2002
"We are back from Italy and had a wonderful time. Renting a house was something we had not done before and we enjoyed the flexibility it gave us. The drive up the hill was a little daunting at first but, we got used to it. The view was magnificent and each morning we would wake up above the clouds. The location was perfect for visiting the hill towns and we were able to go to Orvieto, Assisi, Gubbio and others. Dinner at Loconda del Capitano was wonderful as was Montone. We also enjoyed our experience at Mimmi's. It was like going to Grandma's house. The co-op at Umbertide was better than we expected. Thank you for recommending the abbey at San Pietro for our first night. What a beautiful location and how amazing to stay in such a place. Our second portion of the trip we stayed at a B & B in Lucca - Villa Alessandra which was wonderful. We had a charming host and a good location to explore that area. If anyone needs a recommendation for that area please pass our thoughts along. It was coolish during our stay and we had to use heat. .......You have a wonderful library ........ The fireplace and wood provided a lovely and comfortable place to spend the evenings. My favorite spot was beside the fireplace reading while laying on the pillow topped bench.Thank you for the opportunity of staying in your home."
J.R. (Georgia)"Brian and I are finishing up our honeymoon here (at Calboccia) having started two weeks ago with two days in Rome plus three more in Positano. Our week here in Umbria has been a fantastic restful conclusion to our stay....Thanks. "
H. and B. S. (Massachusetts)"Three weeks in the Essiccatoio; not much we can add to the praises sung in the previous pages of the Guest Book. Regarding the good things said about Sestilio … you'd think the guy stepped off a cloud, while it's not up to us to say whether he's a candidate for canonization, we would like to add that he extended every kindness to us....Thanks!"
J. and J. W. (New Hampshire)"Jim and I are back on our honeymoon -- Luna di Miele - and find "Calboccia" as enchanting as last year. As we traveled to other areas - Venezia, Siena, Firenze - we find Umbertide to be the best place to come home to. Thank you Jan and Sestilio for keeping this place alive."
K.L. and J.W. (Minnesota)
"Ah Calboccia! Such a place of scenery, of peace, of home. We have had the great fortune to live between your walls for weeks--for some of us, one month. You have nourished, inspired and healed us. We aspire to take a piece of your rustic timelessness back to our harried, somewhat frenetic lives. We thank all of you - those who created this haven, pieced it together, bit by bit so we could live comfortably....While we were here, we had 3 snowstorms in less than 2 weeks, giving us not only a "White Christmas," but a white New Year's as well. On New Year's eve, just before the whole valley exploded with more than 15 incredible firework displays at midnight, we wisely took a full moon stroll to walk off our celebratory champagne and feasting. As we walked, the snow crunched under our feet, the stars shone brightly and everything everywhere -- the road, bushes, tree branches and hillsides - reflected the brilliance of the moonlight. There were tears gleaming in many eyes that night and during these past weeks we realized once again how precious life is, here and now. Thank you, Jan and family, Sestilio and Charlotte, Claudio and Dada, for all of your advice and assistance - your kindness and efforts on our behalf were noticed and appreciated. From all of us,”
California, Massachusetts, and France"My dear friend Lisa filled the previous pages of this Guest Book, and gave some wonderful insights and places to visit. I created this trip and united my dearest friends and family to share Christmas and my 40th birthday. I feel that "Calboccia" surpassed my dreams and provided the environment to truly rest and replenish. What a perfect location and Sestilio always helped us ...This past winter we were here for one month. While it was frigid cold outside, it was nice to always have the fires burning and I even saw two cinghiale (wild boar) on the drive home one night, and my two boys, 7 and 9, were very curious about the boar hunters. I feel like we were able to be a part of a forgotten time. The pace of Umbria has been a great retreat from the bay area. Thank you for sharing such a special place with people you do not know. You have given us a tremendous gift by sharing such a beautiful house and environment. I look forward to returning again as my family gets older. It is very sad to leave. "
L, A, A, and G. S. (California)"Paldies, gratse, thanks. I am 9 years old. I had a great time here to. We did fireworks and played soccer to. I had a great time at your house. I bilt a fire to. Paldies. Thanks.”
