The holiday rental apartment is around 80 m2 and has a big living room with good quality sofa bed (for 2), a spacious kitchen corner with a microwave/oven, 4 pit gas cooker, fridge with small built in freezer and everything you need to prepare a good meal. The living room has a CD player with some CDs. The furniture has been made by the local furniture producers, known worldwide for their excellent quality and craftsmanship.
The satellite TV has a Dutch decoder (but one can view international channels as well). The apartment can be heated when needed and there is a working fireplace in the living room. The bathroom has a washbasin, shower, toilet and bidet. The spacious bedroom has a double bed and a chest of drawers for your clothes and a normal cupboard to hang clothes. Furthermore there is an iron and ironing board, plus a hairdryer in the bathroom.
The old farmhouse has a swimming pool (shared with all 4 apartments). The pool is 12 by 7 meters and is open from mid May to mid September. The farmhouse offers ample outside sitting areas and the apartment has a terrace with outdoor table where you can dine, plus the private garden.
Parking is below the farmhouse, but when needed you can drive up to the farm without any problems.
The centre of Citta di Castello is an easy 20 minutes drive from the farmhouse. On the road to the centre, on 15 minutes drive, you will find a big supermarket where you can do all your shopping. You can also go to Lama for shops, this is just over 10 minutes drive. Citta di Castello is an old city, offering a pleasant atmosphere. There are several museums both for old art as well as for modern art. In September the city organizes every year the International Festival of Chamber music. The holiday rental offers, apart from nature and quiet, good opportunities to visit the beautiful antique towns and cities scattered around Tuscany and Umbria. To mention a few: Monterchi, Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, Citerna, Sansepolcro, Perugia, Arezzo, Urbino and many more. You can play golf close to Lerchi (9 hole golf course) and here you can also ride a horse. The Dutch owners will have a folder with information about what to see and do, where to eat, market days and more in the apartment.
From the owners: the road has been repaired in april 2010. The steep part that was causing problems is now covered with concrete, making it easy for every car to drive up to the house.
From 2011:
Hi Saskia and Willemijn,
we enjoyed our stay very much, only the weather was not as great as it can be, but that is nobody's fault.
The only remark for improvement is that a fly screen in the front door would be welcome.
All rest was fine and we had a great time!
Also thanks for letting us bring our two dogs. They loved it as well.
Best wishes, Ann, Joost, Ralf , Loris en Kappo
From 2010:
All went well. We really enjoyed every moment. Lovely cottage, very quiet. Great with the dog.
Best wishes, N.
From the owners guestbook:
31 05 2010
Enjoyed the house this week that apart from tranquility and serenity has so much comfort. Woken in the morning by the soft oe-oe-oe from the hoopoe and the cheerful whistling of the Golden Oriole. Very special. Apart from that crickets and firefly's a sight to behold. Were awed at the pretty towns and villages: Arezzo, Sansepolcro, the pinacoteca in Citta di Castello en above all Gubbio, beautiful middle-eval sporting with fascinating alleys. We slept well and enjoyed the views from the terrace.
Thanks for your hospitality, nice wines and great atmosphere.
H.T. and R.S. from Amsterdam
27 08 2010
Ah what to say, well to start with the concluding note: we had a tremendous good time in this place heavenly place. The weather was great and we basically have been lounging about, swimming, eating and lounging about some more. For a change we did some shopping, ate pizza but we did not manage to do the trips you mentioned in the documentation in the house. Not a lot of walking either, lounging was the de rigger. We lived as Gods in Italy. We're of to our home, till next time.
Kind regards, A. and P.
From 2009:
We hade a lovely time at Casa Porcospino. Very quiet and peaceful. We did not have any problem with the steep hill up and down. We warmly recommend the place to whom is looking for nature, peace and quiet. Maybe a tip: a copy of the "pagine gialle" in the house, could be handy. But I suspect many guests will have thier own ideas and suggestions.
Thank you for all the information we received beforehand.
Maybe until next time, best regards, Harriët
Casa Porcospino:
Positive:
-very quiet location
we arrived at about 20.00. Some spaghetti was in the house, luckily! If not the first night, we would have been without food.
-very comfortabel, anything you need is present (kitchen material, spices, towels, cd's, etc.)
-we appreciated the bottle of wine upon arrival!
-Good pool
-Sites in the area: Città di Castello, Sansepolcro, Urbino en Gubbio
Negative:
-it is a pity there is no bakery or supermarket in the direct area.
-The very steep non asphalted lane that takes you up to the house. Any future guest should be aware of this!
-It is also much better to arrive before dark and take some food with you for the first evening and morning!
Best regards, Ann
Dear Saskia and Willemijn,
We have been at home for about two weeks now and look back on a wonderful week in Umbria. It was extremely hot, but that was also part of the fun.
Very positive was the little house we stayed in, the Casa Porcospino has everything you need and was furnitured with taste.
It's location is very beautiful and quiet with wonderful views around. We visited a lot of the towns in the area. There is a lot of privacy and you hardly notice the other giests on the premises, which we enjoyed very much.
Luckily Lieke and Sander (son of the owners) were also there to answer some of our questions and - here is the negative comment! - to pick us up downhill with the jeep. It was really impossible to climb the hill with our car which is not a not a 4 wheel drive. I think it should have been comunicated more explicity that the road is too steep to get up with a normal car. The fact that we could rent the jeep was a plus, but also necessary. I also mentioned in the guest book, that some giant wasps were nestling somehwer in the apartment, but we couldn't find out where. This is probably impossible to avoid in themiddele of nature!
