Umbria holiday farmhouse in Tiber valley - Amelia family stone villa in Umbria

This spectacular villa, with every modern convenience, was rebuilt with the very stones of a pre-existing farmhouse and looks as if it has always been here. The Casale (Italian for "farm house") is perfect for one or two families or a group. Couples, small families, and very small groups might be interested in the attached cottage. Contact owner for more details. Set into the hillside, the Casale has immediate access to the garden on both levels. A gentle path leads up to the magnificent “lap” pool in natural stone and sand-colored mosaic glass tiles behind the house, protected by a natural forest, dotted with olive trees, with an even greater view of the valley and the tile roofed back of the house and the limonaia (or lemon house: its the winter house of the potted lemon trees, and provides a pleasant, protected, village-feeling to the garden. Ideally located, apparently in splendid isolation, the Casale dominates the Tiber valley with breathtaking views of hills, the hilltown of Orte to the South, the Appenine mountains to the East, Monte Cimino to the West, and Mount Soracte marking the southern route toward Rome (about an hour away). Yet it is in fact a short walk down a shady lane from the flourishing village of Penna (population 1000, 10 minutes from Amelia), equipped with post office, bank, town hall, parish church, pharmacy, food and clothing shops, a hardware store, tabaccaio (selling stamps, telephone recharges, newspapers, office supplies, etc.), baker, preschool and elementary schools, public squares and playgrounds, and a thriving community of local people of all generations active in the agricultural and civic life of their village.

Views:Looks over the Tiber valley, the town of Orte, Mount Soracte

Floor Area:280 square meters

From this undiscovered spot, Rome is an hour away by train, Florence two hours. Still more advantageous are the routes into Umbria’s hilltowns, connected by picturesque roads that public buses use. Spoleto, Narni, Todi, Assisi, Perugia, Citta di Castello are the more famous cities easily within reach of Penna. On Umbria’s backroads less famous but equally beautiful sites and landscapes offer endless possibilities for daytrips. West of Penna, on the left bank of the Tiber, lie the medieval and Etruscan sites of northern Lazio’s lake country. In the village of Penna in Teverina itself, the calendar year is studded with festivals, such as the open air banquet to celebrate the vendemmia (or grape harvest) in mid-October, outdoor music and dancing for the village holiday in early August, streets strewn with flowers for the Corpus Domini in June. Penna’s tiny historical center, in the shape of a feather (hence its name, as some think) is anchored between the very active parish church and the belvedere (panoramic overlook on the Tiber river and valley and Mount Cimino beyond). The town also boasts an impressive mechanical Presepe (Nativity Scene) open to visits all year round.

Because the house was rebuilt from the stones of a ruined farmhouse, inside it has modern comforts, light and air. It was designed with the greatest simplicity and authenticity of materials: terracotta tile floor throughout the house, huge chestnut beamed ceiling, recovered old wood lintels and doors, brass hardware. There are three full bathrooms, one with a tub and two sinks, each with its own splash of colored tiles. The kitchen is fully equipped for real cooks and is open to the living and dining area in a modern design. Built into the hillside, it is cool in the summertime, and there is access to the outdoors on both levels and beautiful views from every room in the house. Two couples can be comfortably private, one upstairs in the master bedroom with attached full bathroom and one downstairs in the "guest" bedroom and adjacent full bathroom. Two more bedrooms, each with on regular twin bed and one bunk share a corridor with the bathroom with two sinks and lovely oval bathtub. There is an upstairs sitting area as well as the common area downstairs with fireplace

Outside Area:Though finished in 2006, the villa made of the same stones and terra cotta tiles of the ruined farmhouse looks as though it has always been there. Tucked into the hillside, it complements the ancient olive grove in which it is set, high above the vineyard at the far end of the property. Potted lemon trees grace the exterior, as well as a line of rose bushes against the horizon, oak and fruit trees, climbing flowers, lavender. The two structures (villa and 'limonaia') are connected by a lush 'pergola' (grape arbor) with hanging fruit and shade in the summer months, ceding to bright sunshine in the winter. The views are stunning, at every hour, in every season, from every point on the 6-hectare property. The house is oriented not only toward these breath-taking views, but also toward the south in such a way it is protected from the heat of the sun by the high portico in summer and is warmed by the sun in the winter months. We have had many a February luncheon outside under the portico. Play ping-pong in the shade of the limonaia. 15 meters long and 4 wide, perfect for lap-swimming, the pool has a most natural look. Its sand-colored glass mosaic tiles show off the natural color and sparkle of the water. It is surrounded by stone and grass, and olive trees provide shade. Invisible from the house, it is only twenty steps up the hill behind the house, protected with a own fence for safety that is so ample that it is virtually invisible from the pool area itself. A grove of trees stands near the pool where one can relax in a hammock and contemplate the view.