A. R. S. (California)"Anxiety: driving up the seemingly never-ending gravel road to Calboccia, following Sestilio's lights in the fog. I was in charge of this part of our adventure "Surprise: Arriving to the Essiccatoio, opening the doors, and finding a picture perfect, warm and charming house. "Tranquility: Warming up next to Monica, my wife, with the Umbrian sun shining through the small side window. "Overwhelmed: Driving to the beautiful Umbrian towns, watching places where history has stood still, imagining long gone markets, with Umbrians, Romans, Etruscans, walking by. "Love: For my wife, in our honeymoon, with hundreds of memories that will last us a life time, looking at her as an Italian song plays on the radio, "Le Nostra Storia," - "our Story"- I love you. We have seen many places and many beautiful things, others here have described, but these are the feelings I remember as we start our new life, our new family. -- Thanks to you,"
J. R. (Florida)
"I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful week at the Essiccatoio! The weather started off a little cool and cloudy/rainy, but ended with blue skies and lovely temperatures! We loved the house! It was so cozy and inviting and exactly what we wanted! We had also booked a tour with David Edwards of Assisi, and that was absolutely wonderful. I wrote in the house book that I thought everyone should try to book a tour with him.
I'm hoping that we will be able to come to Calboccia again in the future, but for now - we are recommending it to everyone we know! - Regards,”
E. M. (New York)“We had a great time at your place. We really love the area, people, sights and of course the food. Sestilio was terrific and made our stay very enjoyable. Dada and Claudio gave us our best meal in years. They are so nice. We are so taken by Umbria that we want to go back this summer and look for property to buy. Do you have any openings in June or July for Essiccatoio? We really like the Essiccatoio. It is so comfortable. ....... Let us know about this summer. Thanks again for letting us stay at the Essiccatoio. It very well may become our second home."
B. and K. I. (Germany)"Just a quick word to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip to Calboccia. The setting and the people met every expectation. Thank you.
Sestilio was very helpful, particularly in assisting with a couple of phone calls when we needed to return a defective rental car. We also broke new ground by having Amy write in the house book; she even included a restaurant seconding your recommendation of the place in Montone. We had lunch there on a cold, windy day and we were the only customers. It was one of the best meals we had in Italy. We look forward to going back again."
D, K and A. K (California)"Hi. We just got back form our stay at Calboccia. What a treat. We did a world-wind tour with many side trips away from Calboccia as so many people had so many things they absolutely had to do. I had hoped for more quiet time, but that's not what you get when you are in a group. Anyway, we really appreciated your home in Umbria. Our Italian also improved. Having now returned I thought I would also inquire if the downstairs of the big house might be available for the week of October 6 or of September 22 this fall. I will be biking in Spain and would not mind decompressing either at the beginning or the end of that trip. Now that I know how to fly in closer than Milan, there would not be so much driving time. Let me know. Thanks again,”
L.G. (California)
"Sorry to be so tardy in getting a note off. We all had the most WONDERFUL time at Calboccia--it was better even than our wildest dreams. How can you not be there all the time??? Sestilio was the nicest fellow (but almost everywhere we went in the valley everyone knew you--you really are a friendly guy!) and such a fan of yours. We wanted to bring him home with us. With his expert instructions and your forewarning, we did not once blow the circuits. Cooked up a storm, enjoyed the hammock, and got to see Carmen and Giancarlo 2 days before their baby was born. What wonderful folks! I got a picture of them for you. He made us the very best meal we had the entire time we were in Italy. Incredible food. We let him pick the menu and wine, which was a good thing to do. They were both delightful folks. Also met Nell Bertolluci and her friend Rhea who were staying in the downstairs unit. Nell came and had a glass of wine with us while Rhea was at cooking class. What a charmer!! She, too, is a great fan of yours and the girls. I have some wonderful pictures of the house for you, in case you need updated ones for your web site. There was much activity, no doubt engineered by Sestilio, with geraniums and other plants being put about, the shutters re-verathaned, etc. The entire place looks like something out of a fairy tale. We took good care of everything and watered your plants faithfully. So, thanks for sharing