Poolside view of one of the nine villas at Tenuta di Murlo.Tenuta di Murlo/Supplied
When my husband and I took our three sons to Italy for the first time in May, we figured they would be wowed by the big sights. The colosseum. The canals of Venice. The crowds at a football match in Stadio Olimpico.
We never expected that the highlight for us all would be our time in Umbria, a small, landlocked region in central Italy with all the natural splendour of Tuscany and none of the tourists. Umbria seemed like an undiscovered country, far from the madding crowds we would later elbow our way through in Rome and Venice.
If the region’s rolling emerald hills felt like ours alone, it was thanks to our accommodations. We stayed in a villa at Tenuta di Murlo, a family-owned farm and estate larger than Manhattan. Our villa, one of nine on the property, was a converted, centuries-old stone church perched at the highest point of the estate overlooking a lush, dramatic valley.
When my sons – ages 8, 11 and 13 – saw the infinity pool clinging to the side of the mountain, they never wanted to leave. My husband couldn’t recall ever being somewhere so quiet. And I loved that all that privacy and beauty came with hotel-like services, which meant I wouldn’t have to spend my time there cleaning as I did later at Airbnbs.
Why you should visit
Alessio and Carlotta Carabba Tettamanti began transforming the abandoned farmhouses and other buildings more than a dozen years ago. The property, which has been in Alessio’s family for more than 400 years, used to house farm families who cultivated the land.
After the Second World War, as electricity and television opened the wider world to Umbria’s tenant farmers, they began moving to nearby villages along the Tiber River. Their abandoned stone houses fell into disrepair.
Interior view of one of the villas.Tenuta di Murlo/Supplied
It’s hard to imagine now that the villas at Tenuta di Murlo were recently overgrown ruins. Our spot, Villa Santa Croce, was an impeccable three-bedroom with ensuites for each room and a gorgeous wood dining table with a view over the valley. WiFi, cable TV and an oversized sectional came in handy when it rained one afternoon. The rest of the time, we relaxed around the (slightly chilly, even for hardy Canadians) infinity pool, lulled by the hum of bees pollinating the colourful gardens.
The villa’s kitchen was outfitted with everything we needed to cook and clean up, including a dishwasher and washing machine. If you’d rather not prepare your own meals, the property boasts a terrific but reasonably priced restaurant called Il Caldaro, where I enjoyed a fresh spaghetti carbonara with a fruity Umbrian white wine. Next door, the family also operates a three-bedroom inn.
Tenuta di Murlo, which has been in Alessio’s family for more than 400 years, used to house farm families who cultivated the land.Tenuta di Murlo/Supplied
On our second day at Tenuta di Murlo, we took a pasta-making class in Il Caldaro’s sweltering kitchen. The boys, who had never seen pasta come out of anything other than a box, donned chef hats and aprons.
We measured out our own piles of flour, created wells in their centres and cracked eggs into them. Pasta chef Iliana Romanelli patiently showed the boys how to transform their dough into tagliatelle using a hand-cranked pasta maker. Romanelli, 73, is a local, like many of the staff at Tenuto di Murlo. She learned to cook at home and joined the restaurant after 40 years working at a nearby cashmere factory. Her son manages Il Caldaro and her husband is the pizza maker.
At the end of our class, we took home our tagliatelle and ricotta-stuffed half-moon pasta, topped with a boar ragu prepared elsewhere in the kitchen. We ate it in wet bathing suits and fluffy white bathrobes back at the villa. It was one of the best meals of the 10-day trip.
Room for improvement
The outdoor dining area of the onsite property Il Caldero at Tenuta di Murlo.Tenuta di Murlo/Supplied
Tenuta di Murlo is a hidden gem, with perhaps too strong an emphasis on the hidden. There are no signs on the main road that skirts the property to let guests know they’ve reached the estate. Driving an unfamiliar rental car and relying on Google Maps, my husband and I drove up and down the gravel roads of the estate for more than half an hour before giving up and texting the concierge.
It turned out the staff’s practice is to send a driver down to the highway to meet guests and escort their vehicles to their villas. We texted the concierge a few hours before our arrival as instructed but didn’t realize we had to text again when we reached an unmarked bend in the highway.
Carlotta Carabba Tettamanti said the lack of signage is by design. She said it’s part of her family’s effort to keep the landscape looking like it did in the past. But a sign or two on the main road would hardly spoil the place.
Since you’re in the neighbourhood
Perugia, the capital of Umbria, is only 20 minutes from Tenuta di Murlo and well worth a visit. We arrived there after a two-hour train ride from Rome and picked up a rental car, a necessity for getting to and around the estate.
Don’t be put off by the drab, modern neighbourhood surrounding Perugia’s train station. A two-minute walk away is the mini-metro, a funicular that whisks passengers to the charming old cobblestone city atop a mountain. We scarfed a delicious pasta lunch in the main square and let the boys loose in Candy Lisa, a sweet shop with gummy bears the size of my fist.
And don’t miss Montone, a town about 30 minutes north of the estate. We had the walled medieval village practically to ourselves. The boys played an elaborate game of “Choose Your Own Adventure,” taking turns picking which alleys they would dart down next.
The takeaway
The hotel-like services meant that writer Kelly Grant didn't have to spend time cleaning, as with an Airbnb.Tenuta di Murlo/Supplied
Dreaming of an escape to Tuscany but prefer less-trodden territory? Consider Umbria and the privacy and beauty of Tenuta di Murlo instead. The villas don’t come cheap – one that sleeps six starts at €13,500 (about $20,000) a week in off-peak seasons – but the cost could be split across families. Our villa easily could have accommodated three couples without kids.
The smallest villa – a converted mill ideal for honeymooners – is available for two-night stays at €1,700 (about $2,500). There is a one-week minimum stay for all the other villas in July and August. Prices for shorter stays outside of peak season are available upon request. murlo.com
The writer was a guest of Tenuto di Murlo. It did not review or approve this article.