Located in Narni Scalo, Villa Rosmarino in Italy’s Umbria region is a retreat space where you can live like a local, dine like a local, and feel right at home.
Aaaaah Villa Rosmarino… there’s a lot to be said for a name that simply makes you want to pack your bags and hop on the next plane to Rome, take an easy drive into the hills in the heart of southern Umbria and open the door to a secluded romantic getaway.
When the land was first spotted by the owners 20 years ago, the beautiful Villa Rosmarino was in fact a ruin, but was painstakingly rebuilt over two years to heritage requirements with all the original stone walls and characterful bricks reused.
It was a labour of love, but this five-bedroomed gem (all en suite) is in a less touristy location than most, making a stay in Umbria so much more authentic.
The owner’s roots are clearly in Africa, so their décor style has an easy reference to outdoor living and they know what it’s like to travel far for precious holidays with family and friends.
Proportions are just perfect for self-catering holiday accommodation, with a generous entrance and open-plan design to a large superbly equipped kitchen, dining and living area … all flowing out to the lawn and swimming pool and shaded pergola for outdoor meals in the garden below – all with beautiful views of the surrounding hills and farmland.
Two of the bedrooms are on the ground floor and three on the upper floor, all of which are en suite, but one is the master bedroom.
Family friendly, with a gorgeous garden
A pizza oven out back, off the kitchen, is a magnet for kids, and always the scene of laughter and happy memories. Days are spent gathering delicious ingredients to cook new dishes together, along with local wines… what more could one want?
The garden is glorious and expansive: a wisteria-clad pergola boasts a scented purple haze in spring, followed by rows of blooming lavender and rosemary in the midsummer heat.
Stay here a while and you’ll discover that Villa Rosmarino is set on the border of Umbria and Lazio, and that Rome is an easy day trip by train (from the town of Narni Scalo just 5kms away) or for an evening out, but there are some characterful restaurants within 3kms. The historic hilltop towns of Assisi, Todi, Orvieto, Spoleto, Narni, San Gemini, to name a few, surround the region and are all within easy reach to explore as soon as you’re ready.
Written by Michelle Snaddon
Edited by Dawn Kennedy
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