Heaven's Just a Step Away....

Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - Photos taken Monday, July 13, 2009

As "Margaret" (the GPS) led us through the mountainous, hairpin curves of Umbria - we were apprehensive about our next B&B - located in the village of Collevalenza. What in the world were we going to find in this remote area of the hill country? Suddenly, there appeared in front of us, a Castle (built in the 1200s). The Torre Sangiovanni was to be our home for the next couple of days.

We had remarked that we would like to mesh the best features of all the B&Bs in which we had stayed, into one fabulous guest house. After just a few hours, we knew that Rosary (the owner and hostess) had done this for us.

From the lush gardens surrounding the entry to the beautifully appointed guest rooms - she had thought of everything. Beautiful antiques and art filled every room. There were comfortable beds, great pillows, "real" towels, wonderful showers with plentiful hot water, and at the top of the list - a hostess that treated us like "family". Rosary is a superb chef and the meals are outstanding. Why did we have to leave? Hadn't we just found heaven on earth?

View of the Castle from the parking lot.

Flower garden in the courtyard entry way.

The patio, with a view, where scrumptious lunches and dinners are served.

The guest room.

View of the countryside from Torre Sangiovanni.