, in the Campania region of southern Italy. This is a charming rustic apartment built into the ancient walls of this magnificent medieval town, the view from the balcony is amazing; it overlooks the sweeping Aurunci valley; words cannot express how beautiful that view is. I have spent entire days just sitting on this balcony with a glass of prosecco and a good book and not needing to go anywhere else at all. Of course we do not expect our Sessa guests to spend all their time in Italy sitting on a balcony in Sessa but it is a bonus. Sessa is a short drive away from many beautiful sandy beaches in the Baia Domizia holiday resort or on the Sinuessa coast, so if you would like your daily or weekly dose of sun, sea and beaches then look no further.

Spectacular Sunset on Sinuessa Beach, a short drive from Sessa.

Facilities and information at a glance

General:

Storage Heating, Free standing fans, TV, Video / DVD player.

Standard Utilities:

Kettle, Toaster, Iron, Hair dryer, Cooker, Microwave, Fridge, Freezer, Washing machine

Rooms:

Bedrooms / Sleeping areas (2), Bathroom with shower and WC (1)

Furniture

King-Size bed (1) or extra single beds (2), Sofabed (1), Single beds (2), pull-out beds/ futons (3), Cots (1), Dining seating for 8, Lounge seating for 3/5, Sleeps maximum of 7

Other:

Linen and towels provided.

Outdoors:

Balcony / Terrace with view

Access:

Parking space, Nearest Airport: Naples (65 km), Nearest Railway: Sessa Aurunca/Roccamonfina (4 km), Nearest Beach: Sinuessa/Baia Domizia (5 km)

Notes:

Sorry no pets, self-catering


The added bonus of Sessa is that it is an ancient medieval market town surrounded by Bourbon and Roman artefacts which cannot fail to amaze you. It is a really lovely place to come home to at the end of a hard day at the beach. If you want the occasional day out, the spectacular Amalfi Coast, the beautiful islands of Capri and Ischia, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, the Caserta Royal Palace, Montecassino and much much more are just a short drive or train journey away.

Walking through the ancient cobbled streets, past the 9th Century Cathedral on your way to breakfast at the local bar, or on your way to a shopping spree at the market or dinner in the local taverna, isn't an experience you are likely to ever forget.

The beautiful 9th Century Cathedral in Sessa

The best thing about staying in Sessa is that it is so very affordable. Some corners of the Campania region are still authentic and real and relatively uncontaminated by the tourism marketing machine. You can stay in this Sessa apartment for as little as £300 a week in early summer; where else can you have a holiday in Italy at that price? In addition to that we have a connection with several private beach resorts just a short drive away from Sessa so all our guests would receive very low cost access to a fantastic beach resort on the Levagnole coast. As staying in Sessa is so cheap, you will be able to spend your money on hiring a car and doing all the amazing things that the area has to offer.

Apartment built into the walls of the ancient town of Sessa Aurunca

Spectacular view of Aurunci Hills from balcony

The Accommodation

You access this apartment via the balcony. The view of the sweeping Aurunci Hills will immediately captivate you. There are two main rooms in the apartment itself with very high ceilings. One of these rooms has two single beds which we have been pushed together to form a large King Size bed because that is how it is best for us, but friends that have stayed there have adapted the beds to suit their own needs; we have selected the furnishings of this apartment so as to give guests maximum flexibility when staying there.

Relaxing with a book on the balcony with spectacular view of the Aurunci Hill in the background.

Bedroom 1 showing flexible twin / king size bed sleeping arrangement and bookcase, chest of drawers, TV and DVD player.

Bedroom 1

There are two chests of drawers in the apartment, we keep one in Bedroom 1, (pictured above) and the other in the Family Room. Bedroom 1 also has a large double wardrobe, a linen cupboard and bookcase with many books in English which guests are welcome to read when they are in Sessa or lazing on the beach in Sinuessa. The smaller wardrobe and wooden chest in the Family Room is where we store our clothes and shoes when we are not there; so they are locked but we use the wooden chest as a sideboard.

Bedroom 1 showing flexible twin / king size bed sleeping arrangement and linen cupboard on the left next to large double wardrobe and drawer unit on the right with TV and DVD player. The electrical appliance cabinet can be seen at the back of the room and the futons and duvets are stored on top of the wardrobe.

The electrical cabinet (pictured above) is where we store the iron and hairdryer and ample UK socket adapters which we do beg our guests not to remove for the benefit of others who come to Sessa after you. The slimline teak linen cupboard is where we store towels and bedding for all our guests' needs. There are two futons stored on top of the wardrobe in this room should guests require them for extra children or friends.

The Family Room / Bedroom 2

The Family Room and second sleeping area is a very large room with an extremely high ceiling which makes it feel even larger. It has two brand new single beds with orthopaedic mattresses that can double up as a sofa when one bed is lowered and pushed under the other one. A marble table and six chairs are on one side of this large room; we also store our balcony table with stacking chairs in this room for guests to transfer to the balcony on arrival. There are also two other pull-out single beds in this room and a travel cot can be made available on request if booked in advance.

