Welcome to the Il Molino website - a rustic holiday home in a beautiful Umbrian castle in Italy
Il Molino is a beautiful
two bedroom house with private garden surrounded by rosemary, lavender and olive trees and located within the
beautifully-restored 13th century Castello di Gaiche, one of the oldest castles in Umbria.
Castello di Gaiche is positioned at the top of a hill overlooking the Nestore valley, some 5 km south-east of Tavernelle, to the south of Lake Trasimeno and just 10 miles form the Tuscan border.
Castiglion Fosco (10 minutes by car) offers a small grocers (alimentari), bar, pharmacy, post office and restaurant. Tavernelle (15 minutes) is larger, with supermarkets, banks, petrol station, bars, shops etc. Castiglion del Lago, with its old town and 16th Century castle overlooking Lake Trasimeno is about 45 minutes away.
The swimming pool (7m × 15m), open from approximately the 1st of
May to the 1st October, is equipped with umbrellas, sun loungers and a shower. In Tavernelle
there is a public swimming pool and water complex (parco aquatico), while Lake Trasimeno offers water sports (wind-surfing, pedalos,
yachts etc.). There is a ferry service from point to point around the lake and to the three islands. Polvese, one of the islands, is a nature reserve.
Also nearby are the walled medieval towns of Panicale and Paciano, as well as Perugia, the capital of Umbria, steeped in history and breathtaking architecture, good shopping including local and designer with bars and restaurants lining the piazza. Other classic must see places are, Sienna, Chiuso, Assisi and many more. Rome is one and a quarter hours drive via the Al motorway south Florence 1 1/4 hrs via the al motorway north.
North Umbria was a central part of the ancient Etruscan empire; the Etruscan museum in Chiusi houses one of the best collections outside Rome.
The area is excellent for walking or cycling. A number of circular walks start from the castle, taking you through the rolling, wooded Umbrian countryside, filled with wild flowers, birds and butterflies. A pair of hoopoes can often be seen in the castle grounds, and wild boar on the road in the evening dusk. read on...