view out living room window
Location: Panicale, Umbria, Italy, Europe (Midway between Rome & Florence, 30 minutes by car to Cortona)
Accommodations: Apartment, 2 Bedrooms + No additional sleeping rooms avail, 1.5 Baths (Sleeps 4)
Keywords: apartment, Umbria, small village
Our tranquil and sunny apartment, Il Panicaletto, is located in the Umbrian hill town of Panicale, in the wall adjacent to the one of the turrets. The town is a well preserved medieval village, but has all of the conveniences of modern day life. The town is located in the hills above Lago Trasimeno, with views over the lake and the surrounding countryside.
The apartment, which is about 750 square foot combined on two levels, is entered via a flight of stairs. Recently restored, the first floor of the apartment has an open plan living dining room and a fully equipped kitchen plus a half bath with washing machine. Up another flight of stairs are two bedrooms and a full bath with a large, tiled walk-in shower. One bedroom has a queen-size bed, the other bedroom has two twin beds that can be made up as one bed on request. The windows on one side of the apartment overlook a small park outside the wall of the village. The interior windows look into the town. The floors are terracotta tiles and the ceilings are ancient beams interspersed with small terracotta tiles. A few sections of older parts of the structure have been exposed and plastered around to show some of the earlier architectural details.
Panicale is an excellent base from which to explore the wonderful Tuscan and Umbrian hilltowns. Best accessed by car, the hilltowns are abundant in this area. To the north about 10 minutes by car is Castiglione del Lago, a lovely town on a narrow peninsula on Lake Trasimeno. Further along is Cortona, (about 35 minutes from Panicale). A drive around the lake will take you to Tuoro and Passignano. Both towns (as well as others) have ferry service to access the three islands on the lake. To the northwest, about 50 minutes, is Siena. To the northeast about 30 minutes is Perugia, to the south are Todi and Orvieto (both about 45 minutes). Other nearby Tuscan hill towns are: Chiusi with its Etruscan museum and tombs; Montepulciano, home of the famous Vino Nobile; Pienza, one Pope's ideal city; and San Casciano dei Bagni with it's wonderful day spa and mineral baths. Nearby Umbrian hill towns are: Citta della Pieve, the birthplace of Renaissance artist Perugino; Assisi, the home of Saint Francis; as well as Spoleto, Bevagna, Montefalco, Spello, Deruta and Gubbio.
All of these interesting towns can be reached as a day trip and each has its own special attractions. Rome and Florence can be easily visited by driving 20 minutes to the Chiusi train station, leaving the car and taking an InterCity train an hour to Florence or to Rome. It's a relaxing way to visit these large cities and return to the tranquility of Panicale at the end of the day.
The town has three fine restaurants, three grocery stores, a bank, a bakery and a few other small stores. There are two cafes in the lovely fountain-graced piazza. There are splendid views from all sides of Panicale as you walk around the exterior ring road. Panoramas of wooded hills, terraces of olive groves, and the beautiful ever changing Lake Trasimeno. The lovely 18th century restored Teatro Caporale has regular concerts and other cultural events. There are several churches, two of which house famous paintings. One by Perugino and the other by Massolino di Panicale. The lace museum has regular exhibits in addition to their permanent collection. There are regular festivals in and around Panicale, including the grape festival in September, the chestnut festival in October and a unique celebration of Easter.
We have an extensive library of travel books and maps, a selection of novels and a stereo/CD player and t.v.
Brenda, our english speaking local, will greet you and make sure that you have everything you need.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Washer : washer in half bath. no dryer, but clothes dry quickly on radiators or drying rack
- Linens Provided
- Off Street Parking : Parking is just outside the town "porta". Usually a 30 second walk to the apartment.
- Wood Fireplace
- Beds
- Queen Bed
- Twin/Single Bed : The smaller bedroom has 2 twin beds that can be made into a king on request.
- Entertainment
- CD Player
- Stereo System
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen : Stove top, oven, refrigerator. No dishwasher.
- Cooking Utensils Provided
- Refrigerator
- Other Amenities
- Our apartment is always warm! Being "in the wall", no matter the time of year, it is always a comfortable temperature.It is also very sunny and bright.
