A terraced apartment for two on the top floor of an ancient olive mill

Accommodation

Entered via the path leading from the central piazza to the pool area, there are steps up to a spacious covered terrace outside the door, furnished for meals al fresco. The main room is an open plan arrangement that features a kitchen /living area with a dining table for four and a corner woodstove in the fireplace to the left. Behind the sofa and a dividing screen is the bedroom area with a double bed and an ensuite bathroom, which has a tub with overhead shower facilities. While the upper loggia overlooks the central piazza of the Borgo, guests are also welcome to use the sunny furnished terrace on the ground level which has views of the ancient medieval hamlet in the valley below.

Local area

Tucked into the folds of a wooded hillside and gazing down at a village that has weathered more than six centuries, one might be tempted to let the world slide by. But there are good reasons to venture out, even if only to visit the beautiful Romanesque Abbey of S. Savatore, which just happens to sell wine and olive oil and house a popular restaurant. Shops, restaurants and all amenities are within 1/2 hr. in the ancient market town of Umbertide or in the medieval walled village of Montone, the latter famed as the home of Braccio da Montone, one of Italy's most audacious 'condottieri', or mercenaries. Perugia, the capital city of the region and a lively university town, may have a history that dates back to the Etruscan Iron Age, but it is modern host to the Umbria Jazz Festival in July and the Eurochocolate Festival in October.

Other Umbrian towns, Gubbio, Spello, Todi, Spoleto or St. Francis' Assisi, or Tusan favorites Arezzo and Siena, are also within reach and celebrate everything from truffles to crayfish, a swift horse or a good bottle of wine, at times in full costume. When muscles want stretching, there are tennis courts and golf courses in the vicinity and, only 40 minutes away, Lago Trasimeno, Italy's 4th largest lake, surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and ancient castles and offering sailing, fishing and sandy beaches. For those for whom shopping is a delight, there are weekly village markets, the nearby town of Deruta, a haven of Tuscany's famed colourful ceramics, and the large Valdichiana Outlet Village, awash in designer brands. Yet with Penny's roses to smell, a borrowed dog to walk, a cooling pool and cocktail hour on the horizon, certain hours may be spent closer to home.

Features

Things to note