Guest Reviews
San Fransisco, USA
We stayed at Casa Fontanelle for 2 wonderful weeks in June. It was perfect for our group of 7 adults and 4 kids (ages 6 months to 4.5 years). First of all, Graham was extremely helpful in helping us book our flights, rental cars and train tickets - he even went above and beyond by helping us book flights from Rome to Romania and train tickets in Italy following the villa stay.
He is also very responsive to questions and very accommodating (i.e. making sure the house was stocked with a baby monitor and some extra groceries for the kids). The house itself is beautiful and had everything we needed for a pleasant stay. The kids spent hours in the heated pool which is surrounded by a beautifully landscaped yard lush with lavender and other pleasant smelling plants. Fields of vibrant sunflowers surround the villa and came into full bloom during our stay.
We enjoyed the location of the villa, which is a few km from Spina (a quaint little town with an excellent pizzeria and a tiny but very nice winery -- go see Moreno at Cantina la Spina!) and a few more kms away from a larger village of Marschiano (Be Happy Cafe is an excellent gourmet restaurant there).
The immediate area isn't very touristy and we enjoyed that!
However, many day trips are just an hour or so away. During our stay, we visited Todi, Assisi, Lago Trasimeno, Montefalco, and the Marmore waterfalls. The neighbour, Laura, cooked dinner for us 4 times. Every multi-course meal was absolutely delicious and we had leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day. The local managers, Tony and Karen, were very nice and helpful as well. Wonderful stay! We wouldn't hesitate to stay there again!
JSWtm
London, Great Britain
Stunning Umbrian farmhouse with six double bedrooms and four bathrooms. Superb infinity pool set in sizeable gardens with olive trees, cypress trees and laurel bushes. ideal location for exploring Umbria or even going to Tuscany to see Florence or south to visit Rome. Whilst it is not within walking distance to any local village, it is only a 5-minute drive into Spina to purchase provisions. A well-stocked kitchen means that it is just as easy to cook (or bbq) as it is to go to eat out.
A host of wonderful Italian restaurants or family-run pizzerias are only a short drive away. The sunsets and early morning sunrises over misty valleys more than makes up for the feeling of remoteness in the farmhouse although privacy is one of the reasons we returned here; to experience the 'big sky' country of Italy.
Norwhich, Ireland
The villa is located in beautiful Umbrian countryside approximately 40 minutes from Perugia airport. Several medieval hilltop towns are within easy driving distance.
However, my family and friends spent a lot of time in the large pool and garden as the weather was very hot during our early August stay. Many pool toys are supplied from balls and lilos to water guns for added fun!
Graham,the owner, was extremely helpful during the booking process from arranging flights to recommending local restaurants, places of interest and supermarkets etc. We would also recommend Laura's homemade meals delivered to the villa! In summary- a holiday we will all have happy memories of for a long time.
Marionbea
Edinburgh, Great Britain
We were a family group of 3 generations, and we went to Casa Fontanelle to celebrate a big birthday. The holiday surpassed our expectations. The villa is spacious and comfortable with plenty of room in the garden to run around. The 360° views of the surrounding countryside are really beautiful. The children loved the pool, our four-year-old swum around like a fish, and despite it being early April. the adults swam nearly every day.
Between us we explored Todi, Assisi, and Bevagna; and the architects in the family went to Gubbio to see (amongst other things) the modernist cemetery there. Some in the party took advantage of the bicycles, discovering local villages, and we also did some walks around the neighbourhood. There are so many places to visit we ran out of time.
A neighbour cooked us a lovely meal and we alternated going out to local restaurants with cooking for ourselves in the well equipped kitchen.