Bedroom 2 / Family Room showing marble table and chairs on the left and sofa-bed on the right. Since taking this photo we have replaced the sofa bed pictured here with a twin bed system with brand new orthopaedic mattresses.

The marble table and chairs in the Family Room

The Kitchen

The recently refurbished kitchen is equipped with a gas cooker, a good sized fridge-freezer, washing machine, a new sink and new taps, ample crockery and cutlery and new food storage units. As this kitchen was completely refurbished last summer, guests will benefit from brand new ceramic flooring, new rewiring with more electrical sockets and new appliances.

Newly refurbished Kitchen featuring, new ceramic flooring, gas cooker, brand new washing machine, new sink and new storage units

Newly refurbished Kitchen featuring fridge freezer, brand new washing machine, new sink with new tap and new drainage unit above the sink

The Bathroom

The newly refurbished bathroom has a bath with shower, a new shower curtain, a new toilet, a new basin, a new bidet and new ceramic flooring. The bathroom window opens out onto the most magnificent view of the Aurunci hills. It must be the best view ever from any bathroom window anywhere.

Newly refurbished bathroom

Spectacular View from Bathroom Window

Beautiful Sessa

Access to this apartment is through a shared front door which is extremely old so people are asked not to slam it. You then go up one flight of steep stone steps to the next floor, passing the two doors to the right and to the left; you then use the security key to open the balcony door straight ahead; the view of the Aurunci hills straight ahead and the 9th century Cathedral bell tower on the right will overwhelm you immediately. You will feel as if you have gone back in time when you realise that you are living in the medieval walls of this very ancient town. There is a storage area on the balcony which is where we store luggage, beach parasols etc. Guests are welcome to store suitcases in this cupboard to de-clutter the apartment after they have unpacked.

The Bell Tower on the 9th Century Cathedral, visible from the balcony

View of the medieval walls of the town that this ancient apartment is built into

The apartment is in the heart of the town's 'Centro Storico' the original cobbled stone streets lead you down hill from the market square to the Cathedral square; the apartment is right behind the Cathedral. On Thursday mornings the whole town is transformed into a large street market packed with people from all the nearby villages doing their weekly shopping. There are many cafés to sit at and just watch the world go by over an amazing cappuccino and an excellent restaurant called 'Da Nicola' which we have an arrangement with, so our guests are entitled to eat there at a reduced rate.

The town of Sessa Aurunca

The ancient lanes of Sessa

Staying in Sessa will certainly be one of the most amazing experiences of your life. I have had contact with this town for my entire life, yet its historical wonders never cease to amaze me. It is a truly beautiful southern Italian jewel. It is how I imagine Tuscan or Umbrian towns would have looked 30 or 40 years ago, before the tourism industry took them over completely. Sessa is a sort of mini San Giminiano or Siena; every bit as spectacular though much smaller and much much cheaper; at least for now. Sessa today retains its medieval market town character and continues with many of its age old festivals and traditions, not because it wishes to attract tourist attention, but because this actually is a very important historical centre; what few people know about Italy, is that many of its most important historical wonders are comparatively unknown; Sessa is certainly one of them, as is the Teatro in Teano and the ancient town of Minturnae. Sessa’s spectacular Good Friday Procession through the narrow, cobbled lanes of this ancient town, is truly captivating as is its colourful Easter Monday Procession with its carpets of flowers, music and stunning fireworks display.

One of the many Holy Week processions in Sessa Aurunca

The vibrant and colourful Easter Monday processions in Sessa Aurunca

The Good Friday Procession in historical Sessa Aurunca

One of the Good Friday bonfires in Sessa Aurunca

Sessa is not a tourist resort, but everyone who has visited us there has agreed that it is one of the most amazing holiday experiences they ever had. As this is the first year we are renting our Sessa apartment in the summer months, we are offering these very reduced rates. You are unlikely to find accommodation in such a unique and historical town anywhere else in Italy at such low prices.

Festa Day in Sessa Aurunca

The lane the apartment is in by torchlight on Good Friday

Sessa itself is extremely beautiful as it is a stunning ancient jewel of a town nestled in the spectacular Aurunci hills; the view from the balcony is truly breathtaking and the town itself is like a tardis, it immediately transports you back in time to an era no longer visible in most parts of our modern world; ‘progress’ has seen to that. But what makes Sessa extra special, is that in addition to the wonders of this magnificent, ancient town, all guests that stay in this apartment in 2011 will have access to several local private beach resorts and an acqua park at a very discounted rate. The acqua park and beach resorts are 15 / 20 minutes from Sessa by car or taxi, slightly longer by bus. Guests will have free parking for the day at these resorts, plus a parasol and two sunloungers or deck chairs, life guards are on duty at all day and the cafés can provide drinks, snacks and even lunches if ordered in advance.

The beautiful beaches, the aqua parks, the historical wonders all around and Sessa itself, will give you a holiday experience that you and your children will treasure forever.

Beautiful beach a short drive from the apartment

Swimming pool at resort a short drive from the apartment

Beach resort a short drive from the apartment