your home with us. We would go back in a heartbeat. Had a lovely time in Montone, which Sestilio recommended to us, and we ate at La Chiusa as well, choosing the sampler meal which was excellent and enjoyed by all. We still thought that Giancarlo's was a bit better, though both meals were superb and will bring fond memories. A hotel in Florence that you can recommend to friends: Belletini. It is on the web and e-mail, they speak English, it is well within walking distance of all major museums, churches, etc. (about 2-3 blocks to the Duomo) and runs about $105 for 2 people, with in-room bath, and a HUGE breakfast. Even a bar in the front desk area, and a computer with free internet access. One caution: tell people to ask for a room not over the street. A little noisy on that side. They are very friendly and helpful. Marcia had her wallet stolen on the street the second day there and Claude, the desk manager, was wonderfully helpful in helping her take care of business and then bought us all a glass of wine to help us recover! Feel free to refer folks to us if they have any questions about our stay in your wonderful Calboccia. You have nice friends and a beautiful home, and we had a truly memorable stay. Mille grazie! Please do keep in touch as we really enjoyed you very much. Ciao--"
H. O. (California)
"We just wanted to let you know what a wonderful week we spent at Calboccia! As before, Sestilio's handling of all the details was perfect! We had ~75 degree weather each day, and lots of sun. Thanks so much for your suggestions on nearby towns to tour. On this trip, I think Gubbio was probably the new favorite. The meals brought by Angela - three this time - were all incredible. They will be prominently mentioned when we post the write-up on our web site. The work you had done to the fireplace is perfect (and it looks very nice) - we enjoyed blazing fires on several nights. Again, many thanks for providing such a wonderful place to stay. We look forward to a return visit! Best regards,"
M. A. (South Carolina)"Thanks. We're back and had a wonderful time. Umbria really is a special place--we did things in Tuscany, but the people of Umbria were much more appealing to us. We'll be back to Calboccia!"
K. L. (Minnesota)"While in the process of re-evaluating my "favorite" websites, guess who popped up? How are you doing, along with Calboccia, Essiccatoio, Sestillio, Dana & Claudio, Umbertide, and all of the other wonderful names, places and people that are in our hearts and minds forever? We (that's Kathy and me...) thought we would be back this past fall, but it was not to be. There were too many conflicts in too many schedules. This is just a note to remind you and ourselves of what a special place Calboccia is, and to thank you for sharing it with us. Adios, for now...,
PS: www.calboccia.com will continue to be a favorite website, so keep it updated. "
H. and K. S. (Texas)
"Our trip to Italy and Calboccia was wonderful !!!!! We are hoping to return in the spring of next year with more friends. Thanks."
R.E. and L.H. (Massachusetts)"Just a short note to express the complete pleasure, and enjoyment, we had during our all to brief sojourn at the Essiccatoio for the past two weeks. A truly magnificent place. 6 Star rating!"
S.B and L.V (California)"In some ways Umbria is a time warp - but one wonders what it will be like once the present older generation pass on? We loved it. (We wrote the following in your Guest Book): 'The house was as great as per previous commentators. Our big tip is buy some firelighters, and DO try the downstairs stove. It takes a couple of hours to get hot, but once it's going, a short log every hour or so is all it needs to keep the bedroom warmish (we had 5 degree Celsius evenings in late September). We like hiking and eating, in addition to the daily dose of frescoes. Although we had two hiking books for Tuscany and Umbria, they were pretty poor for Umbria, so we did our own exploring (aided by a „Sentieri‰ trail book from the Citta di Castello tourist office, but you have to ask for it seems it only gets given out grudgingly). This Sentieri pamphlet has walks around Umbertide, Montone and Citta' and although the maps are poor, the walks are signed fairly well, and you can’t get too lost anyway. One of them starts at the new winery/tasting room between Spedalicchio and Niccone (the new Gothicy building at the La Chiusa turning). The red-and-white trail signs commence on the left/north of the road, and go up to the ridge - about a 200 meter climb, then east along the top of the ridge, and then back down to the Niccone road through a renovated hamlet (just push the large iron gate into what appear be a private villa, it is in fact a village.) It's a great 2 hour late afternoon walk to be followed by wine tasting of Sangiovese reds (or with a 30% Merlot blend) made here in the Niccone Valley (they also have a pretty unique Muscat imported from Sicily).
