On short notice, our plans to stay in Rome did not go through and we found this lovely place in the Umbria countryside. We met Gino in the little town of Gioialla and we followed him to the property. He helped us get settled, answered as best he could in broken English, all of our questions. and made sure we had his number in case we needed anything. There are four, possibly five apartments in this farmhouse complex. Most of the neighbors in the building are local Italians who come for the weekends in the summer to swim in the beautiful pool. Everyone was very friendly, but conversing was difficult as no one spoke English and we did not speak Italian. The nearby town of Castiglione de Lago was the real draw. The lake is beautiful, the setting is quiet, and there are boat rides and other touristy things to do. We also made day trips to Orvieto, Spoleto, Cortona, and Multepulciano. All in all, a very lovely experience. A couple of things to note: 1) you really have to have a car to get around because you are definitely out in the countryside; 2) Bring bug spray because you are definitely out in the countryside.
One other important thing to note...the website listed Donatella as the owner and host. However, our communication was always with someone other than Donatella and I'm not sure Donatella is actually a person. No matter. It's a lovely place with two bedrooms, two baths, and a serviceable kitchen.
