We had a wonderful two week vacation with friends at the Villa Pian Di Cascina in the summer of 2011. The location is central enough to day trip all of Umbria, secluded enough to be truly away, and close enough to two local villages to make daily food and vino shopping convenient. We'd wake up every morning and walk into Carbonesca for morning coffee before either settling down to reading by the pool or heading off to Trasimeno, Todi, Orvieto, Guggio, or some other delight. Casa Castalda met almost all of our daily shopping needs. It is a bit too far for a lazy walk but a very short drive. There was good cheese, bread, and wine there. Paul and Isabel are wonderful hosts; their well kept villa is a home away from home and we look forward to visiting again some day.

We were lucky to both have five weeks off in August / September 2011, and with our three months old baby we wanted to live out "the Italian dream" while autumn arrived in Norway (where we´re from). It turned out that the dream had a bit of British flavor to it, with Paul and Isabel and their two kids giving us a wonderful time at their renovated 16th century Umbrian farm. Great hikes just off the farm, beautiful scenery (better than in Tuscany we would argue), a spectacular pool, a picturesque little village 20 minutes walking away, and countless hill towns in just a 20-40 min drive away. Our apartment (the Viletta) was very clean, comfertable and well kept, with all we needed to “feel at home” during our stay. Paul and Isabel were great hosts, and made us feel at home from day one. We really miss Paul´s dry British humour, and Isabel´s cooking, which absolutely ranks among the best we ate during our stay in Italy. Oh, and we really, really miss those fresh tomatoes that we picked on the farm. We would recommend Pian De Cascina to anyone wishing a stay in the Italian countryside, it is an excellent base for exploring both Umbria and the Eastern parts of Turscany. We are definitely coming back, maybe next summer already!

What a hidden gem! Beautiful apartment with everything you could possibly need including a great welcome pack. Very useful book full of touristy information. Swimming pool.......just perfect. Thank you Paul & Isabel for a great stay, hopefully see you next summer. Jane & Martin

We had a wonderful 8 days at Pian di Cascina. The directions to find the farm were perfect. The information in the house very helpful. The house was very comfy and had all we needed, equipped with useful and good quality items. Paul and Isabel were very welcoming and extremely helpful, and on hand if we needed any information during the week. The location, up in the Umbrian hills, was really beautiful and peaceful - an ideal place to unwind and slow down. The grounds were pretty and yet not too pretentious and the pool was superb, really refreshing in the heat. This was a holiday that we will not forget and which we will think of often and I hope a place we may return too