BEST WALK was over in the Apennines. Go through Gubbio to Sigillo, and then drive up to Val di Ranco at 1000 meters. There is a great restaurant open all day where hang-gliders, cavers and mushroom schools hang out. Hike out on trail 1 to Pian delle Macinare, and back on trail 2 round Mount Cucco. It's about 4 hours and 400 meters climb; you’ll see the entrance to the 920-meter deep Mount Cucco cave system, the launch area for the most popular hang-gliding spot in Italy possibly Europe judging by the number of Germans there, and maybe also the funghi school doing their thing. Try the lamb roasted over the open wood fire (which also heats the radiators) with squeezed fresh lemon when you get back to Val di Ranco Tavern and see which of the three sudden-death sports participants drinks most draft vini at lunchtime. Get the 1:16,000 Parco del Monte Cucco „Carta del Sentieri‰ from the restaurant before trying this, and take clothing that can withstand a storm coming in. We had 70 Km winds + rain arrive when we did this, couldn‚t see more than 10 meters, and were literally blown backwards at times, we enjoyed it so much we went back and did it a second time.
SECOND BEST WALKS. From Assisi, walk up to the St. Francis Hermitage Monastery for the visit, and then continue up to the hill above. This is a three-hour circuit, plus the visit to the monastery. Then next day go to La Verna village (San Stefano exit on E45 north), and walk up to the St Francis Monastery of the Stigmata, the visit takes about 2 hours have a decent lunch in their refectory, then go on up to the top of La Verna hill through the beech woods. This is about a 3 hour circuit, plus visit, and combined with Assisi will give you a great feeling for St Francis in this region.
WORST WALK. The miserable 4 mile Hannibal trail on Tuoro plain, where the town has scattered a few random signs around the plain that was the battlefield that just repeat what it says in the guide books, but don't connect with anything of even vaguely historic interest.
BEST FOOD. Il Postale in Citta di Castello, by far, AND they are open for lunch. The chef is a „Jeune Restaurateurs d’Europe‰ There are 50 in Italy, and only one other in Tuscany/Umbria in Orvieto. This scheme started in France 12 years ago, and we have relied on it greatly over the years. It recognizes emerging young chefs who are owner/proprietors of their own restaurant, usually after training with some great name with two Michelin stars. Most of the time due to affordability these restaurants are in out of the way places, like the Citta‚ one which is in a fantastically interior-designed bus station just outside the town. There are three tasting menus that match anything you can get in Paris, but are best described as Nouvelle Umbrian. We went three times and did all of them. I’d come back to Umbria just for this!
SECOND BEST. La Rocca in Umbertide. Example. Piping hot tureen of bean soup “one for two” at E7 that delivered 4 bowls of wonderful fresh soup, followed by a 1 KGrm fresh turbot smothered with sautéed baby potatoes, baby-baby (like < 1cm) tomatoes and sliced olives at E28 total for the two of us. Only catch, its REALLY slow food, budget for 2 hours, but incredible value and fun staff. They don’t have fresh fish every night, so need to check. If they don’t, try the spaghetti with clams and mussels.
HONORABLE MENTION. La Castagna in Preggio is great family style food often using chestnuts = Castagna, and it’s open for Sunday lunch. Sestilio says you can walk there, starting on the track to the left just below the houses, in about 1.5 hours, but wasn't sure which of the many forks in the track to take. Then we read others in this book who had tried and ended up in Spedalicchio - and I guess for lunch had to have a sandwich at Fausto's (who will also sell you 1.5 liters of local wine disguised in a Fanta bottle for E0.8 to help with the 1.5 hour walk back up to Calboccia), so we drove to Preggio maybe 15 minutes. We didn’t try Locanda del Capitano in Montone because they aren’t open for lunch, others in this book imply they are so maybe this has changed recently.
