Full tour of the Garden House at Casa Nova


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“Nor did I apprehend your thinking it a trouble to read the description of a place which I feel sure would please you were you to see it; especially as you can stop just when you please, and by throwing aside my letter, sit down, as it were, and give yourself a rest as often as you think proper.” Pliny the Younger

The full tour of the Garden House

If you’re like us, you’ll want to know as much as possible about the Garden House at Casa Nova before deciding whether to come here. You have an advantage over the reader to whom Pliny addressed his lengthy description of his own villa, in that you can skip to the bits of this page that most interest you using these links:

[Back to top; Where is it; Why come here; What’s the house like; The living space; The bedrooms; Cot etc; Outdoors and pool; Will it suit us; How private is it?; Getting to Casa Nova; Guided tours of the area]

You can click on any of the photos in this text to jump to the relevant chapter in the Photo Album, where you’ll find many more photographs of the Garden House and its surroundings. See the pages About Casa Nova, About Umbria and Art History for more information about what you can do and see if you come here.

Where is it?

fresco-map-cropped Casa Nova lies in the Niccone Valley within sight of the border between Tuscany and Umbria, equidistant (in journey time) between Cortona, one of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany, and Perugia, the capital of Umbria. From the terrace of the Garden House one can see to the left the mountains of the Marche beyond the Tiber valley; ahead, Monte Acuto and behind it the mountain on which Perugia stands; and, to the right, the Castles of Sorbello and Reschio in the Tuscan hills. It is an idyllic location from which to discover Umbria, Southern Tuscany and the Marche. You’ll find a modern location map here.

The artistic treasures of Cortona, Perugia, Assisi, Urbino and the Upper Tiber Valley are all close to hand. Florence, Siena, and Rome are a daytrip away. This is no coincidence: we located ourselves here so as to be close to the museums and archives where Tom does his researches. (See the Art History pages of this website.) We first cycled through this valley in 1988 on an artistic pilgrimage, following in the footsteps of Piero, Signorelli, Perugino, Pintoricchio and Raphael (to name but a few) all of whom regularly passed up and down between the towns of the Upper Tiber valley and Tuscany in pursuit of their artistic commissions. To see where all this is in relation to Casa Nova, click here

Why come here?

There’s more to the region than its past, however. Umbria is very far from being fossilised. (See the pages About Umbria for more about the region.) Visit the local towns of Umbertide, Città di Castello or Sansepolcro on market day and you’ll find them abuzz: stalls laden with fresh produce or, produced with typical Italian flair, rip-offs of the latest in designer fashions. Stroll down the high street at the hour of the passegiata (the traditional stroll before an aperitif and dinner) and enjoy the mix of shops offering modern design, high fashion, gadgetry (no Italian would be without the very latest in mobile phones), antiques, wines and regional food (such as pecorino cheese, dried porcini mushrooms and truffles). Locals predominate, but tune in and you’ll catch a good mix of languages. Anyone not born in the locality is, of course, seen as irremediably and forever foreign. But that applies just as much if you come from Trento in Northern Italy as from London or Paris and to say that you’re seen as foreign is not at all to say that you’ll be treated as unwelcome: on the contrary, we have always found people here to be remarkably welcoming.

The surrounding countryside offers endless possibilities for walking and cycling. We keep a number of bikes of various shapes and sizes which guests are welcome to use, including a trailer and trailer bike for small children. For serious walkers, there is an extensive network of signed walks across Umbria and Tuscany [CAI maps, available from the bookshop in central Umbertide and at other local bookshops]. However, there are also plenty of short circular walks suitable for families. (We keep a book of these at the house.)

And, of course, you are free to roam over the Casa Nova estate itself: some 25 acres of woodland, meadows and orchards, with a small lake (access to this from the Garden House is fenced for safety), an open air theatre and a play area for children, with climbing frame, den, slide and swing.

