Infiorata, Spello, Umbria - 9/10 June 2012

The Infiorata in Spello takes place each year to celebrate Corpus Domini, the religious ceremony (in the catholic calendar) that sees the consecrated host being processed through the streets of this stunningly ancient town, complete with Etruscan arches and Roman remains.

Dating back over a hundred years, the laying of flower petals on the streets in front of the procession was started by an elderly Spellana, who scattered broom, the beautiful, fragrant, bright yellow spring flower, in front of her house as the procession passed by.

Since then, the annual celebration has taken on new dimensions and now the streets are covered with beautiful designs and pictures made entirely from flower petals and seed pods.

The whole town is involved and there are prizes awarded for the best designs in various categories including Under 14's, Tapetti (rugs) and Quadri (pictures covering piazzas or large streets).  Even the children join with work starting on the Saturday lasting all night and finishing with final touches early on the Sunday morning before the procession starts.

It's an incredible sight and recommended to anyone visiting Umbria at this time.  The apartment at Villa Bastiola is within an easy drive of Spello making it a great day out for everyone.

Festa d'Autunno, Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, 14-16 Oct

Castle at Monte Santa Maria Tiberina

The Festa D'Autunno or Autumn Festival takes place very year in the tiny mountaintop hamlet of Monte Santa Maria Tiberina.

The Monte is the highest peak for miles around - wherever you go in the area you can always get your bearings from the castle (see the photo) which you can see silhouetted against the skyline!

The Festival runs from the 14th to 16th October with lots of events taking place.  There are stalls selling local produce and crafts, flagthrowers, medieval processions and traditional Italian music as well as a dinner in the Castle itself (still owned and recently restored by the Bourbons of the Monte) at 9pm on the first evening with original recipes from the 1600s...!!!

It's a great chance to join with the locals and really get a feel of how they still celebrate and maintain their ancient traditions and customs today.

The lovely apartment at Villa Bastiola is just 20 minutes drive away and makes a great base for exploring the area.  Find full details and info on www.villabastiola.com

Tripadvisor - Villa Bastiola listing

TripAdvisor - Villa Bastiola - luxury self catering apartment

For ages, I couldn't manage to get our apartment listed on TripAdvisor (apart from a tiny photo and two word listing with no link to our website!) as we didn't fit into their specific criteria for hotels and B&B (need to have more than one accommodation for rent for a free listing).  

Sure, you could pay for the listing but that kind or defeats the whole point of TripA which is supposed to be a neutral guest driven website with honest comments about accommodation.

Anyway, TripA have now linked up with FlipKey and although you have to pay (a very tiny amount) it means an automatic listing on TripA.  So here we are!  I'm really chuffed - lots of our past guests have already logged on and left really charming reviews about their holidays here.

Most of our guests leave feeling that they have become part of our family, or at least become good friends and that they have had an authentic and genuine Italian experience.  They still want to know what's happening in our lives and keep in touch on Facebook or Twitter.

I'm not a great fan of these social networks but for keeping in contact with our new friends, lots of whom are on the other side of the world (Australia and NZ), it's a wonderful thing.

We'd love you to come and experience Umbria - don't take my word for it, click on this link:

TripAdvisor - Villa Bastiola

and read what our guests say about their holidays here.

www.villabastiola.com

Tripadvisor Slideshow for Villa Bastiola

Welcome to the Villa Bastiola. by Sally Ann Marconi in Umbertide, Umbria. Brought to you by TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals, powered by TripWow!™

Coloriamo i cieli - Lake Trasimeno May 2011

Let's colour the skies! From 29 Apr to 2nd May the skies at Castiglione del Lago at Lake Trasimeno will be full of kites of more different shapes, sizes and colours than you can imagine!

“In the kite I have always seen freedom and joy, a message of peace carried on by a wind knowing no bounds”.

This sentence by Jane Parker is the “manifesto” of the Coloriamo i cieli founders. It still represents the meaning of this 20th edition of the festival, fusing the themes of peace and protection of the environment.

It's a great day out for all the family with bouncy castles and ball pits for kids and loads of stands selling the latest in kite flying gear plus lots of places to get a bit to eat (this is Italy after all!).

Check out the weblink for the latest news: Coloriamo i Cieli, Lake Trasimeno

For a place to stay: www.villabastiola.com

Weekend in Umbria

We had some friends over visiting from the UK this weekend, so finally took some time out to do some sightseeing and remembered just what is so special about this part of Italy and Umbria. It's always interesting seeing it through the eyes of others, like seeing it for the first time again. We didn't do anything particularly special, but the whole area is just so beautiful that even driving around is a treat in itself.

First off, we went down to Perugia and parked so that we came up into the old medieval town centre which belonged to the Baglioni family. It was filled in and vaulted over in the Papal salt wars with the Rocca Paolina built on top just to remind the Perugians who was boss.

