Il Castello in 10C San Mamiliano in Spoleto

10 miles from central Spoleto, Il Castello is a large and beautifully restored, old stone house in 10C San Mamiliano, a tiny walled, pedestrian village, the oldest inhabited village in Umbria.

Consisting of 4 double bedrooms, 2 shower/bath rooms, 2 WCs, 2 large sitting/dining rooms with a huge screened SKY TV/DVD/Video and a fabulous terrace, Il Castello occupies the central position in the village, all of which has been smartly restored - a picture post-card village, straight out of National Geographic mag in its appearance ! Its large terrace has spectacular mountain views that can be also seen from all the windows at the back of the house. The front windows and main entrance looks onto the tiny, arched and cobbled street.

And, there is an amazing public pool complex, nestling in the mountains, just 2 miles down the road. It has tennis courts, bars and picnic areas. It was built by the mayor, who lived next door and who didn't have a pool of his own. Say no more !!!!

San Mamiliano is the perfect location to base oneself in order to see the rest of Italy, it being located just left of the very centre of Italy, between Terni and Spoleto, and just above Ferentillo. It takes about 20 minutes to drive to the nearest train stations, either Spoleto or Terni.
A car is essential since, while San Mamiliano is central to all the Umbrian hot-spots and close to all the local amenities, (unlike so many of these Umbrian hill-top villages that are without local
amenities, remote and from where it takes forever to get anywhere whatsoever), and, there are good roads into San Mamiliano, the local bus, historically, has never gone to the village, probably because, until recently, there were no roads, only boulders marking mule tracks up to the village !
San Mamiliano was originally a fortress/castle built by the Vatican around the 10C to protect its boundary with Perugia. In the middle ages, the Pope would stay in San Mamiliano on his way to Rome.

Over the years, San Mamiliano developed into a bustling and fairly large community, housing some 300 people. Now, it houses only 5 of its original families, the rest of the San Mamilianese having died or moved into the towns and cities in search of work. Consequently, it is too small to sustain a shop, a bar or an eaterie, though there are plenty of the latter in the surrounding hills.

San Mamiliano has been part of a very exciting restoration project because of its historic interest. In fact, during the restoration, 2 9C tiny, arched alley ways were discovered that lead from the middle piazza to the upper piazza and the church. They had been buried for many, many centuries and completely forgotten about !

But, not so, the famous painting inside our church. The Bishop of Spoleto paid San Mamiliano a visit a few years ago. The red carpet was laid, along with all the pomp and ceremony that befits a bishop. However, the San Mamilianese were not so happy after the event because it transpired that the reason for his visit was to try to persuade the San Mamilianese to give him this picture for the Duomo in Spoleto, which houses another 3 paintings by the same artist, his argument being that this famous work of Art was being neglected in San Mamiliano. Well, you can imagine the indignation on the part of the villagers. It was here that this picture was painted and it is here it will stay. You should pay for it to be restored and maintained here in San Mamiliano, they argued to the Bishop. We are still waiting for his response !

As a part of the restoration project, our house was substantially restructured and modernised to architectural standards about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the house is too old to have retained its original features on the inside, except for its 5 stone, arched doorways. Instead of having the inside of the house cosmetically restored to look old, we opted for a light, airy and modern ambience. The outside of our house, however, along with all the other dwellings in San Mamiliano that have undergone restoration, has retained all its original features.

This incredibly child-friendly house is a converted tower on 3 floors and is very spacious. And, because the tiny walled village is pedestrian, it is entirely safe for children to play in the streets.
On the top floor, there is a largish terrace, which has the most spectacular views across the mountains and the valleys. This is where one can sun-bathe as it is totally private and not overlooked. It is also a wonderful place to eat during the summer months and can easily seat 8-10 for dinner. Indeed, we have seated 20 on party occasions. On this floor there are also 2 double bedrooms, each with a double bed, (1 has spectacular mountain views, the other has views
overlooking the village and the hills beyond) and 1 bathroom(including bath, shower, WC and a washing machine).

On the second floor, there are 2 large sitting/dining rooms, a 2nd bathroom (shower room and WC) and a fully equipped kitchen with microwave etc.