We have a small flock of chickens who keep us supplied with eggs (although be warned - chickens tend to go on strike in August, so any eggs at that time of year should be regarded as a bonus). We also generally have a variety of rabbits, guinea pigs and budgerigars for children to visit.

The unspoilt nature of the land around Casa Nova makes it ideal for anyone interested in birdwatching, or identifying the many wildflowers and butterflies. (See the pages About Casa Nova for more information.) It’s also a great spot for star-gazing. The Observatory hosting the International Robotic Antarctic Infrared Telescope program is just the other side of the Tiber valley, for good reason: this was chosen as an area little affected by light pollution. We have kept our own outdoor lights to a minimum. Switch them off; and sit on the verandah on a clear night marveling at the Milky Way overhead, seeing how many constellations you can identify and spotting shooting stars (most frequent around the feast of St Lawrence in August).

What is the house like?

Work on the Garden House at Casa Nova was completed in 2006. Yet it looks as if it has always been there.

Our aim was to create a building that is beautiful, in harmony with its surroundings and environmentally sound. The house and garden are designed to blend into the surrounding landscape of wild cherry trees, olives and oak. Much of the stone in the walls of the house came from the terraces on which it stands and the materials used are natural and, as far as possible, local: terracotta (reclaimed or handmade locally), chestnut timbers, limewash with natural pigments, marble and granite. The house is heated by a combination of solar power, wood-burning stove (fueled by timber logged sustainably from the surrounding land) and an auxiliary natural gas boiler which kicks in only when needed. These power both underfloor heating and hot water.

The house combines the best of traditional style and modern design. For example, the roof is constructed using the traditional elements of huge chestnut beams, old handmade Roman tiles, externally, and handmade terracotta “pianelle”, internally, but sandwiched in between these is a modern (and, in Italy, still unusual) innovation: a layer of insulation and a system of ventilation channels which keep the house cool in Summer and warm in Winter. The floors downstairs are of reclaimed terracotta, worn with age. Upstairs, in the bedrooms, we instead chose to have the floors made of polished cement, mixed with ground marble and natural pigments. This material has a luminous quality, bringing light into the room and reflecting the colours of the walls. It feels (counter-intuitively) soft and velvety under bare feet.

The house does not have air-conditioning. We do not find it necessary. The walls are very thick; inner and outer window shutters enable one to regulate the amount of light, and therefore heat, entering the rooms; and the position of the house, at about 500m above sea level, looking South over the valley, means that it seems always to catch a refreshing breeze. Equally, while one is bound to get the odd mosquito in Summer, we do not find them to be enough of a problem here to wish to live behind netting. Simple precautions, such as not leaving windows standing open at night with the lights blazing, seem to suffice. We do provide plug-in mosquito zappers for the bedrooms, and the local supermarket sells refills for these and citronella candles for those who wish to use them.

The living space

We use the Garden House ourselves in the Winter months and it has everything you’d expect in a well-equipped family home, including broadband internet access, wired network and a resident PC for those needing to keep in touch with work (or, perhaps, coming here to get some writing done in peace and quiet). Internet access also means you can access these pages for useful local information!

The house is furnished throughout in an elegant but relaxed mix of traditional and modern styles. There’s nothing less relaxing than going on holiday with children and having to spend your time worrying whether they’ll wreck the antiques or diving across the room to rescue some delicate nicknack from your toddler’s attentions. So, for example, the furniture is, for the most part, painted wood: light in tone, easy on the eye and robust; and the sofa covers are washable; but there’s no compromise on comfort and style.

Sitting room

In the sitting room, two walls of which have been left with the very characterful stone and brickwork showing (facciavista), there are plenty of comfy sofas, a stone fireplace and a flat-screen TV with satellite receiver for free-to-air, DVD and video player (through which you can also play music CDs), and phone (you will be charged the cost of your calls). There’s also a selection of board games and toys, some CDs and a large library of English-language videos and DVDs for all age-groups.