- Suitability
- No Pets Allowed
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities
- Golf
- Shopping
- Sailing
- Boating
- Wildlife Viewing
- Hiking
- Restaurants
- Museums
- Other Activities
- Wine tasting, hot springs & spas, etruscan tombs, gardens: Villa La Foce & La Scarzuola, Deruta (ceramics center of Umbria),monasteries, wonderful small villages for day trips in both Umbria & Tuscany. We have tons of recommendations and are happy to offer suggestions for your stay.
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
$850/week (minimum 1 week rental).
30% of Total Rental due upon on Booking;
Balance of rental plus $500. security deposit 6 weeks in advance of arrival.
If booking is made less than 6 weeks in advance of arrival, full payment plus
deposit is due upon booking. Seurity deposit is reimbursed within 10 days of
departure less any damages.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Owner's Profile
Year Purchased: 2002
Property Photos
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- view out living room window - Umbria, Italy Rental
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- Master bedroom - Umbria, Italy Rental
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- Living room - Umbria, Italy Rental
Traveler Reviews (4)
Bella Panicale
Guest: Deborah
(La Jolla, CA USA)
Date of Stay: 06/26/09
Review Submitted: 08/25/11
My family of 3 stayed in this apartment some time ago, and I am very late in presenting this review. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The apartment was very comfortable, and more than spacious. The kitchen and shower facilities were excellent, and the beds comfortable. The town of Panicale is charming, and an ideal place to base yourself while touring Tuscany and Umbria. We traveled by car everyday to some new exciting hill town to explore, but enjoyed coming home to Panicale and its few charming restaurants and bars at night. The surrounding countryside is absolutely beautiful. We would recommend this rental to anyone wishing to explore the area.
Recommended for:Families with teenagers.
We loved it!
Guest: Patrik
(San Francisco, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/01/08
Review Submitted: 08/18/10
Staying here was the highlight of our trip! Il Panicaletto was everything it was advertised as and more. It was very clean and everything was in working order. Simply charming. The owners were great to work with an answered our questions quickly and graciously. It's great place to stay, very quiet, a perfect place to stay for a while. If you are looking for nightlife or city living Panicale is not the place for you. But if you are looking for an authentic Italian town, with good food, friendly people this place is it! For breakfast we took a short stroll down to one of the coffee shops. We sat and had our coffees while we planned our day. It was great fun to sit in the piazza and meet the locals who had wonderful recommendations on what to see. We explored the town and it's many tiny tiny churches. For some unique fun don't for get to put a coin in the box at some of the churches to turn on the lights and music! The restaurants were superb, we could have gone back every night. How could you not get a fantastic meal when the Panicalese (the locals) put so much pride and love into cooking their dishes. However, one of the benefits of having an apartment is the ability to make our own dinner. On one of our many day trips (Panicale is perfect as a base camp because of it's location) we bought some wine and brought it back to the apartment. Then we strolled down to the one of the local grocery stores and pickup some bread, different cheeses and cured meats (ask Yolanda for the truffled salami...YUM!) and instead of dinner at the table we sat in the living room, drank wine, ate fabulous cheese and planned our next outing. As for it's location, while off the beaten path, it is centrally located. Within an hours drive there were many Umbrian and Tuscan hilltowns to explore. The owners have great recommendations for these towns in the description of the apartment. All in all we would not hesitate to stay here again and we look forward to our next visit.
Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+.
The "hidden" Italy you're always looking for
Guest: Italophile
(San Francisco USA)
Date of Stay: 05/10/06
Review Submitted: 08/17/10
Three of us stayed 5 days in this apartment, finding it a terrific base from which to explore Umbria and Tuscany. Panicale itself was a great place to be based--there are some tourists in this walled town, but not so many as to overwhelm the beautiful site and the people who live there; in short, we felt like we were in a real, authentic Italy, not a tourist theme park. The apartment is quiet, clean, cozy. I would highly recommend it to friends and family.
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway.
Guest: skip cunningham
(oklahoma city, ok)
Date of Stay: 05/12/08
Review Submitted: 05/12/08
I haven't stayed in this particular home, but I stayed in this village for 7 days and YOU CAN'T GO WRONG!! It is a beautiful village, perfectly situated for many wonderful day trips. The village is walled in and about 3 blocks in size. Nice people and no bad vibes or situations. Not a tourist town, and no "touristy" activities, just pleasant people in a beautiful sourronding.
Recommended for:
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #54711
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