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> SlowTrav > Italy > Vacation Rentals > Reviews > Umbria Review 3124: Owner, La Gardenia
3bed/2bath apartment in Todi, Umbria WhenSeptember 29 through October 5, 2007, one week LocationThis is an eight-room apartment in the old part of Todi, an ancient town of 17,000 people in the heart of Umbria. Todi is about 35 minutes drive from Assisi, Spoleto, Perugia, Montefalco, and Orvieto. The apartment is in an old building (everything in the area is very old -- in a wonderful sense) and has a great view of the hills and valleys of Umbria from a small balcony. The apartment is about two blocks from the main Piazza of Todi. The people of Todi are very courteous and warm. The town has a deep history of religious devotion and prizes its large, ancient churches. Also, there is much history going back before the Etruscans and this is illustrated in the Museum. Nearby AmenitiesThere are several small groceries, gelaterias, and coffee bars within walking distance. The closest larger "mercato" is "COOP", about a two mile drive. There are about six good restaurants within a half-mile walk of the apartment, the most famous one is "Umbria", which is expensive. The House/ApartmentThe building is very old and structurally sound. The apartment is on the second and third (top) floors and was very quiet other than the church bells nearby which persisted on chiming at 7:18 every evening! There are two other apartments -- both smaller - one the ground floor. There is a large master bedroom with a large, recently remodeled full bath -- nice tiling job! There's a living room with family heirloom furniture, which we tended not to use out of respect. A small bedroom on the same floor as the master bedroom. Upper floor has a modest sized kitchen with a great clothes washer (need to use a large rack that is supplied for drying clothes), a dining room, a den, and another small bedroom. There's a balcony too. GardenThere is a small balcony that looks over the valley and Umbrian hills. It's large enough only for three people. The two of us has breakfast and most dinners on the balcony. No pool. Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living AreasFurniture is in good shape. The king size bed (actually, two twins placed together) was in excellent condition. Bedrooms/BathroomsVery comfortable beds. The 1.5 bathrooms were more than enough for two people of course, but would be inadequate for six people. The apartment is ideal for two to four people. KitchenThe kitchen is very usable. The range/oven were in good working condition. No dishwasher. There were more kitchen supplies - utensil/knives, condiments, cleaning supplies -- than I have ever seen in a rental. There was also a large bowl of fresh fruit and bottled water awaiting our arrival. Problems or BonusesThe young landlord, Carlo, grandson of the owner, went way out of his way to orient us and be sure we were comfortable. He drove around with us to see the market and he helped (with his Italian) me reserve a bicycle for rental from a local shop. Carlo speaks English well and has been to the U.S. several times. We were also surprised at how hilly the town is. Although we are on the late end of "middle age", we are pretty athletic and we were challenged by the hills within the town. You cannot park in front of the apartment (or anywhere in the old part of Todi), so walking on hills is necessary. This would not be a good place for people who are in poor physical condition. Agency and Representatives (and price)N/A Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?We strongly recommend it and we plan to return in 2009 for at least a week. We've already recommended it to our best friends. At €550 per week, it's a bargain. Things to do in this areaGreat shops of local artisans (woodwork, ceramics). Nicer clothing stores than we expected. We ended up eating mostly in the apartment because we liked the view from the tiny balcony and because we were able to get freshly prepared meat items from the local butcher, about 200 meters away from the apartment. However, there are at least three restaurants that are considered "gourmet." We celebrated our anniversary at "Umbria", which specializes in local game that is cooked on a grill over a fire right in the dining room! This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com. |
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