Tips on Castle Hopping in Italy
arthisto June 11th, 2008
So, you are off to Tuscany to lay your head down in a real honest to goodness castle. What is a Tuscan castle like, you might ask? Well, they range from absolutely decadent to rather cold, austere, and fortress like. However, Castello di Proceno, our very favorite, is a classic example of Italian ingenuity, tasteful rejuvenation, and rebirth as a warm and welcoming hostelry, thanks to Cecilia, Giovanni, and Carlo Bisoni. From our first guided tour of the castello, it’s gardens, and apartments, I thought I was on the set of “Enchanted April”.
The Castello, perched high on a spur overlooking the countryside, was built in the 12th century and has been reinvented over the centuries as needed. It has been a castle and defending fortress which protected the inhabitants of the town, a family gathering place for centuries, and during WWII, because of its strategic location near the main road between Rome and Florence, it was occupied by Germans and Americans alike. Since then, it has been divided into lovely apartments, each one unique with beautiful countryside views of Tuscany and Lazio. Our Castello, where we have been staying with happy clients for a decade, is a 3 star accommodation in a 5 star setting, and we love it!
The beds are comfy, the pillows can be lumpy, but having said that, we sleep very well. The towels, that you use more than once, are of the waffle design, and you provide your own soap. The apartments are warm, dry, pretty, and made primarily of stone. The little kitchen corners provide espresso pots and tea kettles to boil water for tea or instant American coffee. They include a small refrigerator and a gas stove as well. Actually the kitchens are equipped for guests to make full meals and serve small groups, and we sometimes do. It is so fun, on an evening, to all gather in one of the larger apartments for local wines, cheeses, and perfectly crunchy bruschetta made in the apartment fireplace. We follow that with a big bowl of pasta slathered in olive oil and freshly grated parmigiano and loaded with a variety of sauteed vegetables and a big salad. Coffee, cookies, and limoncello to finish and we have all enjoyed each others company. If you are curious, use the comment box at the bottom of this page to ask me about the dark Sunday evening I ended up at the castle, with no restaurants open, no vehicle, and eight unsuspecting clients hungry for dinner. Necessity is the mother of invention and flexibility is the key.
That brings me to my next point. There is a great little grocery store across the one and only street in Proceno, owned by our friend, Roberto. Here you can buy the makings of a feast as well as milk for your coffee, a variety of juices, the local wines, cheeses, salami, and fruits. Actually, he has everything. On one trip I had forgotten a crucial tool of the trade, my alarm clock. No problem for Roberto. He disappeared for a few moments and returned to save the day. On another occasion a client, actually my dad, was thrilled to find a lovely pair of slippers for himself there, and is still enjoying them to this day. An amazing little place that is more of a grocery/green grocer/department store, who’s proprietor, Roberto, is delightful to boot. Can’t decide on a cheese? No problem, taste them all. Fall in love with one? No problem, Robert will vacuum pack it for you to take home with you.
Optional items to pack for castle hopping:
Small pillow
Slippers, for the stone floors.
Two small bars of soap, trial size are perfect.
Coffee or tea (I bring a zip lock bag of my favorite espresso and one of sugar.)
A flattened bag at the bottom of your suitcase to be used as a carry on later for the cheese and wine you will most probably collect along the way.
Be sure to include any, and all of you medications that you might need. Medicines are a bit different in a foreign country and a vacation is not a good time to experiment. Include you favorite cold and allergy meds.
Can’t wait to hug Roberto again, he is my hero!
Ciao,
Cynthia
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