Umbertide holiday apartment: Calzolaro

We had a wonderful holiday here. The apartment is beautiful, clean, well-maintained, comfortable and had everything we needed and more - an extremely well equipped kitchen, comfortable bed, and good shower. There are terraces to suit every time of day, sun/shade, and to enjoy the amazing views across the valley. Even the well-kept pool has a stunning view.
The lovely owners had good restaurant/sightseeing suggestions, and couldn't have been more welcoming, but were never intrusive.
There are lots of lovely extra touches like fresh herbs outside the door to cook with and the setting is stunning - hills, birds, flowers and butterflies.

We wanted to return to this area and Ciliegio is in the most wonderful setting high on a hill with fantastic views.The only sounds are the wind through the trees and the birds. Everything was as described - only better - and the owners Nick & Tricia are very friendly, hospitable and helpful. Finding 1 bed accomodation is often difficult, but this is a real bonus especially as it is part of a lovely old house and there is another 2 bed apartment at the other end of the building. However everyone has their own privacy if required, but it would make a wonderful 'generation' type place to stay.
Ciliego has a great deal of space, both inside and out and was clean, and well equipped - and especially appreciated, was the very large bed! There are patios on both sides leading out from bedroom and kitchen, so in really hot weather there is a wonderful through breeze. A car is a necessity but otherwise the only slight drawback is that the sitting area could possibly do with more chairs, but there were lots of outside seating areas including around a lovely pool with views, and all connected by little terraces.
The area is good for visiting either the lower area of Tuscany, or most of Umbria - even Urbino in Le Marche is less than 2 hours away. The nearest place with a supermarket is Umbertide (about 14 km) which also has a good market on Wednesdays - it's worth going if only to listen to the Italians, even if you can't understand the language! Otherwise, use one of the local alimentaris just a few km. away, and practice your Italian!
Eating places are numerous and just a short drive. Quite a number of agriturismos have good restaurants, or use the local places such as Locanda di Nonna Gelsu and recommended by Tricia & Nick. The food is so good and the owner speaks English!
Otherwise, each apartment has it's own barbecue so it is possible to live outside much of the time - and what could be better than having a good glass of red wine to hand while looking out at the wonderful scenery and enjoying the aroma of cooking Italian pork or beef accompanied by herbs from your own little herb garden outside the kitchen?
This is a wonderful place to totally relax, recharge the batteries, and just enjoy a part of lovely Italy that in some ways hasn't changed for hundreds of years.
Would we return? Absolutely!!!

Our stay at Ciliegio was just what we hoped it would be. The house is up on a hillside looking across a valley and the views from the terrace and the pool are breathtaking. It is such a peaceful and relaxing place - we were glad to get back to it after our sightseeing expeditions. The apartment is well equipped and comfortable and Tricia and Nick are very helpful and friendly hosts. We especially appreciated the welcome pack of essential food items and the books and DVDs. There are plenty of restaurants in the nearby villages and small town (15-20 minutes drive) but dinner on our own terrace watching the sunset was our favourite. We like walking and there were lots of good walks in the area, although we would recommend setting out early during summer months to avoid the midday heat.