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Apartamento La Fornace
La Fornace is a restored farmhouse with three hectares of land situated on the border of Umbria and Tuscany. Originally built around 1800 it takes its name from the bread oven, sadly now a ruin, which stands near by. La Fornace is made from local brick, ceilings and roof are supported by chestnut beams, the floors are terracotta tiling and the windows have traditional shutters.
Many years ago, in common with many of the local farmhouses, the ground floor provided shelter for animals, but it is now an open-plan apartment with spacious studio living area, bedroom area with a very comfortable double divan bed, fully equipped kitchen, bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. Large French windows open onto a large patio shaded by a pergola covered with a climbing rose and a rampant vine which produces succulent grapes.
La Fornace is set among rolling hills with umbrella pines, olive groves, vineyards and wooded valleys that are a pleasure to explore at any time of the year. The house affords views of Monte Cetona in the west, and to the north, Lago di Trasimeno with distant snow capped peaks of the Appennines. Within easy reach by car or rail lie many of the cultural treasures of Italy, whether in cities - Rome, Florence, Orvieto, Siena, Assisi, Arezzo and Perugia - or in medieval hill towns such as Citta della Pieve (birthplace of Perugino), San Geminiano, Montepulciano (famed for its Vino Nobile), or Pittigliano.
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The ground floor of La Fornace provides accommodation for two adults. There is also a single bed in the rear of the living room. It has mains water and electricity, gas supplied from a buried tank, has full central heating, but maintains a temperature 10-12 degrees lower than outside even on the hottest of summer days. There is no television or telephone. There is parking space. The house can easily be reached by rail from Rome or Florence to Chiusi-Chianciano Terme or by road via the Chiusi exit of the Autostrada del Sole (A1).