L'Arco in Spoleto

L'Arco is very special.

Snuggled at the bottom of an extremely, pretty arched alley-way,
L'Arco is totally private, it being the only residence in this cul-di-
sac. Its garden/patio is stocked with flowers and plants. Its
interior is immaculately furnished and equipped with everything you
could want on holiday. It has SKY/SAT TV with all the English
speaking film , news and documentary channels. And, it has a DVD with
plenty of DVDs + CDs to choose from.

The main room is large and divided into a sleeping and lounge area
with two matching 3-seater sofas (1 a sofa-bed) on one side of the
room with the SKY TV and a large double bed on the other side, next
to the window with the most amazing mountain views.

Indeed, there are wondrous views of mountains, woods, tree tops and
the valley below from all 3 windows of the bed-sitting room, the
bath/shower room and the kitchen.

A 10C stone arched corridor separates the bed-sitting room from the
equally spacious kitchen that opens directly onto the garden/patio.

The double doors of the kitchen open directly onto a very pretty
patio/garden down 3 steps.

We recommend this apartment for just 1 couple or 1 couple with a
child, who would sleep in the same room.

For larger parties, L'Arco can be booked simultaneously with the 4
bedroom, house next door (entrance in another lane), Il Castello. If
this is the case, then, the back door of Il Castello, usually
permanently locked, can open onto the patio/garden of L'Arco and,
thus, create 1 huge property that would sleep 10.

The booking of at least 2 properties simultaneously attracts a
discount of 10% off the full rate.

San Mamiliano is 10C and the oldest inhabited village in Umbria. It
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
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 nearby 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
10C 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, L'Arco was substantially
restructured and modernised to architectural standards about 7 years
ago. And, it has retained a beautiful 10C stone arch inside. Unlike
many Italian dwellings, L'Arco has a light, airy and modern ambience.

The outside of L'Arco, along with all the other dwellings
in San Mamiliano that have undergone restoration, has also retained
all its original features - and, it is spectacularly located in the
cul-di-sac, at the bottom of a tiny, arched 10C vicolo (an ancient
lane).

L'Arco has all mod cons, including gas central heating and unlimited
hot-water.

Next door is Il Castello, our original house. 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 big house, unless you specifically wish to !

There is very easy access from San Mamiliano 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 - best by train.

L'Arco is furnished with high quality fixtures/fittings and
furniture. It is also equipped with a 24" 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 plus SKY SPORTS !

The smart kitchen/diner 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 following items are also included in the rental rate :

- 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, butter, rice, fruit,
pasta, olive oil, cheese, 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 San Mamiliano, our 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, a year ago, one
of these roads was rebuilt also as a “proper” road. 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’ve
always preferred to watch ! And, the San Mamilianese are extremely
hospitable so don’t 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 wk 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), our own commune’s
historic Pageant, involving 400 volunteers and showing life in
Ferentillo over the last 1000 years…..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 Bevagnia and
Montefalco…..all this information can be got from local tourist
offices once you’re 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 Asissi. 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.

Nov, Dec, 2007 - Jan, Feb, March 2008 | 360 euros/wk
April, 2008 | 370 euros/wk
May - Oct, 2008 | 390 euros/wk

Please ask to see my personal website, where you can see many, many
more apartments, booking info, how to attract discounts, further
photos/info and cancellation policy.

The weekly rate is inclusive of all utilities, linen, towels etc plus
a generous Welcome Pack.

Any day arrival/departure.

You can book on a daily basis.