All the best to the wonderful hostess who always succeeds in making us feel very welcome and at home.
We hope we’ll find our way back here in the near future.”
Thank you Gay for such a wonderful stay.”
November 2011
Our 7th stay at Casa Rosa and each time it feels like a home from home – perhaps a spiritual home. We’ve had some new adventures and experiences, but always look forward to the peace and beauty of these surroundings. The trees were still green when we arrived three weeks ago, but soon were clothed in magnificent Autumn colours – a vibrant mix of yellows, orange, brown and red. We enjoyed a trip to Lucca with an over-night stay and became entranced by that place. A trip to Deruta and a ceramic painting session at the Grazia showroom and factory – we were very pleased with th results of our work – thanks to Ubaldo Grazia and Riccardo and Luana. Through this we discovered the delightful Santuario Madonna dei Bagni (just south of Deruta) and the amazing votive plaques around the interior.
The highlight of our stay has to be helping Jennifer (Gay) with the olive gathering. The weather was ideal, and all the guests joined in the great communal effort, and were rewarded by a feast prepared by Jennifer and Zoe – also we generously all received a gift of oil from the fresly pressed olives. It was good to meet up agian with Francis – good company and interesting discussions. Also to meet Zoe (Jennifer’s sister) and reminisce about a past common link in the UK. Delighted that Jennifer was here on this visit and to renew our acquintance and friendship.
October 2011
Well, as ever, we have really enjoyed staying at Casa Rosa and exploring the local countryside. It has been great to be here in autumn instead of summer, especially as the trees have turned this very week from green to yellow and brown. This cottage and location is superb, and thanks to Gay and Francis for their kindness and friendliness. Thanks for everything, Casa Rosa will always have a special place in our memories.
September 2011
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful and magical place with us. All the love, care and creativity that is present here has been a blessing for me to experience.
August 2011
Dear Jennifer and Ella,
Thank you for your warm welcome, fresh flowers and wine. Casa Rosa has been a tranquil respite for busy tourists. We have enjoyed our journeys to: Perugia, Gubbio, Spoleto, Trevi, Montefalco, Todi, Siena, Cortona and of course, beautiful Assisi.
July 2011
Thank you for your very warm and generous welcome. We have had a wonderful week at Casa Rosa, enjoying the well kept gardens and faboulous views from the swimming pool, as well as the confortable accommodation. Hope to return soon.
June 2011
This place is magical
We want to come back and back and back! If only we were not so far away across the Atlantic. We will have to move to Europe just so we can take vacations at Casa Rosa. Thank you for an absolutely wonderful stay. It went beyond our dreams. We will be back.
May 2011
Another lovely week in Umbria, our sixth visit every few years we get the urge to re-visit this beautiful and fascinating area and would not consider staying anywhere else but Casa Rosa. Thank you Gay for letting us borrow this wonderful spot for an all too breif time.
September, 2010
“Idyllic location, wonderful welcome … just perfect”
There are too many good things to say about Casa Rosa. It’s perfectly located off the beaten track, but near enough to civilisation as well (you will need a car). The cottages / apartments are lovely and everything you need is right there. This is all topped off by a wonderful, friendly welcome by the hostess, Gay. It didn’t surprise me at all to know that all of the other guests we met were all return bookings! If in Umbria, this is THE place to stay
September, 2010
We’ve had a wonderful holiday at Casa Rosa. Thank you Jennifer for all your kindness, food from the garden and gifts for the boys (porcupine quilts and rhino beetle!). It is so beautiful here. We have enjoyed these restaurants/places:
- ‘I Monaci’ in Assisi for wood fired pizzas
- ‘Il Duomo’, Assisi, San Rufino
- Best was ‘Il Paradiso’, San Damiano, Assisi
- Gubbio lovely cable car and restaurant: San Francesco e il Lupo (via Carioli)
- Spello lovely ‘Il Cacciatore’ restaurant overlooking hills
Would recommend Superconti, a small supermarket opposite the station at Santa Maria degli Angeli with lovely Café’/Pasticceria next door!
September, 2010
We can only add that the view of the countryside all around are enchanting, beautifully laid out ‘Roman Garden’, lovely painted furniture in the house and perfect weather. Utter silence unnerving at first (Liz) but (Phil) revelled in it, so did I after the first night. Would love to come again. Thank you, Liz - PS Simba was a joy!
