La Passionata in Spoleto

This very pretty part of a 16C Convent was bought about 8 years ago
by an architect who very sensitively restored and converted it into 2
elegant apartments while retaining 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 17 years ago.

On one side of the Convent is a small farm-yard consisting of ducks,
geese and roosters. Up the lane is Bazzano’s main and very beautiful
church. On the other side of the Convent live an Italian family. So,
at any one time, you may hear roosters crowing, Italians chattering
and bells ringing – a cacophony of Mediterranean sounds. At other
times, silence ! Living in the Convent is not like living in a make-
believe picture postcard version of Italy. What you are about to
experience is as real as it can get.

The local Italians, all of whom are very friendly, will be fascinated
by you. So, best learn the odd word such as, “Piacere” ie “Pleased to
meet you” to show willing ! English is not spoken around Bazzano. It
is spoken occasionally at the posher restaurants in Spoleto and, of
course, increasingly so in the more touristy places such as Assisi
and Perugia. But, unlike Tuscany, where English is spoken everywhere,
Umbria has retained its Italian identity and has remained
authentically Italian.

La Passionata, a large, open-plan apartment of about 150 sq.mts, is
both sensuous and splendid. This spacious apartment, with its beamed
and domed ceilings, has 2 double bedrooms – 1 double on the ground
floor with a casement window overlooking the gardens and 1 twin in
the loft space with a sloping roof and a sky-light - a fully equipped
kitchen/breakfast room built into the rocks, an 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 the Vatican, a huge 16C stone fireplace and 1 bathroom. The
main “wow” factor, however, 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.

This apartment can sleep up to 5 people (or 4 adults and 2 children –
z-beds available). But, 4 persons is the optimum number of guests for
maximum comfort as there is only 1 shower/bathroom.

La Romantica, the smaller apartment, is exquisite. This fairy-tale
apartment is below and to the side of La Passionata and its entrance
is hidden from view.

Neither apartment intrudes on the privacy of the other in any way.
And, each apartment has its own terrace with garden furniture for
added privacy.

The guests share the large garden, which has a spectacularly old
pergola used for eating under in the summer months, day or night
since the garden is lit, as well as a BBQ.

The beautiful garden is easily big enough to accommodate everyone and
retain privacy. Here, there are sun-beds and garden furniture and,
guests can relax amongst the Tuscan pines, chestnut, olive and fruit
trees. There are also areas to sunbathe.

It should be noted that there are about 60 steps up to La Passionata
and about 50 steps up to La Romantica. The steps are shallow, wide
and there is a hand-rail most of the way. So, they are quite easy to
negotiate !

Usually, 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.

There are 2 very economically priced restaurants, Due Querce and
Il Ristorante Antico, that are just 1 - 2 miles drive along beautiful
country lanes that weave through olive groves and poppy fields. Due
Querce is a very big restaurant that has a very diverse menu,
including pizza. In the summer months, you can eat outside of either
of the restaurants but, because Due Querce has large gardens, it
attracts the crowds and, you can often spot the occasional celebrity
enjoying an evening here away from the bright lights and the
intrusive lenses of the paparazzi.......and, the prices are the same
as any other country trattoria, their owners valuing their
less wealthy local customers just as much. Indeed, one of our biggest
boasts is that 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.

While you are in Umbria, you must sample the most famous Italian dish
of all….tartufo ie truffles. Umbria is the centre for
truffles.....black truffles are common all around here and the white
truffles are a little further afield, towards Norcia.

Just 10 minutes outside of central Spoleto, 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. Albeit untouched
by tourism, it's a little more sophisticated than its neighbouring
villages, particularly regarding its small country roads that 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
and enjoying a glass of cold Orvieto at the end of your walk can best
be described as a dream-like experience.

Bazzano is also close to all the “hot-spots” eg Assisi, Perugia,
Orvieto, Bevagna, Trevi and Montefalco - all places you must visit !
And, not to be missed is a drive across the Sibbiline mountain range
or through the Apennines to the sea-side on the Adriatic coast (about
2 hours), or to Norcia and, then, on to the Gran Piano (about 1½
hours) – this is a drive through heaven!! And, you MUST eat in the
tiny hick town of Castellucia that sits on a hill in the middle of
the Gran Piano. Italians come here from far and wide to taste the
speciality lentils, faro and white truffle. And, while the
restaurants look nothing from the outside, they are wonderful inside,
all with spectacular views. Indeed, many very seasoned travellers
have described the Gran Piano as being the most beautiful area in the
world. Certainly, it is very startling !

The Convent in Bazzano is sufficiently off the beaten track to have
remained relatively undiscovered and, therefore, it is unusual to see
other tourists here. Yet, you still have easy access to all the main
attractions.

Local shops and many trattorias are all within minutes to half an
hour by car. Eating out in the summer months is highly recommended.
It would be difficult to pay more than 25 - 30 euros for a 3 course
meal with as much wine as you can drink in the local eateries. Of
course, the more “flash” places in Spoleto and the more touristy
places can cost 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.

In summing up, I’d say that both La Passionata and La Romantica are
to be most appreciated by those who love walking in woods and
mountains and enjoying the beautiful scenery which looks up to the
mountains and over the surrounding valleys. 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.

The Convent and its surrounding area is perfect for those who wish to
savour the atmosphere of a bygone era in a relatively unspoilt and
beautiful part of the world while, at the same time, having the
world’s major Italian tourist attractions on your own doorstep.

