Vacation Rentals by Owner

A Peaceful Retreat in Beautiful Umbria

Guest: Charles and Jennifer (Millbrook, Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 06/11/11 Review Submitted: 07/12/11

Casa Cristina is a very comfortable home nestled literally on the edge of the Appenine mountains. If you are looking for a quiet haven at the end of a day visiting the beautiful hill towns of Umbria, book this place. The home is well appointed, the views across the valley serene and it's within an hour or so of many of the towns you will want to see. Kristine was the best unpaid travel agent ever and Bianca was a gracious host who took great care in ensuring our stay was very comfortable. If you have the time, book a cooking class with Mimma but don't book another meal for that day! Thanks again Kristine for sharing your magical home and the joys of Umbria. We are forever grateful for all your hospitality. Best Regards, Jennifer and Charles

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Peaceful Getaway

Guest: Lisa (Wynnewood, PA USA)
Date of Stay: 10/23/10 Review Submitted: 11/17/10

Dear Kristine and John, we had an absolutely wonderful stay in your home. Your home is as described on the VRBO website. We had fun navigating the road to and from Vallochia and got quite adept at doing so. Kristine~you were easily available via email prior to coming to Italy and always returned my emails promptly. It was a pleasure to deal with someone so easy going. Biana was such a sweetheart. She checked in on us several times during our stay, came to my rescue when I couldn't quite communicate the rental car issue we were having to the FIAT service center and even found me a place to stay in Umbria several weeks later (you were still in your house...or believe me, I would have been there in a minute)! Mimma and her family were very welcoming and shared chestnuts with us...which we roasted and enjoyed on a hike. Enjoyed the horses, the dogs (esp Noce) and the cats. I almost took Noce with me! Your home was so very comfortable. We felt like we hit the lottery. We did day trips, bike rides (one very cold windy bike ride almost to Assisi when we had to yell "uncle" and take the train back), hikes and just hung out. One of my favorite days was driving to the Piano Grande and then Casteluccio, where we had probably our most outstanding meal of the trip at Taverna Castelluccio. I have misplaced the card for my second favorite restaurant, but it is family run in Trevi~I was in heaven~got to practice my Italian there! I could go on and on and I think I have. Thanks again. I hope to have another trip like this someday. Lisa/Betsy/Andy

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

From posted in Naples

Guest: Kara Kopess
Date of Stay: 10/10/10 Review Submitted: 12/23/10

Thank you for allowing us to enjoy your perfect Italian home. Daily we visited local towns and returned to relax in the hammock, sit by the fire, and eat around the family table. Our little one loved feeding the horses carrots and chasing the gray cat. We all enjoyed the Star Wars videos late at night. The perfect ending to another perfect day! We hope to return some day. Best regards, C & P, M & K

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From the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

Guest: Nancy Santi
Date of Stay: 09/17/10 Review Submitted: 12/23/10

Kristine, Your villa has redefined “relaxation” for us. Your hospitality via your pre-vacation e-mails, maps and “sticker notes”__all enhanced our stay. We especially enjoyed listening to your CD’s and browsing your cookbooks, too! (and Video’!) We’ve gained such insights into Italy’s art, culture, and geography! And we’ve learned… In spite of Protestations to Mimma that she is making too much food, and we’ll never eat it all, she is right…we did eventually eat almost all of it! Pheasants emerge to strut around in the field only after hunters retreat. Truffles are better than we could have ever imagined. A walking stick does make hilltop climbs easier. Thank you for sharing your piece of Umbria with us…Vallocchia, and its residents, are a jewel!!! N & P, K & P

