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I Casali di Monticchio, Allerona, Italy Vacation and Luxury Travel Package
Today I Casali di Monticchio are full of life. They were living centuries ago, amidst the songs of the farmers who met in the evenings to celebrate special occasions.
They were living in the mid 1900s, amidst the laughter of children coming from the countryside to attend the school of the Casali, the only one in the area.
Today, thanks to the owner Liria, the place radiates new life. Each time she speaks of her Casali and of its guests her eyes light up.
I Casali di Monticchio is an elegant relais situated in the countryside on the border between Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany, on a hill top overlooking the wonderful valley at the foot of Monte Rufeno.
At the Casali care is lavished on every detail: from the choice of the fabrics and furnishings to the architecture and wonderful gardens and the rare and excellent food proposed by the restaurant.
This place, built in the XIII century, has the warm and friendly atmosphere of a private dwelling rather than that of a hotel and consists of four farm houses carefully renovated respecting the original rural architecture typical of the area. Each farm house includes comfortable suites meticulously furnished and personalized.
I Casali di Monticchio Accommodations
The Villa
The heart of the resort is the Villa. A pleasant background of jazz music welcomes guests in the elegant reception room. The spaces are divided by soft lights and architectural elements, giving intimacy to each of the restaurant’s tables.
The reception room leads into the billiard room and the charming Giardino d’Inverno, a delightful veranda always warmed by the sun and with a view over the changing colours of the surrounding countryside as far as the eye can see.
On the top floor the austere common living room, embellished by a fire place and dominated by the heavy oak beams, has been transformed into a library. Placed against the far end wall is an antique writing desk re-evoking memories of the days of letter writing.
Suites:
Il Giardino
 Sweet awakening.
Lavender and rosemary essence
mark the beginning of a new day
The soft pastel colours of the walls are decorated with a thin cobalt blue strip. The room looks over the swimming pool, the air is full of garden fragrances and the colours of the flower borders : purple for verbena, turquoise for lavender, yellow for helycrisum and santolina.
Casa al Colle
Two parallel rows of lavender border the lane leading from the Villa to Casa al Colle. The red pomegranate flowers stand out against the facade giving emphasis to the large river stones, made smooth by the passing of time. The suites are arranged on two levels, overlooking the village, Botanical Garden and valley.
Suites:
Il Corbezzolo
A breeze crosses the valley and reaches Casa al Colle.
It caresses the tree tops and mingles with the delicate
fluttering of the butterflies.
A strawberry-tree bush at the foot of the steps introduces guests to the suite occupying the entire top floor of the farm house. The wall stones are interrupted by the creamy colour of the stucco. The large fire place and two narrow pointed arches give personality to the central living room leading into the other rooms, the two bedrooms and the orange kitchen, illuminated by the two large windows.
The house is surrounded by the garden, bordered on two sides with oak trees and with a beautiful pergola of scented wisteria.
Characteristics: suite on the top floor of Casa al Colle. Dining room with living area and fire place – Kitchen – Double suite – Room with double beds – Bathrooms with duplex showers – Private garden.
I Papaveri
Time flows slowly.
Amidst the bustle of daily life
the intimate and secluded garden is a haven of peace.
The fragrance of jasmine and the pink of hydrangeas are the greeting cards of this suite situated on the ground floor of the farm  house. Numerous niches have been created among the stones of the farm house, giving character to the rooms: the living room, with the appealing encased glass cupboard, the kitchen, with the architraved oak wood shelves, the bedrooms, where the wall cavities have been carefully finished with ancient bricks from light yellow to intense red in colour.
A large French door in the kitchen gives access to the garden, the ideal place for long relaxing moments.
Characteristics: suite on the ground floor of Casa al Colle.Dining room with living area and fire place – Kitchen – Double suite – Room with double beds – Bathrooms with duplex shower – Private garden.
Le Giuggiole
The noise of chalk on the blackboard.
The rapping of knuckles of lively children
who grew to adulthood in these rooms
Today the old school is an elegant suite situated on one level and facing the estate vineyards and wonderful botanical garden.
Characteristics: independent farm house.
Double room – Room with double beds – Bathroom with hydro-massage and duplex shower – Bathroom with duplex shower – Living room with fire place – Kitchen – Private garden.
La Torretta
Watchtower of a vast territory
an intimate corner
 from which unknown horizons can be explored
La Torretta, a small and charming suite arranged on three levels, is situated a short way from the Villa, at the far end of the resort looking towards the South-East. On the top floor is the Observatory, distinctive feature of the building. Its wide windows offer an all round view from Monte Cetona to the foot of Monte Rufeno and as far as the tuff plateau on which the wonderful city of Orvieto rises.
