La Passionata

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Apartment |2 bedrooms |Sleeps 4

Bazzano-di-Spoleto in Spoleto

From £492 per week

3 nights minimum stay

Changeover flexible

Be the first to write a review

Key info  Swimming pool, balcony/terrace, car advised, no pets allowed

About the home

Our private pool, 1.7 miles away, at the beautiful Villa Marianna, is included in the rental rate. This large pool, 120 sq mts, is available for use by all our "non-pool" guests. To date, the pool tends to get busy only on Sundays and occassional Saturdays, especially if we put on a beach party on a Saturday night. We find that often guests who book a non-pool property tend to be "non-pool" people. However, Villa Marianna is well worth a visit because here is also our private restaurant, where you can dine on truffles, steaks, pizzas, porcini funghi, pastas and much more, washed down with great local wines. Lunch is about 10 euros/head and dinner is about 20 euros/head, to include everything !!! And, from here, you can arrange guided tours to Florence and Rome or even local tours around Spoleto or Assisi......wine-tasting and oil tasting days, trips to organic farms - anything you like !

Spoleto is just 10 minutes away from this very pretty part of a 16C Convent that has been sensitively restored, converted into 2 elegant apartments and has retained 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 20 years ago.

La Passionata, a large, open-plan apartment of about 110 sq.mts, is both sensuous and splendid. This spacious apartment, with its beamed and domed ceilings, has 1 double bedroom on the ground floor with a casement window overlooking extraordinarily pretty gardens and 1 twin bedroom in a loft space with a sloping ceiling and sky-light (the twin beds can be made up as a double on request), a fully equipped kitchen/breakfast room built into the rocks, a large, 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 in the Vatican, a double sofa-bed, a huge 16C stone fireplace - brilliant for a winter holiday - 1 bath/shower room and a terrace above that of La Romantica (see its details next to this advert).

The main “wow” factor 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.

We welcome anyone who loves the Italian way of life and who prefers to holiday in a truly Italian community. We are aware that there are many "holiday villages" springing up in Umbria - albeit splendid surroundings such as castles and monasteries converted into many apartments with a shared pool - but in these surroundings, your neighbours will consist of only other holiday-makers. Apart from the one other apartment next to you consisting also of holiday-makers like yourself, the environment I am offering you is authentically Italian. Indeed, this is the first time your Italian neighbours have experienced "tourism" as such ! They will be fascinated by you and will want to talk to you so try brushing up on the odd Italian word eg "Piacere" meaning "Pleased to meet you" when you shake their hands. We provide information sheets that include their names as well as directions to the local recommended eateries.

Facilities

Further details indoors:
La Passionata is beautifully furnished and very comfortable while not compromising on style. Many of the original features have been retained.....visible rocks into the rooms showing that the Convent was carved out of the rockface itself...as well as ancient beamed ceilings. The majestic stone fireplace is great in winter providing crackling log fires that will warm your soul and unravel your dreams within its flames.

There is 1 SKY SAT TV, 1 DVD, 1 VCR and a stereo CD/radio together with a large selection of videos - easily enough to keep one viewing for months! And, of course, an equally large selection of books and relaxing CDs for those who prefer to bask under trees, drink wine, chill out to the hypnotic sound of the cicados and the nightinglales, whilst gazing at an azzure blue sky.... Or, in winter, after a relaxing stroll in the warm winter sun-shine, to return to the welcoming fire with a good book and a glass of mulled wine.

This apartment can sleep a maximum of 4 persons. Please note that the loft bedroom is ideal for teenagers - it has a low ceiling and a fairly narrow spiral. It is not suitable for very tall or bigger adults - though many a tall adult has been happy to sleep up there, including us - I am 5ft 10 ins ! However, for adults who would prefer not to sleep in the loft (it is a light and airy space with a sky-light), we have "privatised" the area where the sofa-bed is, so that this area can be regarded as a second bedroom, if required - the sofabed is one of those that glides shut so isn't a nuisance to keep putting away. The large chaise-longue can also be used as a single bed in the privatised area of the living/dining room.

Please request a high chair and/or cot - available at no extra charge.

There is a hairdryer in the bathroom.

Guests share the 2 washing machines in a separate utility room, independant of both apartments. However, each apartment has its own ironing facilities.

Further details outdoors:
Bicycles are available, free of charge, to be shared amongst the guests. Around the Convent is excellent bike-riding country, particularly the 3 mile ride to the next village, Eggi, that has an excellent grocery store or to a supermarket. It's also a 4 mile cycle ride to the city centre of Spoleto along country roads. The last bit, though, is slightly elevated so don't say you haven't been warned! Immediately to the back of the Convent, starts the ascent up the mountains and is better to explore on foot or by car.

A large and ancient pergola provides shade; and, either by day or by night you can enjoy life alfresco. There are plenty of sun-spots for those who like to tan.

There is plenty of garden furniture on both the private terraces attached to each apartment as well as in the garden.

The pergola and the garden is lit, providing a romantic setting for those who like moonlight as much as sunlight.