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From Malvern, UK

Guest: Malcolm Manwaring
Date of Stay: 08/31/10 Review Submitted: 12/23/10

We have had a lovely time in your house, living in comfort and immense quiet, surrounded by these beautiful hills. We spent half our days exploring the paths leading down (and mostly up) the hills. We enjoyed one walk across the valley and up through the chestnut forest, particularly enhanced by the Racolta Risevata signs! The steep climb out of the village past the water trough, led left along to the wild beasts meadow and on through the pines, and several times straight on the past the ruin (having climbed Castelmonte the first time), once getting all the way to Monte Fionche (1337m!), for more spectacular views of layers upon layers of mountains. We saw wild boar rooting’s, but saw none. Watched red-backed shrike from the patio, saw more jays up and down the road than we can count, and a couple of hoopoes. Our best nature spot has to be, however, the porcupine crossing the road just outside the village one night. We had found one spine on a walk and had been really excited by that (simple pleasures!) and then the next day we found a scattering of them by the roadside. Thank you again for the pleasure of your house and the friendliness and welcome from Bianca and your lovely neighbors’. Best Wishes from C & N

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Guest: Malcolm
Date of Stay: 07/31/10 Review Submitted: 09/06/10

Dear Kristine We have just had a wonderful, wonderful fortnight in your lovely, comfortable house. We had a great time visiting towns and villages, some of which we had been to before, although many were new to us. Walking on the hills above Vallocchia was fabulous too (once we'd made the climb to the water trough). Of course it goes without saying that we also really enjoyed the food. We had some great meals out but we all also like cooking and had many a lovely meal ( lunch and dinner) on the terrace looking out at the field which has a magical quality doesn't it as the sun sets. It was great to stay in a house with such a well equipped kitchen (so often they aren't). As you said, Bianca was a star and made sure on a regular basis that we were fine. Once again, we had a really good time. Thank you. Best wishes Sally, Malcolm, Caroline and Nick

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Recommendation of Casa Cristina

Guest: Canterbury bell (Sussex)
Date of Stay: 07/22/10 Review Submitted: 08/15/10

I just wanted to write to express my thanks and delight with your beautiful house in Italy. We had such a happy time at Casa Christina and it's location and the comfort it offered more than lived up to all my hopes and expectations. The view from the terrace was stunning. If we had not been busy exploring local towns and cities then even more hours would have been spent soaking up the peace and sheer magic of our surroundings. Daily visits from one of the local dogs, what seems to be a resident cat and, of course, the two horses grazing at the foot of the wooded hills, was a joy. I slept soundly every night as the beds were blissfully comfortable (not something to necessarily be relied upon with holiday lets). Your kitchen is wonderfully equipped without distracting from the simplicity of the house and your generosity in providing videos and CD's for your tenants/guests much appreciated. Naturally we spent a certain amount of time away from the house. Long lazy lunches interspersed with visits to many different churches. It had been nearly 18 years since my last visit to Italy and I had forgotten just how beautiful it is. The architecture, wealth of art, colours of the plastered walls and pigments in the frescoes, history, language, warmth of the people, food, etc etc fed every one of the senses. Although, if it is possible to be "truffled out" I think I was in danger of turning into a truffle by the end of the week.

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Perfektes Urlaubsdomizil

Guest: Finni (Bad Staffelstein, Germany)
Date of Stay: 08/28/09 Review Submitted: 09/15/09

Ein wunderbar gelegenes Ferienhaus - perfekt zum relaxen. Das urgemütliche Ferienhaus ist absolut perfekt ausgestattet, hier fehlt wirklich nichts. Die Lage ist traumhaft: von der weinüberwachsenen Terrasse (Frühstück in der Morgensonne, tagsüber angenehm beschattet und abends noch warm genug zum draußen essen) hat man einen wunderschönen Blick auf die grünen umbrischen bewaldeten Berge, in die man auch wunderbare Speziergänge unternehmen kann. Trotz der Abgeschiedenheit ist man in 10 Minuten mit dem Auto in Spoleto bzw. auf der Schnellstraße, die einen zu allen Sehenswürdigkeiten der Umgebung führt, also auch für Unternehmungslustige und Kulturbeflissene ein idealer Standort. Auch (oder gerade) in der heißen Jahreszeit läßt sich hier sehr gut Urlaub machen, ist es doch in den Bergen immer angenehm frisch und die Luft deutlich kühler als im heißen Tal. Wir haben jede Minute unseres Aufenthalts mit unseren Kindern genossen wegen der Vielfältigkeit der genannten Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Carla
Date of Stay: 03/21/09 Review Submitted: 03/20/09

