When embarking on an escape to the Italian countryside, there’s an image in your mind of what your holiday will look like. Plump juicy tomatoes, creamy burrata and sprinklings of basil piled onto plates that are drowning in delicious extra virgin olive oil. It’s the spread of beautiful colours scattered across the long the table, that comes to mind. Sitting beneath the vines on the terrace, looking out across the landscape, as you sip on something equally fresh and delicious.
In a setting that’s straight out of the movies, this beautifully restored 17th Century stone villa near Spoleto, in the rolling hills of Umbria, is hard to beat. If rustic Italian cuisine, shaved truffles and the grassy green scent of freshly pressed olives after the harvest gets you going, then you’re on that European escape already.
Gather the clan, and head for this magnificent spot in Italy, that’s just two hours from Rome. Casa di Led has something about it that’s reminiscent of a good friend. The soul of the stone reminds you of a time long, long ago. Timber ceilings meet rough, stone walls with open windows that drop down into the valley below. Views for days, months and years. You can see as far as the eye wishes to travel, all the way into the next life, if you so choose.
Surrounded by ancient olive groves and overlooking the old Campello Alto castle and convent below in the Clitunno Valley, Casa di Led embraces the authentic Italian experience all year-round. From the flower-filled season of May to the surprisingly good weather months of September and October. It simply oozes with charm and character, making it very hard to leave. Five bedrooms tuck themselves around the cosy living and dining spaces, all drawing your gaze out into the landscape.
Castle views, colour and age-old charisma
Before long, an idyllic lifestyle sets in, governed mostly by the Italian tradition of riposo (a long alfresco lunch and a lie-down!), endless swims (who can resist that view?) and walks through the olive grove. Jaunts into the village will have you seduced by its charm because all you’ll hear here is Italian … we bet that you’ll arrive for a week and want to stay a month.
Written by Michelle Snaddon
Edited by Colleen Ogilvie