La Ripa - Todi

Accommodates 8 — 4 Bedrooms — 2 Baths

A charming old stone-and-brick farmhouse located on the same hill as Todi, La Ripa commands idyllic views over the Tiber valley. The house, fully free-standing, is surrounded by 5 acres of land with woods, field, and lawn terracing. The location is totally private but not isolated. We ourselves stayed at La Ripa for the month of August several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is simply furnished, comfortable without being luxurious.

The ground floor is composed of two large spaces: a living room with fireplace and an open-plan dining room/country kitchen. Between the two larger spaces are a hallway and a bathroom with a nice big shower stall. All of the bedrooms, two matrimonial and two twin, are located upstairs, along with another bath (shower over tub). The bed-and-bath arrangement obviously lends itself better to extended families or to two small families traveling together, rather than to groups of 3 or 4 couples (though we have had groups of three couples here in the past who loved it). The house comes equipped with washer, dishwasher, and telephone, plus Casablanca ceiling fans in all the bedrooms, and screens on all the windows.

Outdoors, guests enjoy exclusive use of a small swimming pool about 15 x 27 feet, surrounded by terracing. The well-tended garden is furnished with plenty of patio furniture for lounging and tanning. Just off the kitchen is a particularly inviting covered area for eating outside.

Housekeeping 2 mornings per week is included in the price, along with weekly change of bed and bath linens, pool maintenance, and utilities. The housekeeper will, upon request, prepare meals, and she is an excellent cook. She cooks the meals at her own home and delivers them to the house. Childcare can also be arranged.

In the village of Ponterio, just a kilometer away from the house, you will find food stores, laundry, barber, hairdresser, internet café, art supplies shop, newsstand with the International Herald Tribune, take-out pizzeria, and ATM machine. Todi, about a 3-mile drive from the house, has everything. As to sightseeing, all the sights of Umbria are within an hour's drive: Assisi, Orvieto, Perugia, Spoleto, Gubbio, Montefalco, Norcia. Even Rome is a possible daytrip.

For those looking for total privacy in a moderately priced house with its own pool, La Ripa can't be beat.