GREATE SCAPES
WORDS: KAREN BARNES
TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY Umbria’s quiet hills are the ultimate unwind destination; a salad lunch rustled up in our retro kitchen; the Murlo estate’s elegant, secluded villas have private pools and terraces
WHY IT’S GREAT If you want to visit somewhere with beauty that feels as remote as the Scottish Highlands but with an Italian climate, Tenuta di Murlo needs inscribing in ink on your bucket list. It’s in Umbria, right in the middle of Italy, known for its green valleys, and is the quietest holiday spot I’ve visited. Unwinding isn’t difficult – it’s inevitable. The estate, sprawling over 6,000 hectares, is owned by a young couple who live in Rome during the week and at weekends return to their 12th-century castle (yes, it’s a different life). Murlo has been in their family for generations and they’re committed to restoring the estate to its former glory (there are several hidden-away houses awaiting attention). If I tell you there’s a golf course nestling among the hills and that you can book spa treatments in your villa, that might give you the idea it’s all a bit manicured, but it so isn’t. Most of the estate is wild, covered in woodland where wildlife roams freely. Walking trails take you past rivers up to peaks with views to catch your breath.
ROOMS There are only five villas on the estate, so you get the solitude picture. We were in one called San Savino, part of which used to be a church, and I heard mutterings about Pavarotti’s wife having lived there. The interiors are a deft mix of elegant and comfortable. There are so many garden nooks to hide away and read a book – although it’s hard not to be distracted by the view, especially when the morning mist lingers in the valleys below. And I loved the retro kitchen, which has everything you need to stay put and cook – which I did, every day. As well as the villas there are two one-bedroom cottages, an apartment for four, plus newly opened deluxe double rooms a stone’s throw from the restaurant.