Today I want to share a review of our stay in an Agriturismo in Umbria, Italy. I will talk about
What is Agriturismo?
Agriturismo is a form of tourism in the countryside, with “an unique feature that it can only be practiced on farms and by farmers“, according to the website of Agriturismo Italia. The farm is located in a rural landscape and can range from renting a bedroom (if it’s a small one) to renting a whole house with your own swimming pool that you either share or have for yourself. Often you can buy local products, like olive oil or wine and sometimes there are activities organised that you can participate in, like cooking classes, horse back riding or excursions in nature.
You can find Agriturismo all over Italy, near hills, mountains or the sea. There are also lot’s of options to choose from in terms of food. You can choose to arrange your own meals, or book an Agriturismo that provides breakfast, lunch or dinner. Some provide half board (two meals) or full board (all three meals). You have a tremendous amount of options.
Some good websites to help you navigate are:
Location
We choose an Agriturismo in Umbria, close the border of Tuscany. I liked that it was still close enough to Tuscany that we could also do some excursions to that area, and we really loved that it was in an environment surrounded by nature. Actually, afterwards I learned these Umbrian hills are an Unesco Mab reserve.
Oak Tree Apartment
This Agriturismo is called Podere La Serpolla and is owned by Giulio and his wife Clarissa. It doesn’t have it’s own website but you can read more about it on airbnb, argriturismi.it and Planet of hotels. The owners have another Agriturismo called Borgo Casaglia which you can read more about here. To get to this gem in the middle of nature you have to go to Borgo Casaglia first and then continue for about another 5 km on an off road path to get to Podere La Serpolla. Podere la Serpolla was constructed in the late Middle Ages and is surrounded by wonderful oak woods, hence the name “La Serpolla”.
Up unto Borgo Casaglia you can drive just fine, however once you continue your drive from here, it is all off road. I would recommend you come with a good car. There are about 3 spots that are very rough and you need to be very careful.
Our Apartment
There are 2 farmhouses that have 6 separate apartments, and each has their own private entrance. Our family of six were staying in the apartment called Merlo. That is the one on the right on the photo below.
There was a small, basic kitchen that kind of reminded me of times long gone. There was no dish washer but all of the basic things were there (pots and pans) and a small fridge. The fridge was too tiny for us but luckily there was another area that we could also use. In the shared “wifi house” there was a large fridge with freezer where we left our ice cream and watermelon.
I asked Giulio if I needed to buy coffee filters (we had to do groceries before we arrived since the nearest grocery store was a 15 min drive from the farmhouse) and he told me there was a Moka. I didn’t know what a Moka was, until I saw it.
This is the way a lot of Italians make their coffee and Giulio explained to me how to make it. It was pretty simple and so I learned how to make Italian coffee. I loved it!
The Common House
There are two farmhouses that have 6 private apartments. In the first farmhouse there is a common area with a large fridge and kitchen with an oven that all the guests can use. There is also a cabinet with all kinds of extras that you can use if you need it, bowls, utensils, cups, plates etc. My kids called this the “wifi house” because that’s where there was a good wifi connection. Actually, that’s were there was the “only” wifi connection. We didn’t know this but we actually didn’t mind as we really got to slow down and relax. If we wanted to check our email or download a movie, we just walked over to the common area and did that. But that is something to think about you really need internet in your apartment.
This is the area in the back of the kitchen of the common house. It was so lovely. You can sit there in the mornings and drink your tea or coffee or have your breakfast under the tree.
The Pool
Let’s get to the best part of this Agriturismo.
The pool!
The pool was amazing. There are 3 things that I never actually thought about but that I realised after we experienced a “bad” pool. This pool…
- Gradually gets deeper. The kids can stand in the first part where the stairs are, and then it gradually gets deeper.
- This pool has salt water mixed in. Our kids played for hours and did not get red or sore eyes.
- It’s big! This pool is really nice and large (it’s 6 x 17 meters) and you can swim laps (for the parents) and our kids really enjoyed it.
Vineyards
The are is surrounded by tall oak woods and delightful vineyards. It’s lovely to walk around in the mornings or evenings and is very peaceful to look at. Giulio and his family cultivate the olive trees and you can ask him more about that.
Conclusion
This gorgeous farm stay is a gem tucked away in the Umbrian hills were you will come to a complete rest. We really enjoyed our stay here and would love to come back. Although, with a good car that can survive the off road.
Things to think about
- Road: once at Borgo Casaglia it’s a tough road up to La Serpolla with three very rough parts. If you are driving a car that is very low you will encounter problems driving up this road. We actually got a flat tire on the first day driving (half way). Giulio said that unfortunately he can’t asphalt the road because the road is property of the government. If he could get that fixed that would be a great improvement.
- Wifi: there is no wifi in the rooms except for the common area. The wifi connection there is perfect though. Our kids didn’t mind going to the wifi room and actually enjoyed it because they were away from the house.
- Luxury: it’s very basic. There is no airconditioning or a dishwasher but we didn’t mind as we enjoyed the back to basic feel. I do think he should provide fan’s.
What we loved
- Pool: the pool was amazing and our kids had a great time. We enjoyed it very much!
- Area: the whole area around the farmhouses is so peaceful. I especially loved seeing the mist early in the morning.
- Owner: Giulio is a great host! He is very kind and helpful and thinks with his guests. He helped us very well and gave us some tips were to eat or visit. Each one of his tips were awesome!
I hope this review was helpful to you. Let me know in the comments what you think. Enjoy the rest of the summer and until next time! Ciao!
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