There is very easy access to Assisi, Orvieto, Perugia,
Trevi, Montefalco, Norcia, Castelucia and the Gran Piano, Spello,
Gubbio, Bevagna and a whole host of other tiny towns and cities. And,
it is about a 1 hour drive to Rome.

La Passionata is furnished with high quality fixtures/fittings and
furniture. It is also equipped with a large SKY SAT TV – this means
it has all the documentary/film and news channels in English as well
as a host of other programmes eg National Geographic, Animal Planet
etc.

The rustic kitchen is fully fitted and equipped with fridge/freezer,
microwave, hob, oven.....everything you would need for your holiday
although, there is no dish-washer.

The cantina, just a few steps down from the apartment, contains a
washing machine.

The following items are also included in the rental rate :

- sun-loungers;

- BBQ;

- bikes;

- cutlery (inc bottle openers), pottery, glasses, linen, towels,
sheets, duvets etc;

- ironing facilities;

- a hair-dryer;

- unlimited hot water and all the utilties...gas, electricity, wood
(where appropriate);

- a Welcome Pack consisting of wine, bread, rice, fruit, pasta, olive
oil, all the condiments, tea, coffee, sugar etc - enough to keep you
going while you find your bearings.

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 less prestigious, but still spectacular,
festival at Todi (Spoleto’s unofficial rival), 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!

Further information on any of these festas can be got off the
internet or from the tourist offices in Spoleto, Terni and Assisi
when you get here.

About an hour away is the Piediluco lake which was famously painted
by that great impressionist, Turner. Here, also, there are many bars
and restaurants. Indeed, for the serious swimmer, there is an Olympic
sized pool next to Piediluco lake. On the lake itself, there are all
the usual boating facilities (though speed-boats are not allowed) and
sun-bathing areas.

There are 3 local outdoor pools close to the Convent – one in
Spoleto, a 50 metre one in nearby Pissignano and a 50 metre pool in
Scheggino, another very pretty village well worth visiting with an
all-day pizzaria and a restaurant.

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.

Then, about 1½ hours away is the relatively undiscovered plain of
Rieti. In this area are to be found the original worship places, in
tiny monasteries dotted around, of St Francis who lived in this area
when he first left his privileged existence in Rome to spread a less
conventional Roman Catholicism in the rural areas of Umbria, before
settling in Asissi. Some of his “churches” in this area are to be
found outdoors, a simple assembly of wooden benches and an alter
beneath the trees.

And, last but not least is 10C San Mamiliano, the oldest inhabited
village in Umbria, where we lived until recently, when we moved to
Spoleto to be nearer to the majority of our apartments. This tiny,
walled fortress, with its fifteen or so Italian inhabitants, whose
history embraces a time when the Pope used to stay here (San
Mamiliano marks part of the boundary of the Vatican state), is
perched just below the snow line, often above the clouds, on a hill
that faces the Apeninnes and that overlooks Ferentillo in the valley
below. If you visit the tiny Italian community of San Mamiliano,
please mention our names in the village and you will be responded to
as one of the extended family !


FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE LOCATION OF BAZZANO-DI-SPOLETO

Castellucia, in the middle of the famous Gran Piano (with fantastic
natural flower displays across this giganic plain around about
Easter) is just over 1 hour. Castellucia, itself, is tiny and hick
but has about 3 amazing restaurants that serve up the local lentils,
faro and truffle and, that Italians visit from far and wide - such is
this area’s reputation for its cuisine.

Nearby is Norcia, which is also worth a visit and where most of our
white truffle is to be found (our area is abundant with black truffle
all the year round - consequently, it's cheap to dine out on truffle,
one of my favourite dishes, at around 10 - 15 euros for a bowl of
ciriole al tartufo !).

However, all around us are small towns eg Todi, Trevi, Spello,
Orvieto, Narni, Bevagnia and Montefalco that are all beautiful and
fascinating. Benigni, for instance, often stays nearby and, indeed,
lived in Coliscipoli (about an hour away) while working on the films,
Life is Beautiful and Pinnochio, both of which were filmed locally.

This is also the St Francis area and there are numerous monasteries
round about, where he has stayed - although you'd have to research as
to where they are since I've only visited 2 or 3 on foot via mountain
roads and I was led there by friends but, while I could only tell you
how to get to 1 of them in Greccio, I know that others are reachable
by car. Actually, there is a map at Greccio that shows how to get to
5 or 6 others by car or on foot. 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, most of which have been restored.

Most of the places further than 1 hour by car can be quicker to get
to by train and it can be a lot less hassly eg taking a car into Rome
or Naples would not be everyone's first preference and our local
train station provides an excellent and regular service to almost
everywhere you'd wish to go.

Nov, Dec, 2007 - Jan, Feb, March, 2008 | 550 euros/wk
April, 2008 | 630 euros/wk
May - Oct, 2008 | 690 euros/wk

The weekly rate is for the whole apartment, to include up to 4
persons, and is inclusive of all utilities, linen, towels etc plus a
Welcome Pack.

In response to an enquiry, you will automatically receive info re my
personal website, where you will see many, many more photos and more
apartments as well as the booking conditions, how to attract a
discount and the cancellation policy.

Any day arrival/departure.

You can book on a daily basis.