There are about 60 steps, not steep and with a hand-rail, leading to the apartment. So, it is probably not very suitable for anyone with severe walking difficulties. Though, once you are inside the apartment, everything is on the flat.

Neither apartment intrudes on the privacy of the other in any way. Each apartment has its own terrace with garden furniture for added privacy. However, while the terrace of La Romantica looks onto the gardens and has a partial view of the hills, the terrace of La Passionata is higher and looks onto the foothills of the mountains at the back of the Convent and the ruins of an ancient castle in the distance.

The garden is exclusively for the guests and is easily big enough to accommodate everyone and retain privacy. Here, there are sun-beds, a shower, garden furniture and a large, ancient pergola that guests can eat beneath in the shade. Tuscan pines, chestnut and fruit trees provide shade for those who enjoy sitting outside but wish to minimise their exposure to the sun. There are also areas to sunbathe.

On one side of the Convent is an olive grove. On the other side live an Italian family. Just up the lane is Bazzano's ancient church. So, at any one time, you may hear roosters crowing, Italians chattering and bells ringing - a cacophony of Mediterranean sounds. Other times - silence ! You should never forget that you're at the heart of Umbrian life in the Convent - this is no make-believe stage-set, an Italian look-alike experience. What you are about to experience is as real as it can get !

It is possible to park outside the Convent but there may not always be space because the hamlet is so tiny. However, a minutes walk up the lane, there is plenty of parking in front of Bazzano’s main church.

Further details

The Booking Information is sent automatically in response to an enquiry.

Lettings of at least 2 weeks attract a discount - the longer the letting, the bigger the discount ! See Booking Info.

We provide all utilties gas c/h, unlimited hot water etc plus towels, linen (beach towels, if requested) 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 ! All for free.

Beware of owners who charge extra in winter for heating costs - it could well turn out to be more then you're paying in rental costs - gas and electricity charges are exorbitant in Italy.

With us, there are no additional charges !

Days booked in addition to a week are costed at the weekly pro-rata rate.

Flexible arrival/departure days,

You can book for a minimum of 3 days at a daily rate that is 30 euros a day in addition to the weekly pro-rata rate. But, we do not take bookings for less that 350 euros.

I am sorry but we don't allow pets.

If you arrange to hire a car locally in Spoleto, then many of our guests use AVIS and, PROVIDING YOU BOOK THROUGH THEIR LOCAL SPOLETO OFFICE, AVIS will meet you at Spoleto station with the car or send a cab for you FREE OF CHARGE.

Conditions

I'm sorry that I cannot allow pets.

Photos

 

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Dining area/16C Fresco/6 large arched windows/fantastic views

 

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Sitting area/huge stone fireplace/Sky Sat TV/DVD

 

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Breakfast room/Fully fitted kitchen

 

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Spiral up to loft twin bedroom with large sky-light and sloping ceiling

The Umbria region

Unlike Tuscany, where Chianti has been dubbed, Chianti-shire, referring to the invasion of the Brits from the British home counties over the past 50 years, Umbria has remained “unpolluted” by tourism. Indeed, you can drive along stunningly beautiful country roads, over mountains and through valleys, and never see another car ! Naturally, this keeps the prices down since the many restaurants, trattorias and pizzerias, all competing with each other, depend on local trade the year round for their income.

A trip to Umbria is a trip back in time. Mediaeval mists stretch across endless landscapes. A land of traditions and rich culture. A magnificently, unspoiled area of rolling, forested hills, sprawling grassy meadows covered with flowers, olive groves, vineyards, lakes and valleys. Dotted with picturesque medieval villages, perched on hill-tops, Umbria is famous for its cuisine………….truffle, boar, porcini mushrooms, fine wines from Orvieto and Montefalco and the friendliness and hospitality of its people. Still, the most important topic of conversation is food. Everything stops for lunch, the most important meal of the day for young and old !

The “hot-spots” of Umbria eg Perugia, Orvieto, Montefalco, Todi, Spello, Norcia, Casteluccio, Trevi, Gubbio, with Spoleto at their cultural centre, have festivals throughout the year, celebrating truffle, chocolate, various pastas, asparagus and boar – all in a context of song, dance, choral music and orchestra. The Spoleto festival is also known as the Festival of Two Worlds.

But, the Spoleto area is the most interesting place to stay in Umbria, not only because of its central location. It combines ancient and modern, simplicity and sophistication, town and country, and, the richest of cultural heritages, bound up in the handful of aristocratic families, who have owned and controlled Spoleto, since the turn of the century, with love and respect for their land. Now, the young ones are in power and are keen to open up Spoleto to the rest of the world, to show off their traditional farming methods, their cuisine and just the sheer beauty of the place.

To stay anywhere else, you risk missing the ultimate experience, the complex mix of food, fashion, religion, architecture, bars, churches, museums, art galleries, arched, cobbled streets, older than Rome…all to be found in and around this most famous city of all, Spoleto, the city of the rich and famous and, up until now, Italy’s best kept secret !

The Spoleto / Bazzano-di-Spoleto area

Bazzano-di-Spoleto is in the middle of Italy, between the Apennine and Sibilline mountain range.

