My wife and I along with my brother and sister-in-law made a brief stop at L'Ombricolo on our intense two-week whirlwind Italy tour. We were in this part of the country primarily to visit the dying city, Civita di Bagnoregio, which was a sublime experience for all of us. We arrived a little late on the first night, but our hostess Dawne had a magnificent meal ready for us. If you leave her table wanting for anything, it is truly your own fault.

While we all enjoyed the food and wines immensely, we found our hostess to be more than a little stodgy and quite rude at times because we were apparently not as sophisticated or cultured as she. She rolled her eyes at our various cultural blunders and corrected our Italian mispronunciations like a second-grade grammar teacher. I also think she was dismissive of us because we were much younger than she or her "average" guest. No matter though because we managed to spend relatively little time with her except for her rather annoying little habit of taking her own dinner right along with us on both evenings we were there. If we would have known that, we would have undoubtedly arranged for dinner out on the second night. It was also quite strange to see how she treated her man-servant, Oleg, who we found to be very pleasant however eccentric he may seem.

Overall, the house itself is wonderfully restored and we enjoyed our rooms with their comfortable beds and quaint furnishings. The sitting rooms were very plush with live fires in the grand fireplace on both nights and more than enough food and drink to satisfy everybody. Breakfasts were equally enormous with a bounty of fresh fruits/yogurt/croissants/etc. Do try the persimmons...you'll thank me later. Just keep your interactions with Dawne to a minimum and you'll have a great time. Trust me.

Having discovered L'Ombricolo and hostess Dawne Alstrom Vioti (ex pat Brit) in 1997, a friend and I have returned almost every year. The atmosphere is comfortable yet elegant as guests gather by the fire following a day of exploration. Those who choose the optional evening dinner are participants in a true Italian evening beginning with antipasti and bubbly, a prelude to multiple courses of pasta, carne, insalata, formaggio e insalata, finite con dolce e limoncello.
Proprietor, Dawne Alstrom, is extremely knowledgeable about everything in the region because she has been there for almost 40 years. Those interested in restoring old properties will be fascinated by her photos of the transformation of her property. This transformation was designed and orchestrated by her.
On a side note, dog lovers will be especially happy when they are greeted by Luna and Belinida. However, cat lovers will find numerous felines outside.
Well enough for now. I am open to individual inquiries.

My wife and I stayed at L'Ombricolo in the first week of July 2005 and had a superb time. It is located in a quiet region about 90min drive from Rome, and about 40min drive from Orvieto. All the facilities are superb, great swimming pool, the rooms are big and well furnished with big ensuite bathrooms, as well as a big communal loungeroom filled with guidebooks for the area. The breakfast is excellent, continental, with homemade jams. The strength of L'Ombricolo is your hostess Dawne - who built the place to what it is today, and is also well-known by all in the surrounding villages. Recommended is as many dinners in-house as you can muster (extra € but well worth it) - cooked by Dawne from local or home seasonal produce - and absolutely sumptuous. If not, Dawne is happy to recommend fine local restaurants that will welcome you as a local and feed you like a king.
Strengths: welcoming atmosphere, B&B facilities, fine food & drink, the pool, and friendly trip advice.
Keep in Mind: L'Ombricolo is fairly isolated and you will need a car.
We spent ages looking for a place to stay in or around the Umbria region and staying here we could visit all the places we wanted to go (highlights Spoleto, Civita di Bagnoreggio, Orvieto). Highly recommended.

After four trips to Italy in the last 6 years, we keep coming back to L'Ombricolo, our favorite B&B. It's in a beautiful setting, with sweeping views across vineyards to the Umbrian hills. Located where Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany come together, it's an easy 90-minute drive from the Rome airport, and perfect for day trips to many favorite Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns -- including Orvieto, Siena, Todi, Perugia, and Assisi. Rick Steves' favorite "back door" hill town, Civita di Bagnoreggio, is only a few miles away. Hostess Dawne has restored an old farmhouse in exquisite taste, and spares no effort in making her guests feel comfortable and pampered. Definitely try to schedule at least one dinner at Dawne's amazing table (salvaged from planks in an old cow barn), where the conversation flows as freely as the wine, and the food is out of this world. Dawne is British by birth, but has lived in Italy for many years -- some of them working in the Italian film industry. She has made L'Ombricolo a wonderfully welcoming place that has given us some of our happiest European memories.