Castello di Todi

There are not enough words in either English or Italian to discribe what a wonderful experience we had while at the Castle. We decided to do something special for our retirement and we knew we wanted to spend a month in Umbria. We also knew we wanted to be near Todi, one of the most beautiful and unspoiled small hilltop towns to be found. From Todi, you are close to Orvieto, Deruta, Montefalco, Assisi and so many more amazing towns. Castello di Porchiano has been in the Bianchini family for many years and it was totoaly modernized and updated 1989, complete with an elevator. Everything was well maintained and clean. The kitchen was fully stocked with everything you would want for food preparation and the refrigerator was exceptionally large for European standards. Oh yes, not to forget the dishwasher!Sofia Bianchini was so gracious and helpful, from the start to finish, that there was never a glitch. Once you find the Castle (the key is to use the gps for the city of Porchiano, which consists of about 4 buildings)! The real treat is walking around the estate and experiencing the amazing gardens and hidden private spaces with stunning views of Todi and sunsets. The swimming pool was a blessing on hot afternoons, and the shaded alcoves a wonderul place to open a bottle of wine and relax.We employed Sofia, who is an extremely talented Event Planner, to coordinate one dinner each week. Two of those dinners were created with our friends and guests helping Sofia’s wonderful chef, Gloria, work magic in the kitchen. Check out the video she made of our visit, WE HAD A BLAST and the meals were classics.The one important thing to remember is that there are always “issues” that develop. The few times we needed to contact her, she had the problem resolved the next day! This attention to detail has not been my normal experience in Italy. She was fantastic! To us, it was clear that it was her duty to make sure that we had an amazing stay at the castle, and this is indeed what we did. I will not say that this was not an inexpensive undertaking, but you need to remember where you will be staying and we filled every one of the bedrooms, including the over flow room for the entire month. This made the stay a bargain when you consider the memories that we were able to give to our friends.All of us in our entaurage would happily have stayed for another month, or forever.

Charming location full of period features. Feels like being in another era!

Bello