My wife and I and another couple spent a glorious week at Casa Bruciata, a villa located in northern Umbria just east of Lake Trasimeno near the border with Tuscany. We booked the villa through a website maintained by the villa's British agent (we were unaware that the villa has its own website). As we discovered upon our arrival, the photos and descriptions of the villa and its setting that we saw on the website did not do the villa justice. The setting was eye-popping. The villa is actually a collection of buildings- the villa itself (originally built in the 14th century but damaged by fire, hence the name "Bruciata) and a number of outbuildings that occupy a hilltop (elevation 2,500 ft.) with a panoramic view of olive trees dotting the villa's 400 hectares and distant mountains. The swimming pool is large, inviting, and well-maintained, and one can enjoy an unobstructed view even when taking a dip.

While the accommodations may not be luxurious, they certainly are very attractive and comfortable. We rented Capriolo Grande. It had a "greatroom" with a comfortable sofa and chairs, a fully equipped kitchen and two nice-sized bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The views from the windows were splendid.

The owner, Marco, and his son, Ulvio, were excellent hosts who went out of their way to ensure that our stay was enjoyable. They gave us each a bottle of privately labeled Merlot produced by a nearby winery that is run by one of Ulvio’s friends (another Marco), allowed us to pick what we needed from the villa’s vegetable garden, gave us recommendations for dinner and sight-seeing, and generally treated us as friends and not simply as paying guests.

The main villa has a small but delightful restaurant that is opened whenever guests elect to dine there (34 Euros per person). The multi-course menu changes daily and is preceded by a wine-tasting hosted by Marco (Ulvio’s wine-making friend). The meals are prepared by a chef who (we were told) is a chef at one of Perugia’s finest restaurants, and we were not disappointed. Wild boar was on the menu our last night at the villa and, although we did not dine at the restaurant, Ulvio gave us a large plate of boar to sample. It was spectacular.

Casa Bruciata is somewhat remote, and it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to drive to one of the larger nearby towns (Umbertide to the northwest and Passignano on Lake Trasimeno to the west). However, there a number of tiny, well-kept medieval villages within a short drive that are worth exploring. Of the larger points of interest, Perugia (the capital of Umbria) is about 35 minutes away. Assisi, Gubbio, Orvietto, and Todi in Umbria and Cortona, Montepulciano, and Siena in Tuscany are within easy driving distance (Orvietto being the farthest away, about an hour and 20 minute drive).

We were fortunate that our trip was in late May. Everywhere we looked there were fields of poppies and other wildflowers from the lake all the way up to the villa. At the crest of a hill along the road to the villa, there was a large field that was ablaze with red poppies and in the distance was the medieval village of Preggio nestled on a hillock between the ridge and the distant mountains of Tuscany. That was good for several Kodak moments.

All in all, it was a memorable experience for all of us. We will gladly return.

Mark Brancato, USA