Utilities

To take care of the chores, there’s a dishwasher and washing machine. Towels, swimming towels and bed-linen are supplied. Our very charming Italian cleaner cleans and prepares the house between rentals and, in the case of a rental for more than one week, will visit at the end of each week to clean and change bed-linen and towels. She can come more often by separate arrangement (and at additional cost).

Kitchen

The large, high ceilinged kitchen/dining room opens through a wide archway from the sitting room, so that the chef need never miss out on the conversation. The kitchen is equipped for serious cooks who want to make the most of the local produce. There are generously sized work surfaces of hammered granite around the double sink and the large gas hob. There’s an electric oven big enough to take a whole sucking pig, should you be brave enough; a separate wood-burning stove/oven for winter use; a larder containing a deep butler sink, large fridge-freezer and separate drinks fridge; a bread-making machine (set it on a timer at night and have fresh bread for breakfast); espresso maker; juicer; and all the other necessary paraphernalia to cook up a storm should you feel so inclined. There’s also a good selection of cook books. The dining table indoors seats up to 10 (more if you eat outdoors). Outside, there’s a barbecue. For those who regard being on holiday as a good reason NOT to cook there is an excellent range of restaurants within a short drive of the house. (See Where to Eat, in About Umbria, for details.)

The bedrooms and bathrooms

The house has 4 large bedrooms. Three of these can be flexibly configured with either double or twin beds, according to your needs and, whilst the house is best suited to groups of 6-8, a 9th person or up to two infants in cots can also be accommodated, if required. Each of the bedrooms can be individually locked: for example, if a non-family group are renting the house together. Each bedroom has its own en-suite bathroom. Amongst the many things Italy is tremendously good at are luxurious bathroom fittings and gorgeous ceramics and marbles; and we haven’t stinted on these in designing the bathrooms. We have also enjoyed choosing from the best of Italian lighting design, being unafraid to combine the strong look of stone, timber, terracotta and limewashed walls, with sculptural modern lights. Judge for yourself whether you like the result by browsing the Photo Album.

Studio

One of the bedrooms, the Studio, is on the ground floor and doubles as a study, with writing desk and basic PC and fax/printer, as well as bookshelves, wardrobe, and chests of drawers. This room opens through an arched doorway off the sitting room and has windows facing West, and a door onto the South-facing ground-floor terrace, shaded by the Pergola. It can be used simply as a study and extra sitting room, if the three double bedrooms upstairs are sufficient to accommodate your party. Normally it is set up with two single beds (of which one doubles as a sofa) but if required it can be set up with up to three single beds or two of the beds can be joined to make a double. It would be suitable for someone who has difficulty with stairs, since access is all on one level. The PC can be used to view DVDs, which is useful if you have the sort of family who can never agree on what to watch, or to play music CDs. The en-suite bathroom has a shower with thermostatic control, sink, bidet and WC and is finished with pale travertine marble.

The other three bedrooms are on the first floor. These open off the airy hallway, which is where you arrive when coming into the house from the car parking spot on the terrace above (and is also where the controls for the alarm are situated). Here you’ll find a large selection of English-language books, local guides and maps; a bench seat; and, on the wall, a couple of large panels showing details from paintings by Raphael, which are a souvenir from the exhibition on Raphael that Tom co-curated at the National Gallery in London. From the hallway, stairs with a wrought iron balustrade lead down to the sitting room.

Camera Rosa.

The largest bedroom, with windows to the East and South, has a super king-size bed. (This is zip-linked and can instead be made up as 2 singles if required.) The walls are a soft pink. It is furnished with a window-seat, writing desk (if you bring a laptop, you should be able to access the internet from here via the network), dressing-table, bedside tables, bookcase, wardrobe and chests of drawers. This room also has a small lockable safe for valuables; a docking station for playing music from MP3 players; and UK adaptor plugs for mobile chargers etc.