August, 2010
Thank you for creating this peaceful heaven. Perfect for a lovely relaxing holiday. The local wines and dishes provided by Gay were thoroughly enjoyed by the whole family! A lovely break!
August, 2010
It was great to meet you and see your amazing paintings and murals and furniture. You have created a work of art in Casa Rosa. Thank you for your warm hospitality and kindness Gay.
June, 2010
Review byAlepic
“Un Paradiso di Relax”
“Un posto immerso nel Parco Nazionale del Monte Subasio, rilassante e piacevole. Ottimo per una famiglia, lontano dallo stress cittadino, ma vicino alle attrattive turistiche dell’Umbria. Accoglienza squisita e disponibile, dallo stile inglese. Da provare la cena a casa con lo chef che cucina nel tuo appartamento..un ristorante a domicilio!! Consigliatissimo per famiglie.”
June 2010 – David and Bettina
“A few images from our wonderful two weeks in June”
June 2010 – Hans and Carmen
“We lookes very often at the photos from the wonderful garden of Casa Rosa, the beautiful plants”
Alastair Sawday’s Special places to stay
“Once you’ve wrenched your gaze from pool-side panoramas over the forested flanks of Mount Subasio National Park, and had your senses tickled by the sweet orchestra of lavender, Russian sage and Mediterranean herbs that assail you – strategically planted to waft their perfumes into the apartments – let wonderful host Jennifer welcome you in. An expat artist whose mural and decorative work embellishes these homely, colourful, bohemian interiors, she will relate Elysian tales of living off the land and raising a family on the 17-acre farm estate. Antique kettles and pots, bunches of dried herbs suspended from ceilings, well-stocked wine racks and flora’n'fauna painted surrounds to mirrors and French windows, all lend themselves to a relaxed vibe, while an organic vegetable garden, and a yurt tucked away in the woods, add to the communal, convivial idyll. There’s WiFi if you need it but it won’t distract you from the views; lap them up from your balconied terrace. Better still, take the book of local walks provided, add a picnic, and head for the wooded hills.”
October 2009
“One of the loveliest places we have ever visited”
“This is a totally unique spot for those who have seen and done a lot. The place, the district and the surrounding towns are all absolutely special. The charming hostess made us feel at home but never intruded in our space.”
MAY 2009
“This was my third visit to Casa Rosa, which is probably the most peaceful and relaxing place in the world. But the first time in May rather than August, would it be OK I wondered? It was fantastic! The weather was glorious, the pool warm but the greatest treat for us was the wildlife. Although this was the first time I haven’t seen wild boar at Casa Rosa, other things made up for it. The cherry tree on the way to the pool was laden with ripe cherries warmed by the sun, it seemed the more we ate the more there were! There were so many wild flowers including pretty orchids and exotic butterflies. We watched hoopoes on the lawn, found porcupine quills, the bird song was magnificent, they seemed to sing from dawn to dusk and then as night fell, we heard night jars. As it got dusk sitting outside with a glass of wine, we suddenly noticed little twinkling lights around the bushes, fire flies. They seemed to get brighter and brighter, darting about rather like Tinker Bell in Peter Pan, a short walk up the drive they covered the bank above us, like tiny flashing Christmas lights. Such happy memories. Thank you Casa Rosa for sharing it with us, what a very special place.”
Gorgeous, peaceful and welcoming - September 2009
Relaxed Londoners! London
“My husband and I booked this last minute and had a fantastic time. The apartment was beautiful, as were the surroundings. We had everything we needed and enjoyed the local walks, Assisi and just spending an inordinate amount of time lazing around the villa and at the pool. Very relaxing. Many thanks to the host for your help and hospitality.”
Peaceful,relaxing, beautiful Casa Rosa - June 2009
Selkie Vancouver, B.C., Canada
“We arrived late at night at Casa Rosa somewhat stressed after two days of intense travel. All I remember, getting out of the car in the dark, is the immediate silence and the scents of lavender and jasmine. We loved sitting on our little terrace late into the night listening to the quiet and delighting in the blinking lights of fireflies. Our little stable house was charming and rustic, as we expected it to be. Assisi is a 10 or fifteen minute drive away and is truly charming, historical and spiritual. We usually went later in the day for a walk and dinner.
We were so exhausted by our daily lives at home that we found ourselves drawn to spending the hot parts of the day by, or in, the pool. We loved the pool! Set in the Umbrian hills, surrounded by olive groves, oak forests, and edged by flowers and a large bank of lavender, it was sublime. We could only see 2 other homes in the distance. After getting up late for coffee on the little patio, I would find myself chuckling as I listened to my husbands snores only a few hours later from his poolside lounge under an umbrella.
