Travel: Malvarina, Italy
July 7, 2009 by Anne Knorr
Filed under H & G, Travel
Nestled in the hills of Italy two hours north of Rome is a bed and breakfast called Malvarina.
Near Assisi in the heart of Umbria, the old farm’s steep driveway winds through an olive grove where trees stand in neat rows that terrace along the hillside overlooking the city below.
Streaks of morning light illuminate a garden of vegetables and herbs and in the distance the cackle of chickens mingles with the robust fragrance from rosemary bushes that line the walkways.
The country-style accommodations are similar to a bed and breakfast in the United States. The modest rooms are furnished with antiques and a simple bathroom. Prices start around 90 euros per night, which includes breakfast. Dinner is an additional charge of 30 euros and includes wine, desert and after-dinner drinks.
Boulder women will enjoy Malvarina because of the organic food and farming, cooking classes, hiking, and horseback riding with options of three to seven day trekking trips in the scenic national park just beyond the property. It is a place to totally unplug — there are no TVs, phones or Internet — and it is centrally located for visiting other hill towns in the region. There is also a pool overlooking the valley.
Eighty percent of the food served at Malvarina comes from the farm that has been owned and managed by a warm-hearted and lively Italian family for several generations. Phillipe Fabrizi, the son of Claudio, the owner, is a petite dark-haired man in his mid-20s who greets guests as they arrive with a broad smile and a hardy handshake. He is the only English speaking family member but the language barrier is no match for the welcome extended to guests.
Meals are shared family-style in the dining room, where friends and fellow travelers gather around large tables with blue checkered table cloths and hand-painted dishes from nearby Deruta.
The crackle of logs warm the space year round and permeating the air is the mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked bread that emerges from the wood burning oven adjacent to the fireplace.
Claudio the robust patriarch of the farm, reclines at a corner table and sips on a glass of Chianti as he oversees the dining room. He seems satisfied with a full day’s work and the clamoring of guests.
Neighbors drop by throughout the evening joining him at his table as they partake in animated conversation and easy laughter. Maria Fabrizi, Claudio’s wife and Phillipe’s mother, offers platters of food in succession. There are succulent anti-pastas, minestrone soup, olive oil, spaghetti, and leafy salad and pastries, all followed by a small cup of dark espresso and a shot of limoncello.
Everything about the dining experience suggests abundance: abundant food, wine, conversation and time. It’s not uncommon to linger late into the evening hours, filling one’s soul as well as the stomach.
For more information, check out www.malvarina.com.
— By Anne Knorr, of Boulder
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