Farm House Residenza del Marchese - Gualdo Cattaneo

My husband and I stayed here in August, 2010, and it was a wonderful experience. The location is relaxing and tranquil...and the views over the Umbria Valley are stunning. The owners are very warm and welcoming. Restaurant dinners are delicious, and you can eat outside on the restaurant terrace during summer. We didn't have a car, and found it easy to walk and ride bikes to Gualdo Cattaneo (2km away), and other beautiful towns are within 6-12 km. Buses easily link you to Assisi and train station at Foligno. Overall, I highly recommend a stay at Residenza Marchese!

Nice rustic property. Friendly owner; good area recommendations--Molina restaurant not to be missed. Property base for touring Umbrian area,better location could not be found for the money--villages, towns to visit were within an hour's drive. Stayed at the property for 3 nights and it worked out well;we were in room 3 and it was big enough for the 3 of us; our son used the sleeper sofa. Sofabed may be too hard for some. On first night, the windows were kept open so we could hear the dogs of the neighborhood most of the night. After this, we made sure the windows were closed and it was very quiet. The exterior was ok. The owner is expanding on the residence in order to accommodate more guests. As it is in the great outdoors of Italy (where they don't spray for insects), should beware of tick season--a few of them landed on our dogs but as they were protected, there was no harm. The rest of the outdoor area was nice. The residence is a working one with olive groves and the pool area was more than adequate--the water was still rather cool during our stay. The interior of the apartment was sufficient; larger than a hotel room for less cost. The shower was small but still managed to do its job; the water strip on the bottom of the shower should perhaps be repaired/replaced. The cooking corner was sufficient for doing a cup of tea/coffee; one can cook a simple dinner of pasta here--all utensils provided. Breakfast consisted of various pastries, coffee, tea, milk; enough for us but they didn't restock during our stay. A small TV, with just Italian channels, is provided in the bedroom; some may complain about this but you're not in the area to watch TV. In closing, this is a good property to get to know the "real" Italy as opposed to having a cold, sameness type of experience one has with the large hotel chains. Would not hesitate to return and would recommend to anyone wanting to explore Umbria.