No ocean view, but who cares?

The Italian language is so lyrically euphonious that it can be forgiven brief lapses, such as the town of Todi. Located in Umbria, the only landlocked province on the peninsula but none the worse for that, Todi is close to Assisi, and Spoleto, home of Menotti's Festival of Two Worlds. (The other world is Charleston, South Carolina.) In ancient Latin manuscripts Todi is often spelt "Tuder;" Elizabethan aficionados are invited to make no connection.
                                                         

All, however, are invited to connect with this evocative and ancient stronghold in the Umbrian countryside just outside Todi. Seven kilometers from the town is this castle, dating to around 1000 CE.
 It has thick stone walls, huge fireplaces, and secret passages. There are 14 rooms, with 8 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, wooden beams and terracotta floors.

Someone who knew what they were doing built the library on two levels; how you get up to the gallery is unclear from the photos; perhaps one of those secret passages.

The period gardens have fountains, a swimming pool, and an amphitheater. And views. Did we mention the views? There are two hectares in all, with an olive grove.

EUR 3.950.000
http://www.romolini.co.uk/en/223_2_todi_castle_for_sale_castello/property_details.php?id=223

Impossible to resist...

Back to the South of France; if you've been there, you know how hard it is to stay away. The Aveyron department used to be, more or less, the province of Rouergue, and in a nation that seems to have been entirely fashioned for devotees of the Middle Ages, this area is rich to the point of folly. It's the home of the Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue, an ambling road that leads to 21 castles and medieval sites, perfect for endless summer days of picnicking and nosing around in ancient ruins.

Not a ruin, herewith an enchanting castle from the 12th and 16th centuries, measuring 550m², of which 440m² are livable, and doesn't that make you wonder about the secrets hidden in the other 110m²? There are 14 rooms, 7 of which are bedrooms, with en suite facilities added during the last 8 years of restoration which, we are assured, has left everything that speaks of authenticity, comfort, and charm. Sounds good to me, and only reinforces the spectacular view.

There are two spiral staircases that join all the levels, one of which climbs to the top floor of the keep, a 28m² vaulted chamber with a fireplace, and guess where I would locate my library.
There is a 440m² outbuilding, a heated swimming pool, and a bûcher, which could be either a pyre or a woodshed - I choose to believe it the latter. The estate sits on 15 hectares of meadow and forest "rejoicing in a view that dominates the valley." And how.
1 790 000 €
http://www.groupe-mercure.fr/acheter/vente-chateau-aveyron-10503-9244vm.html