Kind regards, Sabien and Guus
Hello Saskia and Willemijn,
I rented the Casa Porcospino for one week in August.
The small house is just fine, well taken acre of, lovely pool and wonderful views.
The negative aspect were the large wasps we discovered upon arrival. Jim, the caretakerm came down and discovered a nest in the chimney and also at two ther spots on the premises.
This caused us a very unpleasant feeling, especially because I am afraid of wasps. They were continuously present around the house. Maybe this could have been checked beforehand, in winter or spring? I am not sure whether this would have made a difference, but we read similar comments on the guest book.
With regards, Zamira
From before 2009:
Note from Villa in Umbria:
The road has been repaired in April 2008 and from then on it has been possible to reach the house by normal car in any weather conditions. A lot of the following comments are not relevant regarding the road.
For the second time in Porcospino, but it was the same success as the first time!! Delightfully quiet, made wonderful trips and ate well again. Thanks for the hospitality!
Hans and Xenia
Live is good here and Porcospino is a charming cottage. Glorious weather, luminous skies alternate with heavy weather in November! Made many walks, plenty of new discoveries, lots of food! Wild boars growled in the shrubs, deer crossed our paths!
Hella and Hein
Our arrival on December 23 was heartwarming. The outdoor lighting was on as was the heating. Wine on the table! No white Christmas, but almost two weeks of radiant crisp hiking weather. The Monte Nerone was awesome, picnic in the snow! We love to keep coming back here!!
Words like bonded with nature -serenity- the art of savouring the italian way come to me. We are grateful for being able to stay here! Harmony is something to be treasured. We were allowed to have a taste of the art of living again.
Frank and Monique
It was a wonderful sojourn!!!!!
Our thanks for taking so well care of us.
Brigitte and Louis
This house has all the amenities, everything is right. Shame we couldn't stay any longer. We visited the tourist attractions like Florence (Firenze!) Arezzo, Assisi, Perugia. These busy towns are all easily reached by car and yet the cottage is so well situated, quiet with splendid views from the garden. What a tranquility!
Frans
Two weeks Porcospino: delightful weeks in a magic place! Making use of the Jeep is a solution for the difficult to negotiate road: this is the way to go!! All in all a great stay!
Kees and Tineke
A splendid week on this hot, lonely on the edge of "touristic Italy". Here one really relishes silence! This hilltop will for always be in our memories!
We enjoyed everything!
Martijn, Elsemijn and Line
Fantastic nice cottage where nothing is wanted for. Also the pool is wonderful for a cooling dip during hot periods.
The road to the house is steep indeed, but the Jeep Cherokee one is able to use (what a luxury!) takes care of thet problem!
The surroundings are splendid and it is an oasis of silence!
You are allowed to use anything here wich makes one feel truly wellcome!
Joost and Karin
Calmed down completely. The pool and the house are great. With a special driveway, true, but by using the Jeep everything will come right or: clunk the food down and ignore the sound of flying gravel. We do like to be well nourished and followed all the restaurant tips!!!!! Great!!!! It was wonderful to be here!
Jacob and Kathleen
Great swimming, hiking, saw a family of wild boars, picked blackberries etc. Everything here is top! We even managed very well to come up with our rented Panda. We will certainly return!
Jan and Leni
We are enthusiastic about what we see and during our stay in Casa Porcospino grew even more enthusiastic! A cozy laid out space, fitted with everything that should be there!
Attention has been paid to all details.....candles, waxine lights, sharp knives, torch and for the first time in a rented appartment a settee-bed that really works as one: comfortable.
Bravo! The panorama is to be savoured. It is touching and stunning like an amphitheater. The path to the top requires some driving skills. The many birds, the hiking, the surroundings, the lovely cities.....
All in all: a beautiful and unique experience. We will certainly return to this magnificent place.
Wil and Ela
We really enjoyed this heaven-on-earth-spot Casa Porcospino. The apartment has a very nice atmosphere and looks very good, with marvellous views from the terrace. You can "hear" the silence after a busy day. We have visited Assisi, Rome, Florence, Siena etc.
Ian and Raquel
This place beams with silence: breathtaking panoramas, beautiful sunsets! Too bad the weather wasn't all that fantastic last two days, Although sitting inside such an appartment certainly isn't punishment!
John and Marijke
A fantastic house, though the road that leads to it is difficult to negotiate. It has been furnished to our taste. Everything is right: feels like coming home! How we enjoyed ourselves: impressive nature. Made wonderful trips. Amazing!
Jos and Tineke
One feels like a king in Porcospino. Everything you ever wanted! The road that leads to it looks like some part of the Camel Trophy. Once one gets used to it: a wonderful house wich within no time felt like our 'home away from home' Super!
Roy and Mandy
We really had a nice time. The house was super and so cozy! We truly were able to feel a sense of hospitality here because of all those little extra's.
We relished it!
If we are ever to buy a four wheel drive we''l make sure to come back!
Erik, Jeanette, Nick en René
Awesome place! We never go to the same plce twice but we might return to this one because it is something really special!!
An
The house is perfect. Cozy well furnished and even a cd player and several books. Makes for a wellcome feeling!
Ingrid and Peter
If God lives somewhere, it must be close to this.........
Wilfried and Martine
In April 2008 the road up to the holiday apartment has been fixed and now any normal car can get here.
