Montorio Al Vomano VacationsFRBO Property 16829 Vacation Rental
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Montorio Al Vomano, Italy  (# 16829)
 Apartment in 16C Convent near Spoleto/sleeps 4
  VacationsFRBO Montorio Al Vomano Vacation Rentals Property ID 16829 La Passionata  

Major City: Spoleto
Distance: <4 mi

Type:   Flat
Area: View

Bedrooms: 2
Sleeps: 4
Baths: 1
Size: 250 Sq M

Internet: No
Pets OK: No
Pool: Yes
Spa: No

Calendar: No
Exchange: No
For Sale: No
Credit Cards: No

 
1 of 16  
Dining area/stunning views/6 huge arched windows
   
 
 

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     Contact Owner/Manager 

 

Name: Norma Williams

Phone: (0039) (0)743 498 38; Laurie (0039) 349 739 3501 -

Languages: English

Personal Website: http://www.umbriaholidayrentals.com

VacationsFRBO Listing Since: 2007-10-18

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     Description 


Please note that the outdoor pool referred to is public, just a
minutes away by car, fabulous and set in the most stunning scenery.
Here, there are also bars and picnic areas.

This very pretty part of a 16C Convent was bought about 8 years ago
by an architect who very sensitively restored and converted it into 2
elegant apartments while retaining many of its original features. The
private entrance, by way of its original and impressive iron gates,
leads to the heart of the Convent where the library and the prayer
rooms used to be - hence its 8 huge arched windows through which the
nuns would contemplate the stunningly natural beauty all around.

When we first saw it and entered, there was absolutely no question in
our minds that we had to have it…and, we’ve seen many an old
building, having owned and restored our own house within the walls of
the nearby hill-top 10C San Mamilianese fortress some 17 years ago -
see Il Castello.

On one side of the Convent is a small farm-yard consisting of ducks,
geese and roosters. Up the lane is Bazzano’s main and very beautiful
church. On the other side of the Convent live an Italian family. So,
at any one time, you may hear roosters crowing, Italians chattering
and bells ringing - a cacophony of Mediterranean sounds. At other
times, silence ! Living in the Convent is not like living in a make-
believe picture postcard version of Italy. What you are about to
experience is as real as it can get.

The local Italians, all of whom are very friendly, will be fascinated
by you. So, best learn the odd word such as, “Piacere” ie “Pleased to
meet you” to show willing ! English is not spoken around Bazzano. It
is spoken occasionally at the posher restaurants in Spoleto and, of
course, increasingly so in the more touristy places such as Assisi
and Perugia. But, unlike Tuscany, where English is spoken everywhere,
Umbria has retained its Italian identity and has remained
authentically Italian.

La Passionata, a large, open-plan apartment of about 150 sq.mts, is
both sensuous and splendid. This spacious apartment, with its beamed
and domed ceilings, has 2 double bedrooms - 1 double on the ground
floor with a casement window overlooking the gardens and 1 twin in
the loft space with a sloping roof and a sky-light - a fully equipped
kitchen/breakfast room built into the rocks, an awesome L-shaped,
open-plan dining/sitting room with its own 16C fresco as a centre-
piece - the artist, Lo Spagna, also has work in the duomo in Spoleto
and the Vatican, a huge 16C stone fireplace and 1 bathroom. The
main “wow” factor, however, are the 6 huge arched windows on two
sides of the dining/sitting room that overlook the spectacular
countryside, the gardens and that evoke a feeling of intimacy with
the natural beauty surrounding you.

4 persons is the optimum number of guests for maximum comfort as
there is only 1 shower/bathroom.

Below, and to the side of La Passionata, is another smaller
apartment, La Romantica - please see its details too. Neither
apartment intrudes on the privacy of the other in any way.

