Casa Spello - A Vacation Home in Italy

30/03/2020

Umbrian wines are some of the best in Italy. This month we are celebrating with a tour of some of our favorite vineyards.

The final stop on our tour is Tenuta Castelbuono. The vineyard is a work of art. The Carapace was designed by Arnaldo Pomodoro for the Lunelli family. Don't forget to try the grappa here.
http://www.tenutelunelli.it/en/tenute_umbria.php

23/03/2020

Umbrian wines are some of the best in Italy. This month we are celebrating with a tour of some of our favorite vineyards.

The 4th stop on our tour is Castello Monte Vibiano. Centuries of history await you here. Legend has it that wine grapes have been grown on this land since Etruscan times. The Fasola Bologna family has called the land home since the 19th century. They are happy to share their wines and olive oils with the world. http://montevibiano.it/en

16/03/2020

Umbrian wines are some of the best in Italy. This month we are celebrating with a tour of some of our favorite vineyards.

Stop number 3 on our tour is Scacciadiavoli. The Pambuffetti began this winery in 1884. Four generations have dedicated themselves to producing typical Umbrian wines. Tours and tastings can be booked online at https://www.cantinascacciadiavoli.it/en/

09/03/2020

Umbrian wines are some of the best in Italy. This month we are celebrating with a tour of some of our favorite vineyards.

Our second stop is Cantina Dionigi. This family run vineyard has been in operation since 1896. They offer tastings of wine, grappa, and olive oil. For a real adventure, book a hot air balloon ride.
https://cantinadionigi.it/en/home-2/

02/03/2020

Umbrian wines are some of the best in Italy. This month we are celebrating with a tour of some of our favorite vineyards.

Our first stop is Arnaldo Caprai. This family run vineyard has been in operation for around 30 years. They offer a variety of tours and tastings which can be seen and booked through their website. http://www.arnaldocaprai.it/

24/02/2020

While staying in Spello, please make the short drive or walk the path along the ancient Roman Aqueduct to the charming village of Collepino. Every corner is a photo waiting to be taken. Collepino's location provides beautiful views of Spello and the valley below. Time your trip for a lunch or dinner stop at Taverna San Silvestro.

17/02/2020

Located a bit further into the mountains around Spello is the picturesque village of Rasiglia. This tiny mountain village has had a lot of press lately and we understand why. Some people have called it the Venice of Umbria because of the crystal clear water running through canals and channels of this medieval mill town.

10/02/2020

Carnevale is in full swing. Spoleto has been celebrating for 192 years. This year you can expect 12 allegorical floats to parade through the city. Don't forget to try crescionda which can only be found in Spoleto.

03/02/2020

Il Mulino di Valentino is a favorite stop. This peaceful setting is home to a mid-1800's stone mill powered by water from Mount Subasio. The baked goods produced here are a treat.

27/01/2020

La Cantina di Spello is one of the local restaurants we recommend to our guests. Local ingredients go into every dish. The chefs prepare every plate with love and respect for the traditions of Umbria and Spello.
http://www.lacantinadispello.com/

20/01/2020

Carnevale - Carnival Season begins soon. Umbria has some of its own unique celebrations and treats. Which carnival mask are you - Bartoccio, Nasotorto, Nasoacciaccato, Chicchirichella and Rosalinda? Have you tried castagnole or strufoli? Or do you prefer the crescionda of Spoleto? Traditions dating back to the late Middle Ages await.



https://www.festedicarnevale.it/carnevale-in-umbria/

Carnevale in Umbria 2018 - scopri i programmi, le date e le sfilate dei carri allegorici di tutte le più belle manifestazioni in maschera dell'Umbria.

18/01/2020

We agree completely!

The Church of Sant’Andea is one of Spello’s many beautiful treasures.

> The Church of Sant'Andrea, among the oldest in Spello, is of rare charm and houses of important art treasures such as the Giotto Crucifix above the high altar and a table painted by Pinturicchio.
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> La Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, tra le più antiche di Spello, è di rara suggestione ed ospita importanti tesori d'arte come il Crocifisso giottesco sopra l'altare maggiore e una tavola dipinta dal Pinturicchio.