One of the sitting/dining rooms (the Winter Room) includes a large, rustic fireplace and leads straight onto the tiny pedestrian main street through the main entrance to the apartment. The other
sitting/dining room (the Summer Room) includes a modern stereo system and a very large Sat SKY TV. The Summer Room shares the same spectacular mountain views as the terrace, to be seen through 2 windows. Both of the sitting/dining rooms are elegantly furnished and comfortably seat 8-10 people.

On the ground floor, there are 2 double bedrooms and a 2nd washing machine. One of the double bedrooms is very large and has the original arrow windows and a very low arched entrance that harks back to the days when humans were much smaller. The 2nd room on this floor is smaller and contains 2 twin beds. The large bedroom is accessed via the smaller twin bedroom because the stairs are open-plan and wind down the side of the wall of the smaller twin room. That said, at the foot of the stairs, you turn left through the arched door-way into the large bedroom and, as you turn right, you are facing the smaller twin room. So, the disturbance is minimal.

The entire house has all mod cons, including gas central heating. And, all of the rooms are lockable.

There is very easy access from San Mamiliano to Assisi, Orvieto, Perugia, Trevi, Montefalco, Norcia, Casteluccio and the Gran Piano, Spello, Gubbio, Bevagna and a whole host of other tiny towns and cities. Spoleto is in the centre of it all ! And, it is about 1 hour from Rome !

Next door is an apartment, L'Arco, which we bought to live in because Il Castello was too large for just the 2 of us. It is now also on the holiday market. However, please note that while Il Castello
and L'Arco are next door to each other, their entrances are in different streets so you may never see the guests in the other apartment, unless you specifically wish to ! Please see photos etc of
L'Arco on my personal website - details sent to you automatically in reponse to an enquiry.

Il Castello is furnished with high quality fixtures/fittings and furniture.

It is also equipped with a giant-sized SKY SAT TV, which offers all the documentary and news channels in English as well as a host of other programmes eg National Geographic, Animal Planet etc. It also has a DVD/VCR player and, many DVDs + videos to choose from to suit all tastes and for all age-groups. Also, there are children's games, videos for children as well as many books and CDs to suit all tastes.

The smart kitchen is fully fitted and equipped with fridge/freezer, microwave, hob, oven..... everything you would need for your holiday and, can be used as a breakfast room.

One of the bath rooms (that has a full-sized tub) contains a washing machine.

There is a 2nd washing machine on the ground floor.

The following items are also included in the rental rate :
- cutlery (inc bottle openers), pottery, glasses, linen, towels (inc beach 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.

Let me tell you a little more about 10C San Mamiliano, (which was our very 1st home in Italy), as well as the surrounding area :

the arrival of supermarkets in the nearby towns and cities is a sure sign that things are developing in Umbria. A few years ago, we were connected to mains water and gas. Before then, we were dependent on an underground stream for water and wood for heat. However, in spite of the availability of gas, wood remains the local Italian's major source of heat and since most local Italians still prefer to cook on the fire, wood is essential for this purpose too.

Until recently, only one proper road led to our village. There were also two white roads (roads made entirely of stones). Fortunately, 4 years ago, both these roads were rebuilt as a proper roads. As a result, we have a far wider access by car to our neighbouring villages. Indeed, our villagers remember the time before the roads, not so many years ago, when they were forced to make their way on foot or horseback by way of tracks marked out by boulders. There is still no public transport to the village so a car is absolutely essential. Or a mule or an Api, forms of transport some of our villagers still favour !

The few remaining San Mamilianese have retained their traditional way of life as land-owning farmers producing wine, olive-oil, tomatoes and various fruits for local shops and providing the local eateries with fresh truffles. The land around San Mamiliano is wooded much of the year and the huge logs are brought down the mountains by packs of mules and delivered to all the neighbouring villages.

All these activities are to be evidenced throughout the year and make for extremely picturesque viewing. However, if you were to offer to help chop the wood, pick the olives or the grapes, be sure you mean it as your offer will be enthusiastically seized upon ! As yet, we have always preferred to watch ! And, the San Mamilianese are extremely hospitable so do not be surprised if you are invited to share a dish of ciriole with them (a thick type of spaghetti made of flour and water) or to join them for a glass of grappa, especially in the morning when it will be added to your espresso !

Cultural activities abound. Amongst the most prestigious is the International Spoleto Festival which attracts world-famous musicians, dancers and celebrity guests (3 wks June/July). In fact, Prince Charles was reported in our local press to have bought a villa nearby having claimed that Spoleto was one of his favourite places in the world. Less famous, but extremely spectacular, nonetheless, is the festival devoted to St. Valentine which takes place in his actual resting place of Terni (I week Feb) and involves a vast diversity of musical events, carnivals, fancy dress and wine-tastings.

