What an amazing place this is. We arrived, hot and dusty, after a car journey from Rome (about 3 hours away), to a little piece of heaven. The house is set in a secluded private valley, surrounded by hillsides covered with trees - a most tranquil spot. The pool is sublime - an infinity pool fed by a natural spring on the hillside facing the afternoon sun. And the house is beautiful - lovingly restored and beautifully decorated. We were a family of 6 (three children and one granny, two parents) and it suited us perfectly. The kitchen is fully fitted and has plenty of space - more than enough room to dine, play games and even dance! There is a sitting room with a tv (which we never used, the attractions of the pool being way too tempting), a downstairs shower room (useful for after the pool). Upstairs, there is a generous landing (with a sofa bed), a lovely family bathroom with washing machine (essential for our holidays), two lovely twin bedrooms and the most fantastic main bedroom with ensuite bathroom and views across the valley and the pool. The beds were beautifully comfortable. Overall, the house was big enough that we never felt that we were tripping over each other or in each other's space, which is essential with two pre-teen children and one very bouncy 7 year old. Lots of space to find your own corner if needed, but plenty of communal space to chill out together too.
The house just worked for us. By far the nicest place we have ever rented for a summer holiday!
And Montone is just the most perfect Italian hill town. Not only is it beautiful, but it also has a vibrant local community. We walked to town most evenings for a pre-dinner spritz at the local bar, which was buzzing with locals, chatting, playing cards, and generally hanging out. There are four decent restaurants - we had a lovely romantic dinner whilst granny babysat one evening, and I could recommend them all. Lovely to go in truffle season!
The walk into town, although up hill, was pleasant and took no more than 15 minutes even with my 70 yr old mother. Walking back home with torches was great fun, especially for the children!
We did a little bit of exploring the local area, but as we know it fairly well, we were mostly content to stay 'at home' with excursions to Montone and Umbertide for supplies.
We would wholeheartedly recommend Casella - and definitely hope to return ourselves SOON. It just ticked all the boxes for a fantastic family holiday.