This is a great place in all sorts of ways. The buildings are lovely old farm buildings which blend into the surrounding countryside, so simply sitting by the pool in the evening is a visual treat and completely relaxing. Inside, the rooms are as comfortable, spacious and well-equipped as you could wish for.
There are easy walks, long and short and in all directions, in the surrounding countryside, which has a mixture of woods and open land with plenty of tracks and rights of way. There are terrific views from the nearest hilltops. The nearest village, Montone, is a pretty medieval walled town a short drive away. When we visited it was running its annual celebration and reenactment of the Donation of the Holy Thorn, which involved a rather wonderful pageant of medieval costumes, with drums, trumpets, horses and flags, plus all-night outdoor taverns. There are one or two good restaurants there too.
Further afield, we visited Assisi, San Marino, Arezzo, Gubbio, Perugia and Ravenna. These are all fascinating places full of cultural and gastronomic treats. We were particularly taken with Perugia, under an hour's drive from Casa Vialba.
Julie and Carlo are generous and welcoming. Julie took me and my daughter riding several times on her fine horses, and that really put the icing on the cake. We certainly hope to return.
We came across CASA Vialba completely by chance when we were hunting on the internet for somewhere to stay in Umbria for 2 weeks. And what a complete stroke of luck it was for us to find Carlo and Julie's magical villa to stay at!! From the moment you arrive you are made to feel incredibly welcome and that you have met up with old friends. Carlo and Julie are perfect hosts, generous with their time with you if you want it and the height of discretion if you don't. The villa (we stayed at Olive House) is very well appointed with a well stocked kitchen and comfortable living areas and bedrooms. If you've come to spend as much time outdoors as possible then CASA Vialba is fantastic with plenty of walks from the property across the valley allowing you to take in the beautiful and tranquil scenery, the abundant wildlife (look out for wild boar, porcupines and (if you're incredibly lucky) wolves!). If a relaxing time by the pool is for you CASA Vialba has 2 lovely clean well sized pools to escape the heat of the day. And if you're into quad-biking, archery or horse riding Carlo and Julie will take time out of their days to teach you! All in all a fabulous place, owned and run by lovely hospitable hosts. We will be back next year to hear more of Carlo and Julie's hysterical stories over dinner!! Grazie mille Carlo and Julie!
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When I first found Casa Vialba on the Internet I couldn't work out why there were so few reviews on trip advisor, but I'm now completely certain that everyone who stays here loves it so much that they want to keep it a secret.
I came here with my husband for a birthday week in august and we absolutely loved it. Where do I start? Julie and Carlo are the nicest hosts, and when we left at the end of just a week it felt like we were leaving old friends. They are hugely knowledgable about the local area and very generous about sharing this. Nothing is too much trouble and they really do go out of their way, even preparing a lovely meal on the night of arrival. The properties themselves are beautifully restored traditional Umbrian houses with everything you could need for the perfect stay, each with its own private pool which was a delight in the hot weather. The food was delicious, both in restaurants and at home where we bought from local shops and delis. And the views and surrounding countryside, the stars at night like you've never seen before, the wildlife...all stunning.
But...the very best bit (for me), was the riding. It's true to say that I'm completely horse obsessed, and Julie went out of her way to take us out on the some amazing rides. Her horses are just superstars and we had so much fun with them. It was such a highlight of our trip.
Before I booked our stay I read a review by a lady who said that she'd enjoyed Casa Vialba so much that she cried when she left. This is not an over reaction! I cried when I left too! We will be back here as soon as we can, in fact we've started looking at flights already and we only got back last night.
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My husband and I stayed in Olive House with our 2 daughters (6 & 11) for 3 weeks and can only agree with the comments of the previous reviewer. The house is beautiful, the welcome and ongoing hospitality from Carlo and Julie is exceptional and we have had a holiday that we will never forget. The house is in beautiful countryside and enables you to really "get away from it all" and yet there are so many activities to do - we tried quad biking, archery and horse riding as well as relaxing by the lovely pool. The girls loved the abundance of wildlife as well as the 2 dogs, Nux and Poppy and all in all we have had a wonderful time. We will come back!
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