Jan and Sestillio looked after us as perfect hosts, and we fell in love with the Niccone Valley during our stay, as well as Calboccia. No doubt we will be back.' "
R. and M.J. W (California)
"It just occurred to me that I never thanked you for the wonderful time we had at Calboccia in September. It was absolutely beautiful and I think about returning all the time. (And stare longingly at my photos...) Thank you,"
R.S. (New York)"Having just returned from a further holiday, just a short note (the longer version is in your visitors' book) to say thank you for all you help and how much Ella and I enjoyed staying at Calboccia. It's a beautiful and tranquil place in a wonderful setting. We took the advice of one of your earlier guests and spent much of our time simply relaxing at Calboccia, feeling no need to move from such a delightful place. Thank you again for all your help, the extra Saturday night and putting up with crazy Englishmen who arrive after midnight - you'll be pleased to hear that with your directions we arrived without any problems at all. Best Wishes,”
D. & E. S. (England)
"Your villa, Calboccia, has been reviewed in our newsletter. I would be happy to send you a copy of the issue if you would forward me your address. Thank you. Regards,”
Susannah Clark
Countryside Vacations
P.O. Box 975
Melrose, MA 02176
888-505-8800 toll-freeReview: "Calboccia: It was absolutely wonderful. It's a great converted farmhouse with a small, separate house, that was once the barn. The house consists of two large apartments that can be rented separately, or the connecting staircase can be opened and the house rented as one unit. It was very charming. It is owned by Californians, so it was equipped with almost everything an American would want. Linens were included, but to use the washer took forever. We had to pay for electricity, and utilities are expensive in Italy. And we had to pay for the final cleaning.....It was in a wonderful location, in that every day we could go to a different one of the hilltowns and it was never more than an hour's drive and often less. It was five miles from town. The only downside was that although we were told that the house was on the top of a hill, we didn't absorb the fact that it was so remote....Of course, if it had not been remote, it wouldn't have had the same feel to it. You couldn't have had the views without being on top of the hill. There was nothing around - there was no noise; all you heard was birds singing. It was in a beautiful spot. We never would have gotten any of that if we had been in town It was worth it. It was everything we thought it would be, maybe a little bit more. We had a wonderful time.....I dealt directly with the owner. He answered all the questions we had about the house, about the setup, about the town that was nearby. Since he owned the place and lived there I think a month every year, he could answer all our questions. Everything went smoothly."
B. R. (New York) and M.W. (Maryland)"We have been meaning to write to you since our return from Italy to say THANK YOU for a wonderful week at Calboccia. We have traveled to Tuscany and Umbria many times over the past 20 years but our best trip, by far, was the time we spent at Calboccia. What a pleasant surprise to go to a place that actually lived up to its advertised description and was more beautiful than the photographs. Is it too early to make reservations for next year?"
R. and P. T."Dear Behrsin Family: A much belated "Thank you." Our stay at "Calboccia" this past summer was the highlight of our month-long motor journey through Europe. Our journey began in Paris. Since we had two weeks prior to our arrival in Umbria, we decided to get off the main roads and see the countryside as much as possible. Our route took us to places like Honfleur, St. Mere E'glise, Fort-Sur-Geronde, Nice, Florence, and, at our appointed time: Spedalicchio. When we arrived at Spedellicchio, we stopped at Fausto's alimentari (sp?) and bought groceries and mentioned we were going to "Calboccia." Upon hearing "Calboccia," Fausto treated us like family - a charming man - kind of reminded us of the actor Peter Falk. We met Sestilio, followed him up to "our home" for a week-- and what a great location. Sestilio was very helpful, informative, and gave us several tips on the area - what to see, visit, etc. One of our favorite places he suggested is the hill town of Montone; the people there, the food was outstanding, not to mention the beauty of the area. And, yes, as your literature in the house suggested, we went back to Fausto's and purchased some of his wine – excellent -- especially with pasta -- and I assume the wine contained no sulfites/ala Napa Valley wines. Just to mention, and in contrast, our return trip to Paris took us via Lake Como, Pontressina in the Alps, Innsbruck, Rothenburg, Bastogne, Rheims and Paris, however, and without a doubt, the highlight of our motor adventure was our stay at "Calboccia"--- everything went our way -- weather, driving, food and delightful people. We relished our time at "Calboccia," and made it a point to be back each day no later than 4 PM to just sit, enjoy the sun on the patio with a book--our quiet time. What more could one want? Again, thank you for sharing your wonderful home with us and offering us an escape from reality...a vacation to remember. Our very best to all-- Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays."
B and L. A (California)
1991 -1993 1994 -1996 1997 - 1999 2000-2001 2002 2003 - 2004 2005 - 2007
Please contact Christine@calboccia.com, (behrsin3@earthlink.net), if you would like additional information.
Thank you for your inquiry.
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