The large en-suite bathroom has a huge shower, which is clad on three sides with great slabs of beautifully veined travertine marble and has two shower heads(both thermostatically controlled). There is also a large sink suspended on another slab of marble, a separate double-ended bath (more marble - I confess we did go rather mad here) and, of course, bidet and WC.

Camera Gialla

The middle bedroom is a sunny yellow and has a large double bed and French doors to the South-facing verandah on top of the Pergola. It also has a desk, dressing table and chairs, wardrobe, chest of drawers, and bedside tables.

In addition to sink, bidet and WC, the en-suite bathroom has a roomy shower, lined with honey-coloured marble tiles. This again has two shower heads and thermostatic controls.

Camera Azzura

The end bedroom, with French doors to the South-facing verandah on top of the Pergola as well as windows to the West, has a super king-size bed which again can instead be made up as 2 singles if required. The walls are a pale, delicate blue. It has a small bookcase, wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside tables and a portable tape/CD player.

The en-suite bathroom has handmade green-glazed tiles and handpainted ceramic light fittings. In it there is a large bath with a shower above it, sink, bidet and WC.

Cot

A children’s cot is available on request, as is a travel cot, car seat, booster, highchair and two stair-gates. The latter cannot be fitted on the stairs themselves but can be fitted to the door of a bedroom to prevent a young child wandering off by themselves toward the stairs. Please notify us ahead of time if you require any of these. See the Family Holidays section for more information on holidaying with children at Casa Nova.

Outdoors and pool

Outdoors, you have a choice of sitting spots: outside the sitting room there’s a shady pergola with tables and chairs that can be combined to accommodate ten or separated for smaller groups. At night, you can eat out by candlelight. Outside the kitchen there’s a sunny terrace and a round table ideal for morning coffee. Up on the balcony on top of the pergola, there’s a small table and variety of seats for sunning yourself or sipping an aperitif as you watch the sun slide behind the shoulder of the hill. There are a number of other benches dotted around the garden. There’s also a large kettle barbecue.

The Garden House is named for its garden, which is full of herbs, old roses, irises, herbaceous plants, decorative grasses and peonies, all mingled with wildflowers. Low maintenance it isn’t, but very beautiful. For pictures see here; for a plant list see here.

The Garden House’s own private pool is on a terrace below the Garden House. This is an above-ground pool, and is fenced, which has some distinct advantages in terms of the security of young children. At 11m x 5m, it is a “proper” pool size, ample for swimming lengths or playing games but as the depth is about 1.20m it is unsuitable for diving. We have built decking for sun-loungers by the pool, at water level, again with access secured. It therefore functions exactly as if it were a dug-in pool. For a slideshow, click here.

In August 2008 we completed a second, dug-in, pool on the estate, on a terrace below the main farmhouse. It measures 14m x 5m, with a deep end, and has an infinity edge, looking out over the Niccone valley. Around it there is a generous area of travertine marble paving. The classical formality of the architecture is softened with waving bamboos and grasses and pots of scented lemons and mandarins. It is, in short, very beautiful. For a slideshow of the new pool, click here. We hope to be able to offer Garden House guests the option of shared use of this new pool in the summer season of 2012 (second half of July and August excluded, when it will be reserved for occupants of the main farmhouse) but this depends on all the necessary legal permissions having been obtained in time (which is not certain) and we are therefore marketing and pricing for 2012 on the footing that Garden House guests will continue, as before, to have sole use of the above-ground pool situated below the Garden House (see above). If it turns out we can make the new pool available, that will be a bonus.

Will it suit us?

The layout of the Garden House is designed to be flexible: it will equally well suit families or groups of adults sharing the accommodation.

One of the bedrooms is on the ground floor, with only one shallow step up into it from the outside terrace. Although the main parking area is above the house, linked to the house both by steps and by a sloping path, it is also possible to drop off passengers at the same level as the house before driving on to park. If one of your group can’t manage steps, the ground floor bedroom may be suitable, as there are no steps between it and its en-suite bathroom or the living areas. Please feel free to Contact Us to ask questions, if in doubt.

