My wife and I and another couple spent a glorious week at Casa Bruciata, a villa located in northern Umbria just east of Lake Trasimeno near the border with Tuscany. We booked the villa through a website maintained by the villa's British agent (we were unaware that the villa has its own website). As we discovered upon our arrival, the photos and descriptions of the villa and its setting that we saw on the website did not do the villa justice. The setting was eye-popping. The villa is actually a collection of buildings- the villa itself (originally built in the 14th century but damaged by fire, hence the name "Bruciata) and a number of outbuildings that occupy a hilltop (elevation 2,500 ft.) with a panoramic view of olive trees dotting the villa's 400 hectares and distant mountains. The swimming pool is large, inviting, and well-maintained, and one can enjoy an unobstructed view even when taking a dip.

While the accommodations may not be luxurious, they certainly are... more