Just 10 minutes outside of central Spoleto, Bazzano is a wholly
Italian enclave and heaves with a history reflected in many of its
wondrous old buildings, its awesome church and its grand palace
nestling amidst the olive groves. Bazzano is famous locally for its
walking territory. Albeit untouched by tourism, it's a little more
sophisticated than its neighbouring villages, particularly regarding
its small country roads that meander up and down the surrounding
hills and join the upper part of Bazzano with its lower part.
Strolling back down to the Convent with the stunning panoramic views
changing at every twist and bend in the road and enjoying a glass of
cold Orvieto at the end of your walk can best be described as a dream-
like experience.

Another huge advantage that Bazzano-di-Spoleto has over the other
tiny villages in Umbria is its local bus that goes between Bazzano
and Spoleto five times a day between 8.00am and 8.00pm and stops just
a minutes walk from the Convent. The bus terminates at the bus-
station in Spoleto, down the road from the train station. From here,
you can get to anywhere in Italy. The Italian train-service is
fantastic and so cheap ! Note that the bus doesn’t operate on Sundays
or on public holidays. However, we do recommend a car here.

There are also 2 very economically priced restaurants, Due Querce and
Il Ristorante Antico, that are within walking distance from the
Convent - between 1 and 2 miles - a wonderful walk or bike-ride
(bikes are included in the rental) on beautiful country lanes that
weave through olive groves and poppy fields. Here you can often spot
the occasional celebrity enjoying an evening away from the bright
lights and the intrusive lenses of the paparazzi……and the prices are
the same as any other country trattoria, their owners valuing their
less wealthy local customers just as much. Of course, while you are
in Umbria, you must sample the most famous Italian dish of
all….tartufo ie truffles. Umbria is the centre for truffles…black
truffles are common all around here and the white truffles are a
little further afield, towards Norcia.

The Convent in Bazzano is sufficiently off the beaten track to have
remained relatively undiscovered and, therefore, it is unusual to see
other tourists here. Yet, you still have easy access to all the main
attractions.

Local shops and many trattorias are all within minutes to half an
hour by car or bus. Eating out in the summer months is highly
recommended. It would be difficult to pay more than 16 euros for a 3
course meal with as much wine as you can drink in the local eateries.
Of course, the more “flash” places in Spoleto and the more touristy
places can cost more. However, all pizzerias tend to cost much, much
less. Eating al fresco on a warm evening with the sun setting behind
mountains silhouetted against a pink-streaked, azure blue sky takes
some beating.

In summing up, I’d say that La Passionata and La Romantica are to be
most appreciated by those who love walking in woods and mountains and
enjoying the beautiful scenery which looks up to the mountains and
over the surrounding valleys. In the surrounding woods and olive
groves, there is a diversity of wild-life: foxes, black squirrels,
wild boar, porcupine etc. and many different species of birds,
including nightingales. Occasionally, especially at night or of an
early misty morning, these animals can be spotted on the roads
leading to Bazzano.

The Convent and its surrounding area is perfect for those who wish to
savour the atmosphere of a bygone era in a relatively unspoilt and
beautiful part of the world while, at the same time, having the
world’s major Italian tourist attractions on your own doorstep.



 

     Amenities 


Both the apartments, La Passionata and La Romantica, have their own
terrace with garden furniture for added privacy. There is central
heating in both apartments - inclusive in the winter rental charge.
And, each apartment has its own hair-dryer, TVs (SKY SAT TV/DVD/VCR
with many English speaking film, doc and news channels, inc BBC
World/CNN/FOX etc plus plenty of videos, CDs and books to suit all
tastes in both apartments. Guests share the washing machine - this is
in a utility room that is independent of both apartments. However,
each apartment has its own ironing facilities. And, there are several
bicycles available - free of charge, naturally !



 

     Attractions 


One of our biggest boasts is that some years ago the press excitedly
reported that Prince Charles had bought a holiday home in this area
in order to be close to his beloved Spoleto, quoted as being “his
favourite place in the world”. Fortunately for him, his address is
our local secret.