Dear Kristine Words cannot describe our delightful stay at Casa Cristina. We were lucky enough to witness the birth of spring in the budding trees and flowers of Umbria and were in awe of the blanket of freshly fallen snow on our final day Thank you for sharing your beautiful home in Vallocchia. Our memories are priceless. Kindest regards,

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Guest: Melanie
Date of Stay: 09/27/08 Review Submitted: 09/26/08

Kristine,Thank you for all the written instructions around the casa__it made our stay very comfortable. We duly read all of your restaurant recommendations, but alas enjoyed eating our dinners at home in your cozy kitchen.One of the highlights of our trip in Umbria, was stumbling on a wine fair at Montefalco. We purchased our wine bibs (to hold our glasses), and made the rounds of all the wineries, sipping the Mantelfalco Rosso and sagrantino as we went. At the fair we were introduced to Lorenzo from Terre di Trinci and were invited to visit him at the winery. All of us are past board members of the American wine society ( 3 past presidents) and were happy to take up his invitation…….

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Guest: Ivan
Date of Stay: 09/26/08 Review Submitted: 09/25/08

Kristine, We did not get much time to enjoy the hammock, as we did not spend any daytime at your casa. Each day we did a trip to each of the surrounding towns and villages. We returned each night to cook dinner (usually on the kitchen fireplace) and drink some of the local wines. As there were four of us your casa suited us perfectly. We loved the drive up and down the winding road to Spoleto. We were in Italy for 23 days and our stay in Spoleto was the highlight. I loved the dart game in the living room. I departed as the reigning champion.

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Guest: John & Jill
Date of Stay: 08/21/08 Review Submitted: 08/20/08

Received by e-mail: Hello Kristine, We have returned from Italy to a very cool and rainy North East of England after a wonderful stay in the delightful Casa Christina. We found the home , the village and the mountain ,valley and woodland view absolutely enchanting. Spending time in the hammock together, with hot sunshine and a cool breeze was totally heavenly. We will never forget the atmosphere of peace and tranquility. We were very curious as to the history of the village and especially the way in which Casa Christina had been transformed to what it is now. Despite trying to spot a boar from the terrace for the 10 days we only heard their snorts from a distance. We did however spot a porcupine below the terrace close to the horses feeding area...quite a sight. Myself and Jill would like to thank you for making the process of booking and enjoying our holiday so easy and letting us share the beauty of your house for a few days. Kind regards, Jill and John

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Casa Cristina

Guest: J & JJ (Middletown, CT, USA)
Date of Stay: 08/08/08 Review Submitted: 09/03/08

We found the home, the village, and the mountain valley and woodland view absolutely enchanting. Spending time in the hammock together, with hot sunshine and a cool breeze was totally heavenly. We will never forget the atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Despite trying to spot a boar from the terrace for the 10 days we only heard their snorts from a distance. We did however spot a porcupine below the terrace close to the horses feeding area...quite a sight. Thank you for making the process of booking and enjoying our holiday so easy and letting us share the beauty of your house for a few days. Kind regards. J & J

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Kristina, Mike, Kathleen & Carmen
Date of Stay: 06/25/08 Review Submitted: 06/24/08

From our guest book at the house: We had a wonderful stay at Casa Cristina. We were surprised by how spacious the villa was and how comfortable our stay was. The washrooms and kitchen were immaculate and we spent as much time possible on the terrace. We highly recommend cooking on the kitchen fireplace. We rarely ate out as one of our party was a chef who was able to use local ingredients to create a series of spectacular meals. The beds were heavenly. We had the best sleeps of our holiday. We also enjoyed afternoon siestas in the hammock and lounge. The only distraction from our peaceful slumber was the playful nuzzling of the village dog and cat. (The latter of whom we nicknamed “Giovanni”). While we’re disappointed with leaving, we look forward to a return visit. Ciao from four rested and relaxed Canadians!