There are many other big festas, too, ranging from the slightly less prestigious, but still spectacular, festival at Todi (the unofficial rival to Spoleto), the specialist Flower festival at San Gemini, the Water festival at Piediluco (all close by), to the hundreds of more modest, commune sponsored festas where you can dance, eat and drink all night and it will cost you virtually nothing. And, for those of you who are musical, there are always concerts, master classes etc on in Terni, Spoleto and the smaller places such as Bevagna and Montefalco. All this information can be got from local tourist offices once you are here.

Nearby is the 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 Assisi. Some of his churches are to be found outdoors, a simple assembly of wooden benches and an alter beneath the trees.

Around San Mamiliano, in the 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 the village.

This area is to be most appreciated by those who love tranquillity, walking in woods and mountains and enjoying the spectacular scenery, which looks across at the Apennines and over the surrounding valleys but who do not wish to be isolated. It is off the main tourist routes, relatively undiscovered and, therefore, it is unusual to see other visitors in the immediate surroundings. Yet, we have easy access to all the main attractions - Assisi, Perugia and Rome (about 60-90 mins by car), places like Sploleto, Todi and Piediluco being relatively close by.

Local shops and many trattorias are all within minutes to half an hour down the mountain.

Eating out in the summer months is highly recommended. It would be difficult to pay more than 25 euros for a 3 course meal with as much wine as you can drink in the local eateries. Eating al fresco on a warm evening with the sun setting behind mountains silhouetted against a pink-streaked, azure blue sky takes some beating. Then there is the Piediluco lake which was famously painted by that great impressionist, Turner. Here, also, there are many bars and restaurants.

Our local and very beautiful pool, (5 mins by car), is set in the mountains and is first class with a bar and all the usual amenities, and includes tennis courts. The entry fee is about 5 euros. There are many other pools and tennis courts in the area. 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. Riding stables are close by and, day-long pony treks can be arranged across the mountains at special rates. At nearby Marmore Falls, the largest in Europe, there is white-water rafting. And, rock-climbing and hang-gliding are on offer in the hills.

So, both L'Arco and Il Castello, in this fairy-tale, hill-top, walled village of San Mamiliano, nestling just below the snow-line and often above the clouds, with the sweep of deep valleys rising to mountain peaks, silhouetted against brilliant blue skies, are perfect for those who wish to experience tranquillity and savour the atmosphere of a bygone era in a relatively unspoilt and beautiful part of the world, without feeling isolated.

Note that the base rates showing are in euros and NOT dollars

May - Oct, 2009 | 670 euros/wk

Nov - April, 2009 | 650 euros/wk

May - Oct, 2010 | 670 euros/wk

NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED : booking secured with credit card details, not debitted except in circumstances of cancellation or no-show.

CREDIT CRUNCH RATES + DISCOUNTED OFFER !! 10% discount off the 2nd week of a 2 week booking OR a 30% discount off the 3rd week of a 3 week booking OR a 50% discount off the 4th week of a 4 week booking.

For bookings longer than 4 weeks, each subsequent week attracts an additional discount of 5%.

Discount calculated off the average priced week of booking.

This is a limited offer and may be withdrawn at any time - however, I will guarantee this offer for 2 weeks from the day I reply to your enquiry. This offer overrides discounts offered in the Booking Information sent to you in response to an enquiry.

The weekly rate is for the whole house, to include up to 8 persons and is inclusive of all
utilities...unlimited hot water, towels, linens etc plus a Welcome Pack.

Can sleep more if booked with another apartment next door, L'Arco - 10% discount for a simultaneous booking. The entrance to L'Arco is round the corner and some distance from the entrance to Il Castello in order that both accommodations are private from each other. However, if they are booked together, we can open up a communal entrance, should this be desired.

You can book on a daily basis.

Any day arrival/departure.

In response to an enquiry, you will automatically receive info re my website (which you can access by placing the words, "Umbria Holiday Rentals" into a Google search and the website of Umbria Holiday Rentals will appear on the left hand side of Page 1). Here, you will see many, many more photos and more apartments, some with pools, as well as the booking conditions re how to attract discounts and the cancellation policy.