Week of Peaceful Relaxation

Guest: Emily (Alaska)
Date of Stay: 11/15/11 Review Submitted: 11/25/11

We came to Gubbio after traveling in Italy for 2 and half months. We wanted a charming little place to stay and comfortably relax for a week, Balducci Palace was perfect. Alfredo was a charming host, giving us detailed history of the area one wouldn't find in a tour guide. He also gave some recipes for fresh truffles, and we were able to find some in Gubbio and cook a lovely meal. The flat is lovely, it felt like home. We felt refreshed after our stay there.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway.

Thanks for the Memories!

Guest: Gary (Pleasant Hill, California, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/16/10 Review Submitted: 07/25/11

Kindest Sig. Brofferio: It was with heavy heart that we finally departed Gubbio and your gracious hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Palazzo Balducci and enjoyed your company. The property proved to be all we had desired, an oasis in which to rest after a day of exploring Umbria. In particluar, we enjoyed our time in Gubbio as it seemed we had the entire town to ourselves. I particluarly enjoyed our discussion on local history while our daughter loved to ride the funicular. The accomodations suited our needs perfectly and the outdor space made for a wonderful location to partake of wine, cheese and salumi in the evenings. On a personal note, I want to say thank you for making our stay seems as if we were visiting with family. My daughter and I will never forget the day you shared with us while spelunking at Mt. Cucco and to this day she still brags to her friends about how she conquered such a trek. The small restaurant in Costacciaro for all manner of truffle was fantastic, not to mention the afternoon we spent at your muntain retreat, swimmig, or horseback riding at the ranch. I have recommended you to many a friend and I know that we look forward to returning in the near future. Again, thank you my friend. To those considering a stay in Gubbio, you will find no better host or inviting accomodation. Respectfully, Gary, Anna and Serena Pleasant Hill, California

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, sightseeing, age 55+.

A great time was had by all.

Guest: Brian (New Zealand)
Date of Stay: 05/12/11 Review Submitted: 06/04/11

We were delighted with the apartment and the opportunity to base ourselves in Gubbio, which turned out to be an extremely handy spot. The apartment, based as it is within the walls was only slightly on the rustic side, our "landlord" was more than a host, indeed an ambassador for Italy, Umbria and particularly Gubbio. The property was all the publicity had indicated. The recommendations of our host for dining and places to go were bang on, and I would certainly recommend Palazzo Balducci. We cannot thank him enough for the assistance and direction he provided. There are days to be spent exploring within the walls alone and we struck it lucky timing wise by being there for the Festa dei Ceri. What an experience. Thank you.

Owner response:Dear Brian & Anne , Thanks! it was a pleasure for me to be "an ambassador for Italy, Umbria and particularly Gubbio" because your interest to know the beauty that the Region can offer. Next time I believe that you will follow my suggestion to stay here at least a couple of weeks to exploit my historical, artistic, environmental and gastronomic suggestions. I hope you will have the opportunity to come back in the near future, Alfredo .

Recommended for:Families with young children, age 55+.

Fantastic Home, lovely location and Excellent owner!

Guest: RobLondon (St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada)
Date of Stay: 04/11/10 Review Submitted: 06/01/10

My wife and I and our two young children stayed in Alfredo's "Palazzo Balducci" in April, 2010. What a wonderful experience! The location of the house in Gubbio is perfect for walking throughout the old city and was very spacious, comfortable and well equipped with everything we needed for our stay. Regarding Alfredo...what can I say!? He was very helpful, kind, charming and helped make the visit even more memorable! His suggestions on restaurants and discussions of Gubbio's history were fantastic. Gubbio was wonderful - I had been to Rome several times but never really outside the city. Gubbio had small shops where owners cut prosciutto by hand right in front of you, lovely and reasonably priced restaurants, wonderful views around each corner, history, history, history and lots to see and do without being touristy. While Alfredo's English is excellent, we did not find many fluent English speakers which is something I really appreciated - Gubbio has not yet (and hopefully never will) succumbed to popular culture and the type of tourist trade that drives the local culture into being something of the past. In Gubbio, they *are* still living it, it seems! Isn't this one of the joys of travel!?!? Our very basic knowledge of Italian along with a little effort on our part meant we had no serious trouble communicating. I would certainly recommend going to Gubbio and if we ever manage to make it back there, we would most certainly stay again at Palazzo Balducci! I would highly recommend to anyone!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers, sightseeing, age 55+.

Guest: Tim and Tinney Heath (-)
Date of Stay: 11/29/08 Review Submitted: 11/29/08

Our stay in Gubbio was the highlight of our recent trip to Italy, and Alfredo and his palazzo were wonderful. The apartment is quiet, comfortable, well-equipped, and in a great location, and Alfredo is a warm, considerate, and very helpful host. He provided information on everything from the history of Gubbio to how to find foods for my husband's special diet. We enjoyed his company, and would happily return and stay in the Palazzo again. Gubbio itself is amazingly beautiful. We highly recommend Palazzo Balducci.

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Guest: Jorgen Jungersted1 (Denmark)
Date of Stay: 11/22/08 Review Submitted: 11/22/08

Dear Alfredo, thank you for a wonderful stay at your lovely townhouse and thank for your extensive introduction to the city, the culture, the finest restaurants, visit-wortrhy attractions and all the other things that are not available in the regular tourist brochures. It meant a lot to us! Lis&Jorgen

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Guest: Jorgen Jungersted (Denmark)
Date of Stay: 11/16/08 Review Submitted: 11/16/08

Dear Alfredo, thank you for a wonderful stay at your lovely townhouse and thank you for your exstensive introduction to the city, the culture, the finest restaurants, visit-worthy attractions and all the other things that are not available to the regular tourist brochures. We warmly recommend others with an interest and liking to food, wine and culrureto do as we did: to take one or more weeks out of the calendar and go on a trip hundreds of years back in time. Kind regards Lis & Jorgen

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Guest: Dick Williams (Carrollton, Texas)
Date of Stay: 06/17/08 Review Submitted: 06/17/08

We stayed with Alfredo during the annual Festa di Ceri and had a marvelous time. Alfredo is a humorous, genial host and you will enjoy him. The apartment itself is good; the bathroom a little dark but acceptable. Its location could not be improved. It is in the garden of a 17th Century palazzo that has a great deal of character. During the Festa we totally fell in love with Gubbio and its citizens and will no doubt return. It is evident that Alfredo is a one-man chamber of commerce for Gubbio, but he has a great product in this little town to sell. We loved our stay of six nights.

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Guest: Ken and Jan (-)
Date of Stay: 12/03/06 Review Submitted: 12/03/06

Dear Alfredo, Thank you for your email. We have been meaning to contact you to thank you and say how much we enjoyed our stay at the beautiful Palazzo Balducci. Over the years we have stayed in many places in Italy but never have we been greeted with such friendliness and warmth. We loved the appartment at Palazzo Balducci, it really suited our needs, it was extremely comfortable, well equipped, bright and so quiet and peaceful which was what we needed most after an extremely busy few weeks in England with our family. The amazing thing about the Palazzo is that whilst it is so quiet and peaceful one needs only to step outside the main door and find that one is in the middle of a busy thriving little town. Whilst we were there Alfredo we had friends visit us whom we took to lunch and they too shared our view that it was really a lovely place so I am sure that there will be more enquiries coming your way in the future. They also found much to delight them in Gubbio itself. We shall return your questionnare by mail, and we will be in touch when we find out the answers to your questions on emigration to Australia. best regards, Ken and Jan

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