Painstakingly excavated you can now walk up through the old medieval streets, and into the houses and imagine just what it might have been like in those times. Strolling down the Corso Vannucci from the Brufani Hotel, the architecture changes from Rennaisance (the Rocca Paolina was destroyed in 1860 with the Perugians stating their claim to their own city) to 12century by the Fountain, the Town Hall, the National Museum of Art and Collegio del Cambio and is totally breathtaking. Great to see the locals buzzing around just doing their thing too!

We did a small round trip the following day to Cortona (OK, it's just over the border in Tuscany!) which although is very touristy, still has so much charm and history and incredible views. We had a wonderful lunch in FuFluns (very reasonable, home cooked Tuscan food with a twist) and then drove through beautiful countryside down to Lake Trasimeno for a stroll and an ice cream at Passignano.

It was very relaxed and lazy! There was so much more we could have stopped and investigated, like the Etruscan tombs just outside Cortona or the site of the incredible battle between Hannibal and the Romans at Tuoro (by the Lake).

My friends were overwhelmed by the beauty and living history of this part of Italy and, I have to say, I was too! Don't take my word for it though, come and see for yourself!

We have special discounts on our lovely self catering holiday apartment for bookings made by Easter 2011! Look at http://www.villabastiola.com/ for more details or email me at info@villabastiola.com.

Alistair Sawday's Special Places to Stay

The lovely self catering holiday apartment at Villa Bastiola has been chosen as a Special Place to Stay by Alistair Sawday!

We are over the moon about this as there is a very tough selection process to get through. First you have to submit on line with a detailed brief about what makes your holiday home so special.

Then they send an inspector to visit! We had our visit at the beginning of March, which isn't the best time of year as it can look quite bleak here, but luckily the inspector can see beyond the winter and imagine how it will be during the season for our guests!

The inspector then submits a report to head office who make the final decision on selection. We are just waiting to hear the details to set up our page on their website and from next year we will be in the new 2012 guide book for Italy!

PS The photo is of one of our early summer visitors! Can't wait to see them again!!!

Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy

Città di Castello's skyline is an iconic symbol of this lovely Umbrian market town with its charming historic medieval centre. Cobbled streets wind their way to the main square where there are restaurants, shops and cafès.

At dusk, the pedestrianised Corso (High Street) comes alive as the locals walk up and down for their daily passegiata, meeting friends and family. Famous artists Raffaello and Signorellil worked here and some of Raffaello's graffiti can still be seen on some of the towns palaces!

We had a small (tiny actually! - 36m2) apartment right in the centre of Castello where we lived for over a year and we thoroughly enjoyed being part of this busy town. Just a short drive from our villa (15 mins), we often go for aperitivo, meeting friends for dinner or for shopping. The indoor market has some fantastic produce too and we really like the market on Thursday and Saturday mornings.

The best thing about Castello is that it still feels very "Italian" - it's not commercialised for tourists. It's all about Italians living their lives and you can feel very much a part of this when you visit.

Want to know more? Email me, Sally Ann, at info@villabastiola.com .

Karen Brown Travel Guides

A Karen Brown
Reader Discovery
Property

We are delighted to have been selected for the Traveller's Recommendations section of the Karen Brown Travellers Online Guide. Thanks to a fantastic review by one of our guests last year, Karen Brown has accepted the application and the luxury self catering apartment at Villa Bastiola is part of this delightful guide.

The guide offers hand-picked accommodation world wide, accommodation that is slightly apart from the norm in its welcome, hospitality, quality and charm. No wonder we are so pleased to be a part of this!

If any past guests would like to post a review on the site, please click on the link above. You can also post your own photos too.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Sally Ann, Marco and Emma (www.villabastiola.com)

Self catering holiday apartment for rent, Umbria

Lovely holiday accommodation for rent on a self catering basis for 2 - 4 in the heart of Umbria, Italy.

The photo shows Camera Gregorio, beautifully furnished with silk bedspread and wall hanging and hand-painted wardrobe. Amazing views from the bedroom window. There is an en-suite bathroom with contemporary fittings, perfectly blending with the old walls and ceilings of the house.

The apartment has 2 bedrooms, both en-suite, a large living room with library, wi-fi internet (free) and Sky Tv and a fully fitted kitchen with every gadget!


Guests can use the garden as their own, lazing on the terrace, enjoying the views and dining alfresco...

Email us at info@villabastiola.com for more information or visit our website http://www.villabastiola.com/.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Holidays in Umbria, Italy

Looking for something a little different in your holiday in Italy? Our lovely self catering apartment in Umbria offers a little of all that is best in this stunning area of Italy...

...Beautifully furnished and comfortable accommodation, stunning views, outdoor dining area, olive groves, away from it all but close enough to make sightseeing easy, great restaurants, culture, music festivals...

You can see the mountains of Tuscany in the distance and gems like Cortona, Siena, Montepulciano and Firenze are within easy travelling distance. Highlights of Umbria include Perugia (home to Umbria Jazz and Eurochocolate!), Gubbio, Assisi, Spello, Spoleto, Orvieto, Città di Castello and Montone to name but a few, again all a short drive away from the aparment.

Write to us for more information, to enquire about availability and rates or to make a booking at info@villabastiola.com.