Macerata holiday farmhouse: Sarnano

This is such a lovely property, tucked away on the side of a hill with wonderful views. It had everything that we wanted, lots of room, peace and quiet, easy access to villages with small cafes for morning coffee and locally grown food, a wonderful pool that is totally private and best of all for us spectacular walking in the mountains.

Casa Dorato was all and more of what we were expecting. Six adults in total and yet we all felt we had as much privacy as we needed due to the wonerful layout and privacy of rooms. Downstairs bedroom was handy for one couple who find it hard to use stairs.... The villa has a wonderful old world charm and yet had all the mod cons required for a relaxing holiday. There was a great deal of books for any taste and the dvd library for movie lovers and late night entertaining was excellent. Also the leaflets for all that was going on in the locality really did help. Le Marche is a beautiful region so its well advised to do a bit of reseach before arriving so as not to miss out. Locals speak very little English, but we found the challange of translating enjoyable (bring a dictionary). We brought a sat nav but it is wise to also use the old fashioned map as the region is very hilly and sat nav although will get you there in the end sometimes it was the long way around. We realized this near the end of our stay. The swimming pool was well used by us as we spent alot of our time just relaxing, but the drive to the beach (aprox 40 mins) was well worth. Our favourite restaurant was Gino and Pippas. The food was very good and the home made wine like nothing we had ever tasted, (make sure to ask for home made not bottled). There was an English speaking waiter which was very useful... We also went to a Restaurant in Gualdo (cant remember the name....wonder why????) and although it was very cheap and the starters were excellent it was let down by the fact the meat was extremely tough...If you fancy take away pizza San Angelo has a fantastic take away (bring your dicionary) and unbelievable prices, for 6 people (3 of which were hungry men) under €20... We will all return one day soon, we had a fantastic relaxing holiday.

"I’ve had the pleasure of staying at Casa Dorato on a number of occasions spanning a period of over fifteen years and have always thoroughly enjoyed the experience, indeed I was a guest of the house before it had it’s very pretty swimming pool installed. Also the fact that one is not overlooked by neighbouring properties allowing one to do one's own thing I found a definite plus point.

For me, a holiday in Italy must be a chance to sample not only the many and varied treasures this wonderful land has to offer but also an opportunity to meet with the local people and try out my basic Italian. Casa Dorato fits the bill perfectly.

This is because one could not describe this pleasant house as simply a holiday home. Rather, this is a ‘real’ Italian home, set amongst friendly Italian farmers simply going about their daily business but always ready to pass the time of day. For a city dweller like myself I find it a perfect antidote to the stress of living the hectic lifestyle many of us are obliged to live.

I should also mention of course, the Sibillini Mountains. There are some fabulous walks ranging from an easy stroll to as tough as you’d wish for but all with breathtaking views. Take a picnic and a bottle of wine when you go and expect to be greeted by everyone you pass.

The Adriatic coast is easily reachable with it’s warm sea, safe beaches and first class fish restaurants. You really must promise yourself you’ll go at least once. Don’t worry that you don’t really like fish – neither did I until I’d eaten fish here. The unassuming nature of these unspoilt seaside towns with their distinctive Italian atmosphere will delight you.