If I could give Fontanaro 10 or 10,000 stars, I would. It is a slice of paradise operated by two of…read morethe most wonderful women I've ever met and who have become friends for life. Located in Paciano, a small village in Umbria with a population of 1000, Fontanaro is an agriturismo which produces wine, olive oil (Silver medal winner in the world olive oil competition), honey and saffron. They also operate an organic cooking school and rent beautiful villas. We stayed in Frantoio, one of the two villas for rent on the Fontanaro farm property. The other villas are in very close proximity to Fontanaro and Paciano.
Upon arriving, one is greeted with a gorgeous stone villa where the owners Lucia & Alina live, and the air is sweet with the many varieties of roses that blanket the property. Lucia and Alina go above and beyond in showing wonderful hospitality to their guests, and we left feeling like we were leaving family. They are so very kind, always keen to any needs their guests might have, and we spent hours talking with them and enjoying their perfect wine, along with the most delectable prosciutto and pecorino cheese with truffles I have ever had. All the food we ate while there was perfect, including homemade gnocchi and ravioli we made during our cooking class. It was also nice meeting other guests from different parts of the US and other countries. It is a very comfortable, homey setting. Our villa was rustic and beautifully decorated and stocked with all the basic food items we needed such as pasta, garlic, butter, olive oil, honey, wine, bread and eggs. We were welcome to pick food from their organic garden, so we enjoyed sauteed spinach, salads and the most sweetly satisfying strawberries I have ever had.
The property includes a saltwater infinity pool and jacuzzi with beautiful views of Paciano and the valley, in addition to many hammocks and seating areas in which to enjoy the views of the countryside. I also highly recommend taking a tour of their olive mill and honey lab. They produce their olive oil on site in order to ensure their high standards of quality and taste. Very important to us, they use solar panels for power and collect rainwater in which to water their gardens and crops.
A two hour drive from Rome, Fontanaro is very conveniently located for day trips to other cities in Umbria and Tuscany. We visited Montepulciano and Cortona while there - both medieval towns located on top of hills within a 40 minute drive (Cortona is where Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed). Alina is a master map drawer and had a plethora of shopping and dining suggestions for us wherever we went. She knows people everywhere, and upon entering any shop or restaurant, all we had to say was we were staying at Fontanaro or mention Lucia or Alina's name and receive a big smile and hugs of welcome in return.
I could write for days about our experience here. It was the best vacation we've ever been on, and there is not one thing we did not enjoy. It was so perfect, we do not wish to go anywhere else... ever!