By car, it takes 5 mins to Spoleto, 90 mins to Rome, 20 mins to Asissi, 30 mins to Montefalco, Todi, Spello, Orvieto and Bevagna, 40 mins to Perugia, 1 hour to Narni, 2 hours to the Adriatic, 2 hrs 30 mins to Florence, 3 hrs 30 mins to Naples, the Amalfi coast and Pompei. Castellucia, the famous Gran Piano (with fantastic natural flower displays across this giganic plain around about Easter) is just over 1 hour, passing Norcia on the way.

This is the St Francis area. There are numerous monasteries close by, where he stayed. And, in all of the numerous churches, to be found in every tiny hill-top village as well as every town and city, there are frescos.

La Passionata is perfect for those who wish to experience "real" Italy rather than the touristy picture post-card version, to see how the indiginous Italian lives, to savour the atmosphere of a bygone era in an unspoilt and beautiful part of the world while, at the same time, having the world’s major Italian tourist cultural attractions and shops on your doorstep.

Just 15 mins from Spoleto city centre, 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. Untouched by tourism, small country roads 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, then, chilling with a glass of cold Orvieto in the Convent garden can best be described as dream-like.

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 Todi festival, the specialist Flower festivals at San Gemini and Spello, the Water festival at Piediluco (all within 1 – 2 hours), 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

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. There is even a bowling alley about 5 minutes drive from Bazzano. For the less actively inclined, also just up the road, is a trout farm/restaurant. Here traditional wooden fishing rods are provided so that you can fish for your own trout to either take home or have cooked for you at the restaurant. And, there are cinemas in Spoleto, open air and indoors.

Eating out is highly recommended and can be very cheap. Of course, the more “flash” places in Spoleto and the more touristy places can cost a little 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. The local food and wine is to die for.

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.

La Passionata is to be most appreciated by those who love wandering in woods and mountains, soaking up the spectacular scenery that looks up to the mountains and across a great plain, steeped in history, dotted with olive groves, vineyards and monasteries and Bazzano-di-Spoleto is in the middle of Italy - just slightly to the left ie our nearest ocean is the Adreatic. It’s between the Apenines and Sibbiline mountain range.

How to get there

La Passionata What's nearby: Attractions Restaurants Click map icons for more information

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-Fly to Rome or Ancona then take the train to Spoleto on the Ancona line. Or you can fly to Perugia.

-Cheap flights with Ryan Air.

-Car hire is available from Avis either from the airport and we will send you directions or, alternatively, if you take the train to Spoleto, then, providing you book through their local Spoleto office, Avis will deliver a car to Spoleto station for you if you request it. Their number is ((0039)348 265 4005 – someone there speaks English). And, an interesting website that I’ve seen with apparently good deals is www.euro-cars.com

-If you decide to do without a car, then please arrange with my husband to pick you up at Spoleto station at a time to suit you both. His number is (0039) 349 739 3501.

Activities near Spoleto

Rental prices

Prices for group size 4
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
	1 May 11	1 Nov 11	650€ 650	0-	0-	3 Nights
	1 Nov 11	1 May 12	590€ 590	0-	0-	4 Nights
	1 May 12	1 Nov 12	670€ 670	0-	0-	3 Nights

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

Booking secured with credit card details, only debitted in circumstances of cancellation or no-show. except where a booking is for 1500 euros plus, in which case, a deposit is required.

DISCOUNTED OFFER !!

10% discount off the 2nd week of a 2 week booking OR a 30% discount off the 3rd week of a 3 week booking OR a 50% discount off the 4th week of a 4 week booking.

For bookings longer than 4 weeks, each subsequent week attracts a discount of 5%.

This is a limited offer and may be withdrawn at any time - however, I will guarantee this offer for 2 weeks from the day I reply to your enquiry. This offer overrides discounts offered in the Booking Information sent to you in response to an enquiry.

Please click on link to my personal website : "Visit the advertiser's website" below, which also shows details and photos of 30 + other apartments and villas in and around central Spoleto. Or ask me to send you the link.

An extra tariff is charged over the Christmas period - see Booking Information for details that also contains info re attracting discounts and the cancellation conditions. It is automatically sent to you on receipt of an enquiry.

The rate includes up to 4 persons.

Beware of owners who ask you to pay for heating separately. Often you'll end up paying as much as you're paying in rent .

Bookings that include Christmas Day or New Years Day should not have either as their arrival day.

Extra daily tariff for bookings less than a week.

Flexible arrival and departure days.

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Availability notes:

Please check the availability with me because sometimes the availability charts can contain errors.

Contact the manager

* Required fields Please check the following errors: First name * Last name * Email *   Did you mean ""? Yes / No Phone number Arrival date Departure date   Ignore calendar - enquire anway No. of adults No. of children Message * Email me special offers and holiday ideas T&Cs

8 years listed You are contacting Norma Williams Umbria Holiday Rentals (property manager) Landline +39 0743 498 38 Mobile +39 349 7393501 Web Visit site Languages spoken The property manager is based in Italy and has advertised with Holiday Lettings since 2003. This apartment has so far received 0 reviews.

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