In our restoration, we maintained the exterior character of the houses, and, as much as possible, also their interior character. Some of the craftsman with whom we worked in restoring the properties, remembered, as children, visiting previous occupants of , and our plumber's father was, in fact, born in a hamlet on the hill of .

Main House
The main house at is nearly 4000 square feet in size, with equal floor area on each of two levels. When we acquired the property from the Sorbello Family who own the castle across the way, the stables (for cows, pigs, sheep, and goats) were downstairs and the rooms for the family or families who lived at were upstairs.

We restored the main house so that it is available to our guests either as one entire house, accommodating 8 people, or as either of two totally independent private units, accommodating 4 people each. If booked as an entire house, a walnut staircase is opened to connect the two levels.

"Sopra" (Upper) Unit
If booked separately, the upper level is reached via the original, formal, outside, flagstone staircase, which leads to a covered terrace and main entry door. The terrace has a table for four for eating meals, writing letters, or drinking wine and enjoying the view.

The entry door opens to a large living room with cathedral ceilings, huge ancient crossbeams, and a 6-foot by 7-foot fireplace. Two large bedrooms (one with a king size bed and the other with twin beds, which can be combined if preferred) overlook our olive grove, meadows, the valley below, Sorbello Castle across the valley, and the Apennine Mountains beyond. The view is generally west, and the sunsets are lovely. A large modern full bath and a large kitchen/dining room complete the upstairs. Guests staying in the upper unit have enjoyed having their meals in our garden, just across from the main house.

"Sotto" (Lower) Unit
The lower level of the main house is of equal floor area to the upper level. It has a 400 square foot flagstone terrace which looks out to the west, over our olive grove, the valley, the Apennine mountains, and a romantic patio looking towards the forest in the east. We have placed the utilities underground, so that as you sit on the terrace, watching sunsets or morning sun reflecting off the hills on the other side of the valley, you are not disturbed by power or telephone lines.

One of the sleeping accommodations downstairs is a large bedroom with a king size bed and its own large patio. The other sleeping accommodation is in the sitting room, which has a queen size sofa-bed. A complete kitchen and a formal dining room enjoy beautiful views, the latter through an Umbrian-style stone archway and French-style doors, which open out onto the terrace.

Each unit in the main house has a washing machine. The lower unit also has a dishwashing machine. The house has central heating.

Essiccatoio (Barn)
The "Essiccatoio" is a separate two story building. It was once the farm's barn. We have restored it so that it has an overall size of more than 1100 square feet, including two terraces. There are upper entrances as well as a lower entrance. The upper level has an open floor area design, with an L-shaped kitchen, writing desk, dining area, and an L-shaped reading nook, with fireplace and upholstered built-in chestnut corner-bench.

The upper level of the "Essiccatoio" opens out onto private terraces, with lovely views on all sides. The staircase takes you to the downstairs living area, which consists of a large master bedroom suite, sleeping two. In addition to the sleeping and sitting areas, the lower level includes another writing desk, large walk-in closet, and a large full bathroom. The "Essiccatoio" has a washing machine and a dishwashing machine, central heating, as well as the fireplace and an antique "stuffa in cotto", or terra cotta wood-burning stove, which is located in the master bedroom suite. The house also has double-pane insulated windows and doors. I have stayed in the "Essiccatoio" in the winter months, reading by the fireplace, enjoying the house's warmth and cozy feeling.

Both houses are fully furnished, with beautifully restored country furniture, linens, hair dryers, irons, electric current converters, and radio/tape/cd players.

Local Friends
Our friends, Susan and Chris Young, meet our guests, take them to the house, explain how everything works, and provide whatever resources our guests may require. In addition, arrangements have been made for village neighbors to come to our home to provide our guests with local-style home cooked meals, on request.

Our friends, Dada and Claudio Rener, own and operate a highly acclaimed restaurant nearby. The name is "La Chiusa." Dada and Claudio have asked me to tell you about the cooking classes at their restaurant, La Chiusa. Guests at Calboccia have been enjoying Dada's wonderful cooking for many years. La Chiusa has been written up to critical acclaim in many guidebooks, and an article was written about this outstanding restaurant in the magazine, Metropolitan Home.

In the Area
We are about 2 hours north of Rome and about 1 3/4 hours south of Florence. Within 35 minutes of Umbertide are Perugia, Assisi, Gubbio, Cortona, and Lake Trasimeno. Within an hour are Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza, Todi, and Spello and Spoleto.

After exploring the beautiful hill towns of Umbria and Tuscany, our guests come home to the natural beauty and tranquility of and its surroundings to be assured relaxation and rejuvenation. Many of our visitors have suggested to just stay “home” in some days to delight in the extraordinary wines brought back from the great wineries of the area, enjoy a good meal from the fresh local produce from the farmer’s market in town and “hang loose.” From , the views of the valley, of the castle on the other side, and of the foothills of the Appenine mountains in the distance are breathtaking. The active visitors enjoy hikes through the forests, hills and mountain tops around , webbed by a system of trails (“sentieri”) which were created by hunters and mushroom pickers. Some trails even are portions of old Roman roads.

Our home is about 6 miles from town - "Umbertide". There we do our grocery shopping, play tennis, rent bicycles, and make use of the swimming pool in the summer months. We also use a nearby mountain lake which is less than 15 minutes away. Less than 30 minutes away, there are two Robert Trent Jones-designed golf courses. One is an eighteen hole course and the other a nine hole course. They are available to our guests.

There is also a small equestrian center on the adjacent property. The center gives riding lessons as well as horseback tours of the Umbrian and Tuscan countryside.

Travel Connections
The train station most convenient to is in Terontola, which is on the main north-south line in Italy, and therefore provides easy access not only to Rome and Florence, but to connections throughout Europe. Depending on the time and class of train taken, Rome can be reached in as little as one and three-quarters hours and Florence in just over an hour. Terontola is about a half hour away from .

Our family usually gets to by flying to Florence, via Paris, Munich, or Frankfurt, or by flying to Rome via London. Rome and Milan have intercontinental service. I believe the driving distance from Milan to is about 5 hours.

Please contact Christine@calboccia.com, (behrsin3@earthlink.net), if you would like additional information.
Thank you for your inquiry

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