As well as the prestigious Spoleto festival featured in the Bigitte
Bardot film based on her young life as a star, there are many other
big festas, ranging from the less prestigious, but still spectacular,
festival at Todi (Spoleto’s unofficial rival), the specialist Flower
festivals at San Gemini and Spello, the Water festival at Piediluco
(all within driving distance of an hour or so), Ferentillo’s historic
Pageant, involving 400 volunteers and showing life in Ferentillo over
the last 1000 years…..as well as hundreds of more modest festas where
you can dance, eat and drink all night and it will cost you
practically nothing. Italians know how to love life to the full!
Further information on any of these festas can be got off the
internet or from the tourist offices in Spoleto, Terni and Assisi
when you get here.

About an hour away is the Piediluco lake which was famously painted
by that great impressionist, Turner. Here, also, there are many bars
and restaurants. Indeed, for the serious swimmer, there is an Olympic
sized pool next to Piediluco lake. On the lake itself, there are all
the usual boating facilities (though speed-boats are not allowed) and
sun-bathing areas.

There are 3 local outdoor pools - one in Spoleto, a 50 metre one in
nearby Pissignano and a 50 metre pool in Scheggino, another very
pretty village well worth visiting with an all-day pizzaria and a
restaurant.

For those who prefer to explore places only accessible on horse-back,
there are riding stables close by and day-long pony treks can be
arranged across the mountains at special rates. Treks also take place
on full-moon nights. At Marmore Falls, the largest in Europe - about
an hour away, there is white-water rafting. And, rock-climbing and
hang-gliding is on offer in the hills.

Then, about 1½ hours away is the relatively undiscovered plain of
Rieti. In this area are to be found the original worship places, in
tiny monasteries dotted around, of St Francis who lived in this area
when he first left his privileged existence in Rome to spread a less
conventional Roman Catholicism in the rural areas of Umbria, before
settling in Asissi. Some of his “churches” in this area are to be
found outdoors, a simple assembly of wooden benches and an alter
beneath the trees.

And, last but not least is 10C San Mamiliano (see the details of IL
Castello and L'Arco), the oldest inhabited village in Umbria, where
we lived until recently, when we moved to Spoleto to be nearer to the
majority of our apartments. This tiny, walled fortress, with its
fifteen or so Italian inhabitants, whose history embraces a time when
the Pope used to stay here (San Mamiliano marks part of the boundary
of the Vatican state), is perched just below the snow line, often
above the clouds, on a hill that faces the Apeninnes and that
overlooks Ferentillo in the valley below. If you visit the tiny
Italian community of San Mamiliano, please mention our names in the
village and you will be responded to as one of the extended family !



 

     Rates 



RATES PER WEEK : LA PASSIONATA - May - Oct | 640 euros Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March | 550 euros April | 630 euros May - Oct| 690 euros To include up to 4 adults or 1 couple + 2 young people (the loft space of the twin bedroom has restricted standing room and the spiral is on the narrow side. However, there is plenty of sleeping space in a privatised area on the ground floor for a 3rd and 4th adult, should they prefer not to use the loft twin bedroom) LA ROMANTICA - May - Oct | 450 euros Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March | 390 euros April | 450 euros May - Oct | 550 euros To include up to 2 adults or 1 couple + 1 adult or 2 small children. The Italian law dictates that the weekly rate excludes all utilties… towels, linen (beach towels, if requested), unlimited central heating when requried etc plus a Welcome Pack…wine, bread, butter, milk, tea, coffee, sugar, all the condiments, fruit, pasta, olive oil etc….enough for our guests not to have to worry about food shopping before settling in ! However, all the above, we will give you in addition, free of charge ! Daily rate is 20 euros more than the pro-rata weekly rate for a minimum of 3 days - less is 35 euros more a day. If you have flexibility with dates, please enquire about "plugging a gap" : I offer 1 day - 2 week gaps all round the year at reduced rates ie at a daily rate below the pro-rata weekly rate, just in order to fill them ! Discounts for a minimum booking of 3 weeks. Changeover day Any day arrival/departure. Please arrive between 2 - 4 pm. If you are going to be earlier or later, please ring Laurie in order to make special arrangements to meet up. Don't leave a message - we don't know how to retrieve them. If you don't get through, keep trying - the signal can fade temporarily in the mountains.



 

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