Our 14 year old daughter and I tried to count all the different butterflies we saw every day, in all shapes, sizes and colors but we lost count.
We have a family tradition of agreeing on one word to epitomize a place we have been and our word for Casa Rosa is “soft”. Soft air, sounds, hills, trees.
Jennifer, the owner, was extremely kind and patient with our questions. It is clear that Casa Rosa is a gentle reflection of herself and what she has intentionally created over the years. My visit was enriched by meeting her and seeing her art; paintings, and mixed media. Inspiring.
You can easily travel to innumerable towns and villages within an hours drive away if you want sights and restaurants. We didn’t.
We were quite thrilled with walks, talks, wines and food, and spending relaxing time here together as a family in such peace.”
Naomi Mercer – May 2009
Review by Naomi Mercer Casa Rosa
Then we drove up to Assisi but stayed in a house called Casa Rosa, a few miles past the aincient town. The property was complete with olive groves, bright green grassy fields, a river, a waterfall, a swimming pool and an amazing vegetable and herb and flower garden. And it even came with an orange tabby kitty! Sympa was his name and like 17 years old but sweet as can be. Trey and I treated him like he was our own. And there’s high speed internet!! Seriously, we couldn’t find one thing to complain about at this place.
Never did get to see the wild boars but I guess there are like 10 little piglets playing and running around at dawn and dusk. I thought I’d seen or heard of most beautiful places in this world but Assisi is not one of them. What an amazing surprise. We hiked down to a waterfall and swimming hole one day, then laid by the pool and sang and played the guitar. Came in for a rest, drove into the ancient town, taught Trey to get a stick shift from stopped to first gear, and then went to the most amazing dinner I’ve had here.
The gardens are so beautiful and everything is so lush and green. Anyone would absolutely love Gay, the British woman who owns and runs this place. She’s retired, speaks Italian and is a painter and just lovely. She lives in a loft at the end of the property filled with easels supporting all her latest masterpieces and the apartments are decorated with her paintings on the walls and furniture. Here are a series of photos of the apartment:
And dinner gets better every night! Tonight was the simplest of salads; arugula (they call it “rocket lettuce” here), and tomatoes. The tomatoes in Italy do sort of a Ratatouille-like thing for me where I’m taken back to my Grandmother’s garden. I spent countless summers eating her tomatoes like apples. They were as sweet as fruit and the tomatoes here are no different.
We were so sad to leave Assisi and Casa Rosa. Definitely one of those places you tell yourself you will make sure to see again.
Casa Rosa – May 2008
“Casa Rosa is sitting high up in the hills in the Umbrian country side. It is a very private, quiet and amazingly beautiful place. The house is taken care of with great love by its owner Jennifer a English painter who made us feel very much at home.
Out of the three apartments in the old farmhouse we choose the one on the ground floor with a private terrace. And it was absolutely perfect because we where traveling with our girls 6 years and 17 months old and didn’t want to deal with stairs. Our girls loved being able to go in and out to research the premises, chase the cats, and visit the hens. The apartment was beautiful and like a real home, it had everything we needed and was sparkling clean.
Nearby Amenities
There were two restaurants and a grocery store down the hill, only a short drive. And in Assisi which is 10k away we could go to a supermarket. There we also found a great restaurant outside the walls, La Stalla. An old stable converted into a very rustic restaurant, where the food is cooked over a fire and potatoes and onions where dug out of the ashes when ordered.
The hills and mountains around the farm changed with the different light and kept taking our breath away. The garden around the farmhouse is very inviting and we hardly wanted to leave to go sightseeing. So for a couple of days we just moved around in the garden from a sunny spot to the shade. There where comfortable lounge chairs for us to use. Our 6 year old spent a good part of the day in the swing and the little one in the little plastic pool we brought. It was still to cool for the big pool to be used but it looked great.
We where so happy at Casa Rosa that we did not want to leave. We feel like we have a home in Italy now and are looking forward to return and stay longer.
Things to do in this area
There are endless things to see and do – but we liked our lazy days around the house best. We went into Assisi to go on the trail of Holy Franz and we visited several of the hill towns. Perugia was very lively, MonteFalco had a great restaurant called Coccorone, and Cortona was full of atmosphere and also there we found an amazing restaurant called Osteria del Teatro.”
