Mulino: Villa for 6 with Private Pool in Umbria

Il Mulino sleeps six with its own private pool, and is ideally placed to explore both Umbria and Tuscany. Converted from a centuries-old stone-built flour mill, the house nestles by a small stream in a beautiful, wooded valley with a garden that merges into the surrounding forest.

The house is traditionally constructed, with beamed ceilings and tiled floors overlaid with colourful rugs. The kitchen is modern and practical, with many new appliances, but is constructed in a typical Umbrian style. The walls of the house are almost a metre thick in places and this, together with Il Mulino’s wooded valley setting reliably provides a cooler environment during the Umbrian summers.

This lovely stone one-time mill has been transformed into a secluded holiday hideaway. On the ground floor, a sunny stone terrace for relaxed alfresco eating leads into a substantial, fully equipped kitchen/dining room with separate pantry. Broad steps lead directly to a large sitting room with sofas guarding a typical Umbrian fireplace, and with a table for games playing or setting up a computer. The sitting room leads out through double doors to an informal stone terraced garden and then to the sunny sheltered pool area.

A tiled staircase next to a downstairs cloakroom leads from the kitchen to the first floor, where you will find one king and one convertible twin bedroom that share a shower room, and one convertible super king bedroom with ensuite bathroom. The bedrooms are styled in a traditional manner with pretty linens. French doors lead out from the master bedroom to a small terrace and sitting area.

This is a beautiful, hilly, densely wooded area of Umbria (known as Italy’s ‘Green Heart’), unspoilt by mass tourism and with spectacular views. Head south and in 30 mins you'll reach Lake Trasimeno, a large lake with beaches, water sports and pretty islands you can reach by ferry. This was also the site of one of Hannibal's greatest battles with the Romans in 217 BC, and there is a museum to visit in Tuoro.

Perugia, Cortona, Assisi and Arezzo are popular sightseeing destinations easily reached from the house. There is also the opportunity to explore Umbria’s lesser known but exquisite hilltop towns, such as Gubbio and Spello with their narrow, cobbled side streets and authentic cafes and restaurants.

Whether you are a hiker, mountain biker or horse rider, there is a whole network of well-conceived trails to explore. Both horses and bikes can be hired locally.

The area is rich in great art created by the Renaissance masters who worked here. The 15C mannerist Perugino lived and painted here and taught the young Raphael in his studio. Giotto’s masterpiece series of frescoes on the life of St Francis draws visitors to the Basilica in Assisi. Piero della Francesca was born in Sansepolcro, just across the Tuscan border, where his depiction of The Resurrection can be viewed, regarded as one of the greatest frescoes ever painted.

A stay in Il Mulino allows easy access to a myriad of fascinating places in both Umbria and Tuscany. Or you can simply relax and enjoy the climate, the pool and the peaceful surroundings of this unique country house.