05/01/2020

Befana comes tonight. 🧙‍♀️

Who is Befana? According to Italian folklore, Befana is an old woman or witch who visits the children of Italy the night before Epiphany. She fills their stockings with candy or gifts if they have been good. She leaves coal or onions for those who have been bad. 🧙‍♀️

Many versions of the story say she was visited by the Magi as they journeyed to Bethlehem. They invited her to join them. Befana declined their offer. She later changed her mind, but could not find the Magi nor the Baby Jesus. She is still searching for them today which is why she leaves gifts for the children along the way. 🧙‍♀️

31/12/2019

28/12/2019

Did you know that Italy has a national sales period? Twice a year, stores across Italy hold a two month sale to clear out seasonal merchandise. The next sales period is just a few days away. The sales season in Umbria starts January 5 and ends March 4.

https://initalia.virgilio.it/saldi-invernali-2020-calendario-regioni-italia-33609

Quando iniziano i saldi invernali 2020: regione per regione, ecco le date di apertura e chiusura

28/12/2019

The calendars are ready! 🌺🌸🌼

28/12/2019

This is a great post about Italian traditions surrounding New Year’s Day or Capodanno. We highly recommend drinking Prosecco (responsibly, of course) and eating lentils (especially if they are from Castelluccio).

Buon Anno Nuovo!

From what to eat to what to wear, here are seven of the best New Year's Eve traditions in Italy

25/12/2019

Merry Christmas to our Casa Spello family and friends.

21/12/2019

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Hanukkah to all our Casa Spello friends and family.

10/12/2019

Many wonderful events happening in Spello this month.

28/11/2019

Felice Ringraziamento!
🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁
Happy Thanksgiving from Casa Spello

25/11/2019

Your taste buds will love spending time in Umbria. There is a wealth of delicious food everywhere you go.

Today, we share Umbrian baked pasta, the recipe: ingredients and preparation
(Source: https://www.assisinews.it/ricette/pasta-al-forno-lantica-ricetta-umbra-ingredienti-e-preparazione/)

Baked Umbrian pasta, ingredients (for 6 people): 5 eggs, 500 grams of flour, 1 liter and a half of ragù (butter, minced, 300 grams of meat and if you can mix it with veal pork and chicken breast, ham at the discretion, salt, celery, carrot, peeled and passed tomatoes, tomato sauce). For the béchamel: 50 grams of butter, 40 grams of flour, a cup of milk, a pinch of salt.

Umbrian baked pasta, procedure. Prepare the meat sauce (minced, meat, ham for those who want to discretion): add the minced meat in a saucepan together with 50 g of butter, salt, add a rib of celery, a carrot, fry the meat over moderate heat. When the wine has evaporated add 300 grams of peeled and passed tomatoes and half a tablespoon of tomato sauce; dilute everything with 1 liter of broth or water where you have melted a nut of meat extract. Boil the sauce over moderate heat for about an hour. Prepare a thick bechamel sauce with 50 grams of butter, 40 grams of flour, a cup of milk, a pinch of salt. Mix the flour with the eggs on the pastry board, knead the dough well, roll it out with the lasagna and reduce it to a thin sheet.

With a round pasta cutter or with a lid, cut the dough into 10 cm diameter discs, also using the pasta scraps. Throw the discs a few at a time into boiling salted water, boil them for a minute, take them out of the water with the m-pasta quarry and toss them in a bowl where you have poured the cold water. Wet and squeeze a tablecloth, spread it over the table and align the boiled pasta. Grease a pan with pan or glass edges at a height of 20 cm in diameter that is fire resistant; in the bottom place some scraps of pasta, season with a tablespoon of ragù, add a perfect disk on top, season the disk with ragù and grated parmesan and if you believe add the diced mozzarella. Then another disc and so on alternating pasta, ragù, mozzarella and parmesan.

In the middle put a layer of bechamel sauce and cover the last disc with the pasta scraps. Put the pan in the oven for a quarter of an hour. Remove the pan from the oven, throw away the pasta scraps because they will have hardened in the oven while the dough should be perfectly soft. Take it out of the dish and garnish with the béchamel sauce that you will make come out of a pastry syringe with a small nozzle.

19/11/2019

Spello is a wonderful place to start your tour of the museums of Umbria Terre Musei.

7€.
12 cities.
15 days.
16 amazing museums that highlight the art, history, and culture of Umbria.

The gardens of Casa Spello overlook Porta di Venere. Come see all the treasures the Green Heart of Italy has to offer.

www.umbriaterremusei.it

siamo a sulle tracce del celebre Paladino Orlando, il nipote di Carlo Magno protagonista di grandi gesta (vere e immaginarie) celebrate in famosi poemi dalla Chanson de Roland a L'Orlando Furioso dell'Ariosto. Ebbene sembra che giunto a Spello il famoso paladino, non riconosciuto, venne rinchiuso da alcuni popolani in una stanza di una delle due Torri di Properzio.
Una volta saputo chi fosse, gli spellani lo presero a protettore e molti lo avrebbero seguito fino alla fine a Roncisvalle.
Per saperne di più
➡️ https://www.umbriaterremusei.it/it/citta_6/post/spello_10/
➡️ 📷 Beni Culturali Spello

15/11/2019

It's never too early to book a stay at Casa Spello for this amazing celebration.

a le strade ci piacciono così.. 🌼❣
-> 13&14 Giugno 2020... 🌸
| | 🌷🍀

11/11/2019

Our owner, Gina, just had to share. If only Facebook had smell-o-vision!

