This villa is a step back in time. We arrived with a full refrigerator of food, and a welcome meal cooked by their chefs. The location is convenient to wonderful day trips exploring Umbia and Rome. We had our family of 9 including a baby. Everything about the villa made it easy and comfortable. Our days were spent enjoy Umbria, and Roma and all of the historical sites. We would return to the villa to enjoy the warmth of the wood stove, playing games, making dinners, sleeping well, enjoyed the views from our windows, and exploring the villa's surrounding, There is a sweet chapel next to the villa that was open Sunday night and I sang my heart out all by myself. I felt the spiritual history in that space. The owners worked with us for a year using their knowledge of sites to see, travel tips, and anything else you could think of to allow for this to be a magical trip for our whole family! Thank you for everything!

Simona greets you on your first night with a delicious and authentic Umbrian dinner. It sets the tome for the adventures to come - Italian warmth, hospitality, family and great food. The location couldn’t be better for experiencing all Umbria and Tuscany have to offer.

The villa was beautifully maintained and clean while still keeping its original character. Every detail was attended to and our every need was anticipated (maps of Italy,outlet converters, olive oil,, playing cards, and more). We were welcomed by a delicious dinner cooked by a local chef . The house manager even met us upon our arrival and gave us a tour of the house and explained how everything worked. All of us thoroughly enjoyed our week there.

The villa is very nice, especially for a 1000 year old place ( with obvious updates...lol) Our personal chef, Simona Fabrizi, and her sous chef, Laura made our first evening there so memorable and delectable. Could definitely get used to that! Deliciso! Benano is so much smaller than we expected and had no amenities in the medieval walled village like cafe or shops of any sort so we had to drive everywhere for food and entertainment. That's not to say that Benano is not pleasantly quaint. However, we were under the impression though that there were things to do there besides walk and look at the glorious views. This is the reason for only 4 stars. The best part of Rocca di Benano is that it is perfect landing place from which to take day trips at your own leisure or with your own concierge if he is available for your travel dates. He was not for ours but it didn't hamper our enjoyment of the Italian countryside. Driving in the countryside is much easier than the helter skelter experiences in the larger cities. GPS is recommended - smart phone GPS works fine. Not sure what our elderly neighbors of our villa thought about our group but they were very polite and kept to themselves for the most part. We probably intimidated them with our party of 8 adults....LOL. Fell in love with Italy and will plan on seeing more of this beautiful country in the future.

The Villa exceeded the expectations of our group of 3 couples. Karen had prepared for our arrival with dinner prepared by Semona (loved by all). We later enjoyed a cooking class by Chef Semona at her farm house. Karen also had someone to shop for food for our week and thought out the special needs for us in detail. The villa was very clean and the location was central to the hill towns we wished to visit plus the neighbors were very friendly. Daily, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the dining room or outside on the patio prepared by Francis. Last of all, the connection to have Francis as our guide made our trip the best. He arranged for the rental van, drove, knew where to take us and where the best dining spots were located. It was a great feeling to return to the villa after a day of travel to unwind, relax, share the day's stories and photos and have a good night sleep before the next day's adventure. Internet/wifi in the villa was very good which was important to all of us. We all highly recommend the villa in Rocco de Benano in Umbria to anyone wishing to discover hill towns of central Italy.

We stayed and Rocca di Benano for a week in late August. The villa is located in a small village with approximately 12-15 inhabitants who are the local flavor. Upon arrival, we were given a tour of the villa by Daria. The villa was larger than I expected with five bedrooms spread over four levels--a lower level, main floor, and two upper floors. The bedrooms were very good-sized, especially the room that we occupied on the top floor, and three of the bathrooms are ample (the first floor bath is under the stairs and a bit cramped for adults). The living areas have plenty of room, the dining room is large enough for 8-10 people, and the kitchen, while somewhat small, is very well-equipped if you choose to cook and eat in. There is a patio off the lower level that we used late afternoon. The villa is located near several hill towns, such as Orvieto, and an easy drive to Lake Bolsena and Tuscany. We took a two-hour drive to Florence for a day; however, as Karen's welcome packet indicates, there are plenty of sites and activities nearby. The welcome dinner and a second dinner with Simona were fabulous. She and her assistant Laura showed up on time, made two spectacular meals, and were very friendly and personable. We went to Simona's farm house later in the week for a four-hour cooking class that included lunch and wine. If you book the villa and have not been to Umbria/Tuscany (and even if you have), we highly recommend hiring Francis Surman as your assistant/concierge/driver. He was very helpful in planning our trip, including the Rome segment that preceded our visit to Benano where he made restaurant recommendations and connected us with guides for the city and the Vatican. Francis took us to some sites and restaurants in Umbria and Tuscany that we could not have found on our own, and he seemed to know every restaurant owner, wine maker, and guide who we encountered during our stay. In addition to driving, he helped navigate the language, menus, wine lists, and museums. He made our trip special, and we made a life-long friend. We highly recommend Rocca di Benano as a place to spend time in Italy.

Starting with the welcome dinner is brilliant. The quality of this house is only superceded by the customer service of Karen, the owner and everyone that works with her to make the stay at the villa comfortable and easy. Highly, highly recommend!

Rocca di Benano was amazing for our family! Our week at the villa was the highlight from our 2 week vacation. All the rooms are decorated beautifully and bathrooms are modernized. Location was great for many day trips to Assissi and Tuscany. Karen was so helpful with directions, ideas and instructions for the villa. She responded timely when we had questions. The welcome meal was perfect after travelling and the chef, Simona, prepared a delicious dinner. I would definitely recommend staying at this villa and hiring Simona for additional meals or cooking class.