Lovers' Hideaways

By M.J. Cryan

Looking for the perfect place for a weekend getaway with that special someone, for  a honeymoon or a second honeymoon?  After living in Italy for more than four decades I would suggest  one of these special places.

The choices range from  a private estate in Northern Lazio,  a renovated hamlet among the rolling hills of Tuscan wine country, an elegant 15th century Tuscan villa or a hunting lodge lost in the midst of a nature reserve .

Why are the central regions of Tuscany, Umbria and Northern Lazio  so  romantic? Perhaps  it is due to the flourishing court life of the  Renaissance city states ,  the abundance of splendid art and architecture or perhaps it is the aura of love poetry begun in the days of Dante, which still lingers.         

The ideal honeymoon or romantic getaway  would be  to wander from one superb hostelry, like those we recommend here and on the other  itineraries , for  a  few weeks using the lovely inns as home base  for exploring  neighboring towns, valleys and vineyards.

These country inns are small ,  discreet and   elegantly   embedded like jewels in  beautiful landscapes: An added value is that  they also offer fine restaurants and wines. Similar landscapes can be seen in the background of paintings by Raphael or Perugino where rows of pointed cypress trees are visible on the horizon through a bluish haze. Often the painters included the towers of a fortified hilltop town or castle in the distance,

If you are starting out from Rome we suggest a weekend stop at Locanda della Chiocciola near the hilltop city of Orte.  Bordering the Locanda’s property are the remains of the Roman port  Seripola which have  recently come to light. Surrounding the original old building  is a newly opened spa, a restaurant  and swimming pool.   With only 8 rooms the proprietors Maria Cristina and Roberto are able to find  time to chat with  guests who arrive from all corners of the globe.  A mini bus is available for airport and rail transfers, but a car is necessary to visit the interesting sites in Northern Lazio.  

Another romantic inn not far from the Eternal city is  the Tenuta di Santa Lucia  just off the highway that connects Orte with Viterbo. Here Bettina Trua  and her  family  have converted the family’s historic estate into a magnificent  country relais  and added a restaurant where the Chianina beef they raise  is served  in a luxurious dining room that  in the 19th century was a  production center for silk. The five ample suites, swimming pool and Jacuzzi overlooking the green hills towards the castle of Soriano are  surrounded by fields of lavender.  

….overlooking the green hills towards the castle of Soriano are  surrounded by fields of lavender.

 Villa La Cerretana dominates  a hillside  near Bagnaia and Viterbo overlooking a plantation of 200,000  peony plants that bloom in April and May.  The magnificent views,  frescoed rooms filled with  antique period furnishings  and only four  guest suites make it a perfect place  for an intimate wedding or romantic get away. 

When spring arrives in central Italy the gardens of Lucca ‘s  historic villas are at their best.

When spring arrives in central Italy the gardens of Lucca ‘s  historic villas are at their best.  The perfect  place for a romantic weekend visiting  the historic villas  and gardens can be found just outside the city’s famous walls at  Albergo Villa Marta.  Here  Andrea  Martinelli    and his staff  go all out to make new and returning  visitors feel welcome.

Be sure to visit  the oval Piazza  Anfiteatro which was  once a Roman  theatre.  Other excursions perfect for lovers are the hilltop town of Montecarlo and   the private gardens of Borgo Buggiano.

A  leisurely drive through the Chiana valley brings you  to Arezzo famous for its Piero Della Francesca frescoes and  a lively antiques fair that invades the centro storico each month. Further on is Cortona  with its perfectly preserved medieval quarter. Here the overhanging wood-beam second stories  protruding over narrow cobblestone streets have remained intact for over 500 years.  Stop in at I Girasole shop  where  Alessandra Federici will delight you with insider stories about the “Tuscan Sun” book and film and show off  her collection of  marvellous  local linens, ceramics and books.

Not far from Cortona on the way to Siena is one of the most romantic ruins in central Italy: the Abbey of San Galgano at Montisiepi. We Anglo Saxons claim  the legend of King  Arthur and the sword in the stone as our own, but it seems that a 12th century  Tuscan knight, Galgano, was the basis for the Arthurian cycle, or else it is just an amazing coincidence. The story of Galgano, a local knight-saint, his conversion and the foundation of the sanctuary and huge abbey are identical with much in the King Arthur tales celebrated by Tennyson.

At Montisiepi, one can visit the circular hilltop sanctuary where the saint’s sword has been protruding from a massive rock since the year 1180. Just below in the valley is the huge shell of an imposing, ruined Cistercian Abbey with tall Gothic windows. Until recently only noisy crows broke  the eerie silence as they fly in and out of the roofless abbey, now the parking area is filled with visitors’ cars.

The monastery is situated in the middle of an untouched paradise, the regions largest wildlife and nature reserve where the only other cars on the single lane road are forest rangers’ jeeps and the only industry is the making of honey and herbal products which can be purchased along with the monks’ liquor and fruit perfumed soaps.

Still on the road to Siena, at Sinalunga, one can reach the Locanda dell’Amorosa (Inn of the Loved One) after a drive through vineyards and forests, along a cypress-lined drive and under the medieval tower that leads into a perfectly preserved courtyard. Here, next to the tiny frescoed church, the farmers used to gather on summer evenings to dance and sing. An historical chronicle shows that “…the village called Amorosa enclosed by high walls and defended by a stone castle” already existed in the 1300’s.  

This fortified village had been an agricultural community and an elegant family estate.  The borgo has been intelligently converted, keeping intact the beauty of arched stone loggias and walled gardens. The stables are now a rustic yet elegant dining room where guests can savour local specialities such as the hearty Ribollita soup  and huge bistecca alla fiorentina  accompanied by excellent Tuscan  wines.