Fairytale House with a Pool Near Spoleto.

This is a beautiful, atmospheric 15th century stone house, surrounded by 126 shimmering olive trees (we counted them), but only 5 minutes from the center of Spoleto! The house is situated on a hill, and offers simply stunning views from every window and from every patio. There are five beautiful bedrooms all together. Two charming full bathrooms, and two ensuite half-baths. The cozy living room has a chestnut wood beamed ceiling, and features a classic Umbrian fireplace. There is even a striking formal dining room, where you can dine on a chilly or rainy evening. For romantic candlelight dinners under the stars, several outdoor eating areas of various size are available.

While you can practically cut the wonderfully rustic atmosphere with a knife, the house offers all the necessary modern comforts, such as fully-fitted kitchens and bathrooms, heated floors, new washing machines, wi-fi, CD player/stereo, and satellite TV with plenty of English-language channels, to complement the beautiful period pieces that you would naturally desire in a quaint Umbria country house: beamed ceilings, terracotta floors, fireplaces, rickety wooden doors salvaged from old farmhouses, bronze bells, antique tables and chandeliers, and wicker baskets and old wine bottles galore. There is an extensive library of English-language books.

A glittering pool is set in the olive grove. Tall laurel shrubs around the pool offer blissful seclusion, while the flower beds showcase the local flora. On a sunny afternoon butterflies converge on the blossoming lavender and rosemary bushes. You can observe them, and the tiny green lizards darting back and forth, as you recline on a deck chair under a flower-bedecked pergola, savoring the unbelievably clean, jasmine- and lavender-infused air of the South Umbrian hills. After a few days of sightseeing or outdoor activities, you may be excused for spending a deliciously lazy day by the pool doing nothing more strenuous than making dinner plans (yes, I do understand that most Americans don't schlepp all the way to Europe to lounge by the pool, but trust this seasoned traveler, your body can only take so much sightseeing, and even so many cappuccino breaks, and if you plan to visit Italy in the summer, you will be grateful for the chance to have some quality downtime).

This unique combination of the bucolic setting and close proximity to the beautiful, lively, sophisticated, historic town of Spoleto, with its world-famous Spoleto Festival, presents our guests with an inexhaustible variety of options to enjoy themselves - from a lazy day by the pool, followed by a barbecue of local Val de Chiana beef, to some of the best sightseeing in Italy(from Roman arches and arenas, to medieval castles, to Renaissance paintings - we have it all!), to hiking, horseback riding or whitewater rafting in the enchanting wilderness of the Valnerina National Park nearby, to the arts, shopping and fine dining in Spoleto - all within a short reach. And, of course, there are towns around whose very names evoke beauty, art, spirituality, and history (not to mention chocolate, wine and olive oil): Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, Spello, Montefalco, Todi, Norcia, Bevagna...

Speaking of food and wine, the area is the heart of a premier Italian wine and olive oil region, need we say more? We do, actually. Not everybody knows that the best prosciutto in Italy comes not from Parma, but from the wonderful walled town of Norcia nearby. Ditto salami and mortadella. You want to talk cheese? The best pecorino anywhere. And the truffles... Ah, the truffles! Pasta with truffles, crostini and bruschetti with truffles, omelettes with truffles, steaks with truffles... And did we mention the porcini? Our housekeeper will be only too happy to prepare a typical Umbrian feast for you, and even give you Umbrian cooking lessons!

Please, see what some of the guests had to say about their stay at our place (in addition to the REVIEWS below):

'We are so much looking forward to being back in your lovely house.' (Mary Miller and family, Stavanger, Norway, returning guests)

'Our stay at the house was a wonderful and memorable experience and we will recommend it to our friends.' (Julia Eisen-Lester, New York, USA)

'Everything was just fine and we were very pleased with the villa. We had a great time!' (Gary and Geraldine Castles, London, UK)

'We had the most amazing time. Your villa was exactly what we wanted; the location perfect for our day trips and your housekeeper is a gem. She made the most perfect meal for us;
her culinary skills are remarkable and truly a delightful woman. Thank you again for all the help and sharing your villa with us.' (Jane Worden and friends, Canada)

'I want to thank you again for hosting us at the house. We had a great time and are telling everyone about it.' (Howard and Alzbeta Isaac, Washington, DC, USA)

So come and enjoy!


Keywords: House