Please note that smoking is not permitted indoors at the Garden House, for the sake of subsequent guests.

Umbria is the only land-locked province in Italy, so Casa Nova is not ideal for lovers of sand and surf. However, there is a pool on a terrace below the Garden House (11m x 5m) and Lake Trasimeno is within easy reach, for swimming and watersports.

Equally, if bright lights and discotheques are your thing, you’re in the wrong place. If, on the other hand you’re attracted by the idea of waking up to birdsong and panoramic views from every window; gathering your own seasonal fruit and vegetables from the garden for a lunch on the shady terrace; and pottering out to one of the local towns in the evening to take in a bit of art, browse the shops and catch the buzz of local life, then this could be the place for you. A stay here offers perfect peace for stressed-out City dwellers and freedom for kids to roam and play.

Casa Nova is not suitable for non-drivers. The nearest restaurants or shops are all a distance away that would qualify as a hearty pre-Sunday-lunch walk, rather than a popping-out-for-a-litre-of-milk potter.

Having said that, the Garden House is not isolated. There is a good choice of shopping and restaurants available within a 15 minute drive. It’s about 40 minutes from Perugia airport (direct Ryanair flights from Stansted, commencing December 2006) and about half an hour from the railway stations at Terontola and Perugia (see Getting to Casa Nova and the Location map for more information and other airports in the area). You arrive via a single track tarmac road which winds up the hillside from the Niccone valley, and a short stretch of gravel drive. The main farmhouse is completely screened from the Garden House by trees and the lie of the land but is in fact only a short step away. The nearest neighbours (an interesting mix of locals and incomers, both from other regions of Italy and abroad) are a couple of minutes walk up or down the road. When we are around, we’re happy to help with queries and when we’re not around ourselves we, or those who look after the place for us, can be contacted in case of need.

How private is it?

Although the Garden House is part of the 10 hectare Casa Nova estate, it offers guests privacy and peace and quiet in their own space. Standing on the balcony of the Garden House you can scarcely see the main farmhouse, which is further down the hillside, screened behind trees and orientated in a different direction: see here. The two houses therefore enjoy privacy one from the other, whilst being sufficiently close that, at times when we are around, we can readily offer help if you ask us (leaving you to your own devices otherwise). Whilst the produce of the vegetable garden and the hen-house is shared between the two houses, the flower garden immediately around the Garden House is reserved for guests, as is the use of the pool below the Garden House (the main house has its own pool). In short, you get as much space for your own sole use as in an “ordinary” holiday rental but on top of that you have access to the wider estate: see map of the estate.

Getting to Casa Nova

On receipt of the balance of the rental due, we will send you detailed directions on how to find Casa Nova, but a few general indications will be useful at the planning stage.

Our nearest airports are: Perugia (35 minutes; Ryanair from Stansted), Florence (hour and a half; Meridiana from Gatwick), Ancona & Forlì (both @2 hours; Ryanair from Stansted), Pisa (2 ½ hours; Ryanair from Stansted, Easyjet from Luton, BA and Alitalia from Heathrow and Gatwick), Rome (3 hours; Ryanair from Stansted and Luton, Easyjet from Luton, BA and Alitalia from Heathrow and Gatwick, and other connections from the US and elsewhere).

Car hire is available from all these airports with Hertz, Avis and other companies.

Our nearest mainline train station is Terontola (on the Rome-Florence line; 30 mins away). Umbertide is also connected to Perugia (and Southerly mainline links) by a small local train line.

For location map, click here. For ground plan, click here.

Guided tours

Subject to Tom’s other commitments, he may at times be available (at extra cost and by prior arrangement) to conduct guided tours of local art historical sites. Email us at rentals@casanovaumbria.eu to enquire.


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