It has plenty of windows to provide natural light and breeze as you indulge with a personal chef in the well equipped kitchen. For your morning coffee on the front balcony, you can enjoy views of the quaint, cobblestoned piazza, while a porcelain painting of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus gaze adoringly at you. Sipping a glass of local wine on the back balcony is pure delight! The vistas of roll
ing hillsides are covered with lovingly tended vineyards, ancient olive groves and even more ancient stone ruins. On a cold night in fall, you can cozy up next to your lovey by a fire in the medieval fireplace. Only a short walk to everything, meet the friendliest people in one of the many bustling cafes, (no one is on their computer or smart phone!!) eat at family-owned restaurants serving the best pizzas, pastas and local seafood and mussels (no chains or McDonalds!!), sip and nibble at classy little wine bars while listening to live cool jazz on a hot summer night, visit daily the pastry and bread shops where the baker is taking your order, shop at locally owned delis and stores and a Sunday market boasting loads of fresh and local products, vintage clothing and household goods. With close and easy access to parking, this unit is up 1 flight of stairs. There is no elevator, however once inside, everything is conveniently designed on one level. When you visit Guardia Sanframondi, I hope you will fall in love with this medieval hilltop village, as I did. Where life is slower paced and follows the natural rhythms and seasons, especially when it comes to food and wine. Food is very important to all Italians, but especially in Campania , the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement. I have witnessed Guardiese become very animated about what kind of tomato to use in the pasta sauce! The neighboring villages host food Sagre or festivals from Spring till Autumn celebrating locally sourced food in season. In Cusano Mutri, mushrooms are prepared every which way at the Funghi sagra. From pappardelle pasta with porcini, to pizza al funghi, accompanied by local wines and traditional music and dance. If you like snails, you can try them in a spicy red sauce or one of the many other homemade dishes at the Lumache sagra in Faicchio. Also in Cusano, the Castagna sagra features chestnuts roasted on an open fire, perfect to warm your hands on a cool autumn night. Taste chestnut creme, candied chestnuts, chestnut liqueur and soup. There is a cheese sagra (Mozzarella and scamorza come from this region), bread sagra, asparagus sagra... whatever is local and in season. And almost everyone is connected in some way to the wine industry here. The vineyards, heavy with Falanghina and Aglianico grapes produce some of the finest wines in all of Europe. In August is Vinalia , our week long wine festival. The village comes alive with pop-up stores selling local wines, cheeses, sausages, truffles, honey, prosciutto and street food. Resident artists, and there are many, showcase their masterpieces in ancient stone wine cellars. Listen to the rhythm of your own desires and dance till dawn every night to local folk music. See Guardiese dress in period costumes demonstrating how life was like during simpler times. Enjoy first class wine and dine pairings as renowned chefs compete at the medieval castle where wine critics taste and rate and rant. There is something for everyone to enjoy the simple but good things in life, even poetry readings! August, 2017 is the Riti Settennali a very special tradition that occurs every seven years in Guardia Sanframondi commemorating the discovery of the Madonna and Child statue found in a field hundreds of years ago. The week long processions attract thousands from all over the world. BOOK SOON FOR AUGUST 2017!!! If you visit late September through mid October, you may be in time to participate in the grape harvest and really be immersed in local life. Soon after the grapes are harvested, it’s time to harvest the olives. The seductive scent of freshly pressed olive oil lingers in the air. Come taste the liquid gold, hot off the press! Best drizzled on hot, fresh baked bread baked by Filippo. As your host and resident of Guardia Sanframondi, I will personally welcome you as my guest and show you around our village. Also a well-traveled consultant, I offer custom designed excursions and unique experiences of the best of the Campania region. Do you want to learn how to make pizza and bread in an authentic wood burning oven? I can organize a session with the local nonnas; learn to speak Italian at the same time! Enjoy a wine tasting and pairing dinners prepared lovingly by Adelina in her stone winery or a cooking class and dinner with Caroline. How about mushroom hunting with Vittorio, kayaking through gorgeous gorges, or making cheese with Mario? His family has been raising sheep and making cheeses by hand for generations, long before they were called artisanal! If art history is your thing, our churches and museums offer some of the most beautiful Renaissance and Romantic art. Or make your own art with Renate at her Paint and Sip events on her beautiful terrace overlooking the Sannio Valley. Listen to classical and contemporary music with Heidi in her gorgeous townhome. Meet Clare Galloway, artist and inspiration to many of us who made Guardia Sanframondi our adopted home. If you are a writer, our resident author, Michael- Angel offers writing retreats, or just grab your camera or a sketch pad and explore on our own! I can also organize and/or guide you and your group on short day excursions. Visit Benevento and immerse your self in the history, art and culture that pre-dates Roman days, a place enchanted with stories of witch folklore and pagan goddesses. Treat your inner Goddess to a spa day at Telese Terme. Shop for classic Italian vintage garments, hand made lace textiles, antiques and local delicacies in nearby outdoor markets. If this is your first trip to Italy, I can organize all inclusive private tours and occasional group tours to Rome, Naples, the islands and the Amalfi Coast and share with you all I love about Southern Italy. Please inquire about details and costs.