Characteristics: independent farm house.
Small living room with cooking area – Double bedroom – Bathroom with hydro-massage and duplex shower – Private garden – Observatory.
I Casali di Monticchio Restaurant
Bernardo, the young chef of I Casali di Monticchio, has his origins in two of Italy’s most famed gastronomic regions: Sicily and Emilia Romagna.
From Sicily Bernardo loves the fruity olive oils, fish and many vegetables used for pasta sauces; from Emilia Romagna he has learnt to taste and select the cured meats and cow’s milk cheese.
He then moved to I Casali di Monticchio, bewteen Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany, heart of the country’s gastronomy and famous for home made pasta with tasty sauces. Then there are the sheep’s milk cheeses, stews, roast meats and the tagliata, thick, tender beef cooked rare and to be eaten with a good glass of red wine. Bernardo’s brother Brian gives his personal touch to the dishes while preserving their original character.
Each day the two chefs produce a new menu, proposing dishes with products of the season, in full respect of nature’s rhythm. Aubergines, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes and all the other vegetables used for cooking, as well as the fruit, are grown in the organic farm surrounding I Casali di Monticchio. The meat is also home produced: rabbit, duck, chicken, guinea fowl, beef and pork. The vineyard and olive groves produce excellent wine and olive oil. These two products, together with bread, have been the sustenance of the country folk of this area for centuries
I Casali di Monticchio Facilities
The Pool
This beautiful pool with an irregular shape is surrounded by the scent and colours of the garden and by the elegant wrought iron pergolas covered with wisteria, jasmine and wild roses. The swimming-pool is protected from the winds by a natural bank covered with Mediterranean bushes: rosemary, lavender, cistus and broom and also roses, abelia, santolina, helycrisum, perovskia...
The spa
Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany have an ancient tradition in the use of spa water to treat body and mind. Spa treatments are available for all our guests, making each day in I Casali di Monticchio a special day.
The Boutique
 The products of our Boutique, carefully selected or created on demand, bear the name I Casali di Monticchio. Sheets made with the best fabrics, bath towels, a cashmere collection and slippers – bath robe set. Beauty products for personal body care signed by Bulgari. Fine oriental Spin porcelain from Shanghai.
The Orangerie
The Victorian style Orangerie is characterized by large windows. Imbued with light, the main protagonist of this beautiful limonaia adjacent to the Villa, it has been designed to host small conventions and ceremonies, seminars and meetings, with the support, when required, of the necessary equipment.
The Cantina
The constant temperature of the Cantina, situated on the ground floor of the Villa, is ideal for the correct ageing of wines from all over Italy. Alongside the famous Bolgheri, Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti Classico and Sagrantino, it is also possible to taste less famous high quality wines produced with devotion and passion by local farmers. The ripe sheep cheese produced by Salvatore, shepherd and dairyman living next to I Casali di Monticchio, will enhance the aromas and bouquet of the full-bodied wines, while the semi-ripe and fresh ones will also be perfect with the drier white wines. The opening of the spa is foreseen in the spring
The Botanical Garden
 The Botanical Garden, cultivated with great care, is a homage to the abundance of fruits this land provides. Personally tended by the owner of the house, it boasts rare and delicate pomegranates surrounded by medicinal herbs and other unique plants and bushes. Next to the old vine pergola is the vegetable patch: tomatoes, aubergines and peppers; basil, sage and rosemary; different kinds of beans. And, depending on the season, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, garlic, onion and potatoes as well as watermelons and melons. On the lower level of the Botanical Garden, arranged in parallel rows are cherry, pear and apple trees, kiwi vines, figs and plum trees of all sorts. The fruits and vegetables grown in this garden with love and respect for nature and with strict adherence to organic farming regulations, are then prepared by our young chefs for our guests.
Jogging
The beauty of I Casali di Monticchio can be truly appreciated when going along the jogging path, a ring of three kilometres leading to the heart of the estate: the organic farm. Going down the tree-lined lane from the wellness centre, one can hear the distant sound of bells from sheep grazing in the fields of the 60 hectares property. Carrying on downhill, passing the cows, one reaches the large pen with ducks, geese and hens. At the bottom of the valley, at the edge of the pond, the footprints of the numerous wild animals which come here at night to drink can be seen. A little further away are the hives where bees produce the sweet nectar destined to our guests. The road then goes uphill; looking east one can see the plateau with the town of Orvieto; to the west the sun has already gone down behind the Casali.
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Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
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