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Guest: Ray
Date of Stay: 06/06/08 Review Submitted: 06/05/08

From our guest book at the house: Your villa was heavenly and Bianca was perfect. We were very tired when we arrived as we were coming from the airport in Rome and she was so nice - we will never forget her, especially our first double kiss upon arriving. She is a jewel. My nephew rated your villa simply the best for cooking of all we have ever rented as you had great appliances and quality cookware. Thanks again, Ray

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Rested and Relaxed

Guest: scitch (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Date of Stay: 04/21/08 Review Submitted: 09/02/08

We had a wonderful stay at Casa Cristina. We were surprised by how spacious the villa was and how comfortable our stay was. The washrooms and kitchen were immaculate and we spent as much time possible on the terrace. We highly recommend cooking on the kitchen fireplace. We rarely ate out as one of our party was a chef who was able to use local ingredients to create a series of spectacular meals. The beds were heavenly. We had the best sleeps of our holiday. We also enjoyed afternoon siestas in the hammock and lounge. While we’re disappointed with leaving, we look forward to a return visit. Ciao from four rested and relaxed Canadians!

Recommended for:Age 55+, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Ulrika
Date of Stay: 10/18/07 Review Submitted: 10/17/07

From our guest book at the house: Dear Kristinenow we are back in Switzerland. We loved the days in Vallocchia and the beautiful surroundings, especially our hiking in the Sibilian Mountains.We appreciate your restaurant recommendations and like to send you a new favorite:The restaurant in the Abbezia San Pietro in Valle (near Ferentillo – Valnerina), sophisticated Umbrian cooking, with a nice wine list.We are looking forward to come back soon and see springtime in Umbria.

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Guest: Pam K.
Date of Stay: 06/20/07 Review Submitted: 06/19/07

From our guest book at the house:Dear Kristine,The highlight of our trip has been our week in Vallocchia. Your home could not have been more wonderful. The house was filled with light and gentle breezes. We had lots of fun cooking dinner while listening to opera and then afterwards enjoying our meal on the terrace. The wild strawberries were amazing. We also liked reading and doing watercolors in the mornings. We had three great dinners in the garden at “ al Palazzaccio.” We mentioned your names and just as you said, they took wonderful care of us. The Italian dinners were also very warm. We had fun exploring various hill towns--old favorites and new ones. Norcia was a nice surprise and the drive to Sibilini (sp?) was spectacular. We were blown away by the view as we came over the high ridge and caught our first glimpse of the velvety green of the valley, only to discover that it was actually carpeted by wildflowers. We also saw a baby boar (half the size of the cat!) one morning just after leaving the village. It ran out of the woods and squealed as it trotted around our car. We wanted to get out but did not want to encounter its mother! Our 18 year old son Sam loved our time here as well. We are all quite sad to leave. Thank you so much. It is a very special place… we hope to return some time.

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The highlight of our trip!

Guest: Picks (Brookline, Massachusets)
Date of Stay: 06/16/07 Review Submitted: 09/06/08

The highlight of our trip has been our week at Casa Cristina. It could not have been more wonderful. The house was filled with light and gentle breezes. We had lots of fun cooking dinner while listening to opera and then afterwards enjoying our meal on the terrace. The wild strawberries were amazing. We also liked reading and doing watercolors in the mornings. We were blown away by the view as we came over the high ridge and caught our first glimpse of the velvety green of the valley, only to discover that it was actually carpeted by wildflowers. We also saw a baby boar (half the size of the cat!) one morning just after leaving the village. It ran out of the woods and squealed as it trotted around our car. We wanted to get out but did not want to encounter its mother! Our 18 year old son loved our time here as well. We are all quite sad to leave. Thank you so much. It is a very special place… we hope to return some time.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway.