Tenuta Del Gallo

If you are looking for a hide-away in a beautiful setting and tranquil environment – look no further! La Tenuta del Gallo will fulfill your wishes and needs. In the middle of no-where in the Umbrian countryside this lovely little Relais offers all you need for a few nights “away from it all” – or a full holiday – without you having to leave the property, should you wish. Or make it your base for exploring Umbria for a number of days, which my husband and I did on our recent self-drive tour of Italy. You will instantly feel at home. The Relais is situated on the grounds of a huge olive grove and surrounded by a beautiful park-like garden with flowering rose-beds and subtropical vegetation and boats a very tempting infinity-pool with stunning views of the olive grove and forested hills. Sunbeds and comfortable chairs abound around the pool and in the garden in order for you to find just the spot that suits you the best for liking up the sun, read a book in the shade or a chat with your fellow travelers. Peaceful and tranquil. All while you are pampered by the host and staff offering delicious home-made food on the large covered terrace or in one of the fine indoor saloons. The limited number of rooms and hence guests make the experience intimate, stress-free and almost family like. And then you feel a bit “royal”… The style of the Relais is difficult to explain or pin down. From the outside it looks like a large old farm – but once you enter you get the feeling of being at a mini castle or manor house with a row of saloons with big sofas, fireplaces, trinkets and furniture from bygone days, while the rooms bid you goodnight with large four-poster canopy beds… You are simply brought back in time. Most guests enjoy all their meals at the Relais – but it is not a must or anything. All you need to do is to let the staff know, if you will be requiring dinner or not. We ate two out of four nights at the Relais and enjoyed well cooked and tasty meals. For longer stays the menu card may be a bit too small to offer sufficient variation though. The nearest town is the small hilltop village of Amelia – a some 7 km drive away. We went in there for dinning but must admit that the village is too small to have much to offer in this respect (one nice restaurant in the old section though – but a great genuine pasticceria and gelateria). As this was our first visit to Umbria we were eager to explore the region and in that connection we did a lovely day excursion to the wine-town of Montefalco with tasting enroute and a rustic Italian lunch at one of the little restaurants in the town-square. A lovely little hilltop village, that we can truly recommend. We did likewise visit the Frascassi Caves – a 2 hr. drive away in neighboring Marche. So absolutely worth a visit too though. But you need not go anywhere – if resting, relaxing, swimming in the pool, strolling the grounds and enjoying good food is your agenda in a beautiful setting – Relais de Tenuta del Gallo i