Tortellini verdi with shaved truffles and zucchine. Roasted lamb. Both excellent. Soufflé of porcini mushroom in a bed of vellutata di ceci.

Ristorante Il Pinturicchio, Largo Mazzini, 8, 06038 Spello PG

15/10/2019

This Friday is the start of Eurochocolate, a world famous chocolate festival in Perugia. Casa Spello is a great place to stay if you plan to visit this chocolate wonderland. Perugia is an easy 30 minute drive or train ride from Spello.

We recommend pacing yourself so you don’t eat all your chocolate on the ride home! 😆

https://www.eurochocolate.com/perugia2019/

Benvenuto nel più grande Festival Internazionale dedicato al cioccolato. Un’originale esperienza golosa tra sculture, degustazioni, animazioni e molte altre attività pensate per il divertimento di grandi e bambini.

03/10/2019

We received the nicest review on VRBO for our Augustus apartment, and we just had to share. A HUGE thank you to Bob for writing such an incredible review.

"It is hard to summarize Casa Spello, to do it in a word I would say Fantastico. This place has all the Italian charm you could want and then some. When you stay in a place that is 700+ years old you are not sure what to expect. Gina, our host has updated this home to include modern conveniences all while keep the charm of a classic Italian villa. First the location is AMAZING. Built into the wall of this hilltop village you have fantastic views from every window of the Umbrian Valley. We spent HOURS looking out over the Italian countryside and had some amazing sunsets. There is also a beautiful communal garden that share the same view. As for Spello, it is the hilltop village that is JUST RIGHT, Not big and crowded like Assisi and not so small there are no services. You will have 40+ restaurants to chose from so there is no need to get in a car to go to dinner, just walk 350 feet to Via Giuseppe Garibaldi (Spello’s Main Street) where there are two restaurants right there. One posh that is rated as one of the 365 best restaurants in Italy and one that is cheap and cheerful. Both are amazing value, actually this is one of the best parts about Spello, just about EVERWHERE is amazing value. You can have an appetizer, a main and a 1/2 liter of house wine for two starting at €25 and you can keep it under €50 even in the posh places. Yes you can spend more if you explore the wine list but don’t be afraid of the “casa vino” (house wine) this area is known for its wine so even the most affordable wines are amazing. Sorry to go off topic a bit but we can not say anything but good about our whole experience with Spello the town.

Now back to Casa Spello. The layout is nice with the living, large kitchen and HALF BATH downstairs and the bedroom up with a full bath with dual sinks and ample shower. The kitchen was nicely appointed with gas cooktop, oven and large fridge. The kitchen table was strategical placed in front of the window with the incredible views. The living room had a comfortable L shaped sofa with a daybed and a working fireplace (the weather was far to nice to use). If one needed more space our unit could be combined with another to give you 2+ bedrooms. Gina has an in-town manager who was wonderful and can give you as much help as you need such as a tour of Spello with her lifelong residency, she knows everyone. Needless to say we REALLY ENJOYED our stay and would highly recommend."

14/09/2019

Meet the owner of Casa Spello - Gina Waldman.

Gina currently lives in California with her husband, but has lived and traveled all over the world. She has a special connection to Italy and loves to share that connection with others.

She offers her Italian home to others so they can experience all of the joys and wonders of the Umbrian region. Gina is always happy to recommend amazing shops, restaurants, and historic sights. She also knows some interesting and talented artisans who are keeping ancient traditions alive.

03/09/2019

Autumn will be here soon. That means grapes will soon be harvested and new wine will soon be made.

During your stay in Spello, visit Sportoletti winery to try a local Umbrian Grechetto. https://www.sportoletti.com/index.php/en/

Then walk the gardens of Villa Fidelia, namesake of Sportoletti's top wines. This beautiful complex dates back to Spello's Roman heritage. It was hand-picked by King Vittorio Emanuele III for the wedding reception of his daughter Giovanna to King Boris III of Bulgaria in 1930.
http://turismo.comune.spello.pg.it/poi/villa-fidelia

The Sportoletti family, who have been farmers for generations, have always been passionately dedicated to wine production. Towards the end of the 1970s, the brothers Ernesto and Remo, reaping the benefits of what their father Vittorio taught them, decided to dedicate themselves exclusively to wine p...