Assisi Cottage for Rent: Beautiful Stone Farmhouse in the National Park near Assisi with Pool, sleeps 2-5 - Property 67023

The Farm: THE FARM stands in a regional park, on a spur above a small river, with breathtaking views over the Tescio valley and across the hills to Mount Subasio. The owner, an English painter, lives on the premises. The immediate area is one of great natural beauty. The hills are covered by forest, mostly oak, and by small farms with their olive groves, pastures and fields of wheat, barley and oats. Far from any main road, it is a very quiet and peaceful place. For most of the day the only sound is the singing of birds and crickets and the river in the valley below. The hills and forest hide martens, porcupine and wild boar, all of which have been seen on the farm. The wealth of bird life includes buzzards, goldfinches and hoopoes. In spring the the meadows, fields and verges abound in wild flowers, among them poppies, cyclamen, wild gladioli, and many types of orchid. From May to July fireflies dance in the night, and through the summer the Farm is home to thirty varieties of butterflies.

Hiking in Umbria: A Casket of Nature, Traditions, and Legends. From Casa Rosa it is possible to hike a numerous amount of trails in the Umbrian region, a mountain chain rising in the heart of Italy and reaching Mt. Vettore (2,476m). A territory where the magic of local nature, history, and culture have contributed in defining a unique and unrepeatable reality. Here, in the kingdom of the mythic Sibilla, the Parco Nazionale Monti Sibillini was established in 1993 (with over 70,000 ha), with the aim to safeguard the environment, promote a social and economic sustainable development, and favour the creation of a 'Park suitable to everyone'. The wolf, the golden eagle, the peregrine, and a number of endemic species are the most evident elements of a biological richness which, along with the charm of the abbeys and of the Medieval historical centers lying in a crown at the foot of the mountains, have shaped an old and suggestive world where time has stopped to honour a reality of extraordinary beauty

Reaching Casa Rosa: FLYING - Perugia ( half hour by car) is served by Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). Depending on season and day of the week, flights can cost as little as £20 return. The airport is small, bustle-free and well connected to the motorway towards Assisi. Ryanair also flies to Pescara, Ancona and Pisa which is not much further away, and sometimes flight times are more convenient than those to Perugia. Flight/car hire packages can be arranged through the airline. Easyjet ( www.easyjet.com) offers affordable flights to Bologna (north of Florence, 2 - 2.5 hrs drive from Assisi) and Rome (also 2 - 2.5 hrs drive from Assisi). Car hire is available at the airport: Avis (Perugia Airport office) tel. 0039/075/6929796 or 6929346) Hertz (Perugia - collection at airport can be arranged) tel. 0039/075/5002439

Other Activities: Hiking, Bird watching, Pilgrim destination, Historical cities