We arrived home from Italy yesterday Our stay at Casa Martani came on the heels of 3 days in Venice and 3 days in Florence and a 1 day driving blitz through Tuscany, including Siena. Boy, were we ready for a spot to park ourselves and Casa Martani was the perfect place. As predicted, we got lost trying to find the house - but to tell you the truth....even that was a pleasant experience. We ended up the little hill town (that you can see from the upstairs bedroom window at the house) and stopped to ask a group of older woman if they knew the house address. I knew they weren't going to be able to understand a word I said but it didn't matter. I just showed them the address of the house and they all began to argue about it. Finally one woman stepped confidently out from the group touched my arm and pulled me aside. Via hand gestures and very basic one word interpretations I got the gist of what she was trying to tell me. Off we went into the countryside again. I loved it!
The house was such a gracious and beautifully situated homestead. The weather was hot and sunny the evening we arrived and we were in the pool within the first half hour and watched a beautiful sunset paint the sky as we swam. Dinner arrived complete with wine and we sat up in the 2nd floor kitchen watching the sun sink into the hills, with its glow on our faces.
We side tripped to Todi and Citte della Pieve via tiny, winding, hilly roads through the breathtaking countryside. Thank goodness for GPS. What an adventure.
My husband and son were taken by surprise by the workout facility. I did not tell them about it - you should have seen their faces when she showed us that on the orientation tour. It was the icing on the cake.
I loved my espresso in the morning, thanks to their kitchen outfitted both upstairs and down with espresso machines, compete with supplies. I couldn't stop looking out the windows, marveling and appreciating the beauty of the countryside that surrounded us there. Really.......unbelievably gorgeous in the morning at sunrise right on through the amazing sunsets.
Thanks for helping make it happen. Just wish it could have been longer. We will long remember our stay in Umbria.
Gratefully,
Leslie

beautiful

What an amazing place, Thank you for recommending it to us, You were right, it was the perfect home for our family.

We will carry the memories we made at Casa Martani with us for the rest of our lives. It was the best holiday we had in Italy and we are regular villa renters in Italy. The villa is full of character, and warm and charming and inviting. A beautiful brown stone wall and black wrought iron gate opened magically as we approached, and as we continued up the white gravel driveway, there was Gianna - welcoming us with a huge smile, waving enthusiastically. The grounds were a sight to behold! Large terracotta urns spilling over with bright splashes of colorful flowers, a huge covered terrace overlooking a panoramic view of Umbria that felt surea. A large infinity swimming pool glistening in the setting sun, sprawling gardens and pathways, terraces on both sides of the house and a soft breeze touching our faces bringing us the soft fragrent scents of flowers and trees. We just marveled at the views from this house that sits atop of a hill. We were so high up that we felt the rest of the world just dropped off at our feet! The views continued for 50 or 60 miles and the sun glowed and cast shadows in hundreds of different places at one time. We noticed Gianna patiently waiting for us at the entrance to the house, and realized we had been awe struck for quite a long time. Poor Gianna, waiting patiently for us to soak it all in, while she gets to enjoy this every day. We wondered later if she ever grew tired of it. Who could? It was so incredible. Across the threshold we went, somewhat reluctantly, how can it compare to what we've just seen? Reluctance turned to pure joy to see such an inviting interior! The living room was cozy yet large, with another set of doors leading out to yet another terrace with tables, the kitchen was large as well, but felt so cozy and intimate. The downstairs bedroom was ideal for our mother who has a difficult time with steps. The most remarkable thing about this room that the wall facing the gardens and pool was all glass. Every morning she would open the curtains before making her bed so she can bring the outdoors in before she steps foot out the door. We had a birds eye view of the swimming pool and gardens from the upstairs kitchen. We set it up as our office/study and kept our laptop and guide books here and would be the perfect perch for watching the kids in the swimming pool. Having a refrigerator and coffee maker was convenient as well when using the pool. Every bedroom was beautifully decorated, and we all appreciated our own bathrooms. We didn't use the 'kids room' in the mansard, but we all took climbed the ladder and took a peak. We all agreed it would be ideal for young teenagers.
Gianna is an excellent cook and we highly recommend using her services at least for one night. The caretakers, Gianfranco and Vittorio are so sweet and unobtrusive. We would return home from a day of sightseeing and find a basket of fresh vegetables that were picked from the garden on the property, compliments of these two gentlemen.