Country: Bulgaria Location: Smolyan Small town (MAP of location) Price:   EUR: 23700 Yard: 500 sq. m. Area: 60 sq. m. Status: Available

This charming property is situated close to the centre of a tranquil village in the Rhodope Mountains just 16 km away from the pretty town of Smolyan.
Straddling Greece and Bulgaria, the Rhodopes are the land where panpipes and bagpipes, Orpheus and the Orphic Cult originated, a region rich in gems and ores, Alpine flowers and tropical foliage, bikinis in winter and thick woolens in summer. Nowadays the region has been made notorious mainly by Bulgaria’s premier ski resort Pamporovo, from which tourism has spread to lap at Smolyan and the picturesque villages of Chepelare and Shiroka Laka. Spread over three districts –Smolyan, Raikovo and Ustovo – Smolyan is the regional capital whose centre is nicely laid out and for visual appeal quite matches the old houses in Raikovo and Ustovo. The most famous of these is the Pangalov House in the Raikovo quarter, a splendid National Revival-style mansion with timber-framed oriels and the customary trimmings, which now contains a superb Ethnographic Museum. The inhabitants of the Rhodopes were once noted for their distinctive costumes: men wore relatively somber attire with a modicum of braiding, but the women let rip with red and yellow aprons, deeply-slit soukmans, and elaborate ear-covers, tiaras and diadems – variously known as trepki, kossichnitsi and kruzhila. The museum has a fine collection of carpets (chergi) and rugs (halishta) which are still manufactured around Smolian. Easily accessible from Smolian and Pamporovo, Shiroka Laka is where people go to see a genuineRhodope village. With its rambling streets and tall, asymetrical stone houses built steeply into the mountainside, this settlement could have been lifted off a picture-postcard – and is, remarkably, unspoilt, despite increasing numbers of travelers who arrive in coaches to invade its humble tavernas and enjoy the magical sounds of folk music performers – descendants of the legendary Orpheus. The legend of Orpheus originated in ancient Thrace, where he was supposedly born of a Muse (perhaps Calliope, patron of epic poetry) and King Oeagrus of the Odrysae tribe (Apollo in other versions of the story). His mastery of the lyre moved animals and trees to dance, and with his songs – which had previously enabled the Argonauts to resist the Sirens’ lure – Orpheus tried to regain his dead wife, Eurydice, from the underworld. His music charmed Charon and Cerebus, the ferryman and guardian of the River Styx, and finally Hades himself, who agreed to return Eurydice on the condition that neither of them looked back as they departed – but alas, emerging into the sunlight of the overworld, Orpheus returned to smile at Eurydice and so lost her forever. Thereafter, Orpheus roamed the Rhodopes singing mournfully until he was torn apart by “the women of Thrace” (whom Aeschylus identifies as followers of Dionysushaving a Bacchic orgy). His head continued singing as it floated the River Mesta to Lesbos, where it began to prophesy until its fame eclipsed that of the Oracle at Delphi.                                                                                                                               Pamporovo is a modern ski resort in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains and is the sunniest Bulgarian mountain resort with wonderful snow conditions throughout the whole winter season. Pamporovo is situated at an altitude of 1650 m above the sea level at the foot of Mt Snezhanka (1926 m). It is 240 km far from Sofia and 85 km from Plovdiv. Pamporovo has an exclusive climate featuring a soft winter with about 120 sunny days during the skiing period. The significant influence of The Aegean Sea is strongly felt here and the skiing season lasts from mid-December to mid-April. The average air temperature is - 3 ° C. The gentle profile of the mountain with its rounded slopes and summits makes Pamporovo particularly suitable for beginners and a user-friendly type of ski-centre. It also offers more difficult ski runs like the Giant Slalom run which is an excellent exercise for every skiing expert. Beginners’ slopes are close to the resort centre, while the other runs – including the giant slalom – begin higher up the mountain, above the Studenets way-station. All ski runs are safe guarded and maintained in a very good condition. More than 100 highly qualified ski instructors fluent in different languages are here to teach both beginners and intermediate skiers and snowboarders. Ski rentals are available near the ski runs and the lift stations, you can book ski equipment rental, ski school, lift pass with us. All major ski runs start from the peak of the mountain, where the TV tower is located. Great off-piste skiing and snowboarding is available in this resort too, however, we recommend using a local guide when going off-piste.
This property features a typical Rhodopean architecture house with 60sq.m build and total area of 120sq.m on two floors. It is set in a garden of 500sq.m which houses a solid stone walled barn. The property needs some restoration and our professional teams of experienced builders are able to assist you with all your property needs.