Comfort, beauty and practicality – these were our aims when we designed this holiday apartment during the recent refurbishment of our old Umbrian farmhouse. An aim more than fulfilled, judging by all the positive comments from our guests last season.
A large patio ensures privacy for outdoor wining and dining or just sitting with your feet up. Indoors Mimosa is decorated in traditional Umbrian style, hand finished by local craftsmen. Its oak beams, terracotta tiles and white walls are complemented by stylish interior furnishings. Washing & Ironing kit, Cot etc, video/DVD available on request. Fax and internet as necessary.
Further details
Though unheated, the swimming pool is generally usable from mid-May to late September.
The grounds are terraced, very peaceful but not manicured to give shelter to wild flora and fauna. Suitable footwear is recommended.
Further details indoors
The lounge area has two deep armchairs that convert into comfortable beds and a dining table with four chairs. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything from dishwasher to salad crisper. To help you set up your self catering arrangements, your fridge and cupboard will contain breakfast basics and some condiments, though we also offer a full shopping service if you wish to get stocked up prior to arrival.
The bedroom has a large built in wardrobe and a substantial chest of drawers. We can provide a double or two single beds, please indicate your preference. The bathroom has a shower so spacious that we jokingly call it “the honeymoon shower”, a basin, a bidet and a lavatory. Plenty of towels (including pool towels) are provided as well as bed and kitchen linen, freshly changed weekly.
On the day of your arrival you will find a complimentary bottle of wine and an invitation to join us for welcome drinks. We shall be delighted to help you with tips and suggestions, such as forthcoming local events, to help ease you into a successful and happy holiday.
Further details outdoors
Pool and Grounds
Pool
The pool is set on the first terrace behind the house and is a good size at 5x12 metres and 1.6 metres deep at the far end. Semicircles of Roman steps allow easy, shallow access to the water. There is a pergola with table and chairs for poolside refreshments (there is a cool-bag and plastic utensils in your flat). Plenty of loungers, cushions and shades make the pool the centre of recreation in the summer. You are truly part of nature here – do not be surprised if you are joined by a thirsty butterfly or a swift during your swim!
Grounds
Your apartment is part of Casa Fontana, a converted Umbrian farm house that sits in five acres of olive groves. We have not yet been able to make an exact count but we think we have somewhere in the region of two hundred olive trees. That's a lot of Martinis!
The grounds are a series of terraces, climbing ever higher to provide increasingly panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. There is a copse of oaks that give shelter to wild boars in the winter and porcupines in the summer. In the spring bright yellow broom and wild flowers of every hue cover the slopes. There are plenty of edibles too, from wild asparagus to sweet golden figs. In the distance you can see huge birds wheeling lazily in the sky.
Summer Food and Art Tour 1 to 7 June guided and catered - gourmet
Summer nights are wonderful at the Casa. There is hardly any light pollution, affording a stupendous view of starry skies – a magnet to romantics and amateur astronomers alike. The moon is almost bright enough to read by, certainly suitable for a night walk! Perhaps the loveliest sight comes in May and June when hundreds of fireflies float and pulse all around the house at night, giving the trees and bushes a magical air.
Late Summer Food & Art Tour guided and catered -sumptuous
Autumn is a particularly cheerful time of the year, offering plenty of sunshine, strolls though golden forests and sumptuous seasonal specialities, such as game and truffles.
November is olive picking time, nature is generally kind and gifts us great weather so that the pickers often strip to T-shirts in the sun and we can have great picnic lunches sitting on the grass. There is nothing to compare the taste of freshly pressed olive oil: take a piece of crusty bread, dribble a little of the dark green oil on it and enjoy the peppery, nutty flavour. In the fullness of time the oil will mature, change colour and acquire a smoother, rounder flavour. The taste may change somewhat but one thing is certain – our oil has never met a chemical either during its tree life or during processing. It is full of antioxidants and other health giving goodness. Casa Fontana's cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil is as good as it gets!
We offer short break 'Olive picking Course' and experience. Pick your break during 10th to 20th Nov.
Covers training, use of equipment, alfresco lunches, visit to olive press, tutored oil tasting, NEW pressed oil to take home (New Pressed oil is very different from the mature oil we are used to = more green, more peppery. Very different and only possible in the 4 weeks following pressing. Normal apartment rentals with picnic lunch included for the 'pickers'
