Testimonials "Bob's house in San Venanzo is very comfortable, nicely furnished and with all the modern conveniences. The house is in the middle of the village, with shopping within easy walking distance. It's a cute town with great views of the surrounding valleys and within an hour's drive of some great destinations such as Deruta, Assisi, Perugia and Lago Trasimeno. We originally got to know Bob through his business in Rhinebeck, and he is a terrific, honest person. There is lots of information about the house and environs on his website, but he was also always available by email or phone regarding specific questions. His property manager in San Venanzo, Janine Swinscoe, was right there when we arrived and walked us through everything we needed to know (also provided suggestions concerning activities nearby). On the only occasion that I had to call her with a question, she got back to me within 5 minutes. All in all, a wonderful experience." - Tom Furth (May 2011)
Salve, Roberto, The house was a delight! It was everything portrayed in the website – and then some, with all the amenities anyone might want or need. The location was also wonderful – a perfect blend of a very amiable small town and a picturesque rural locale, but within a reasonable drive to larger towns and historical sites. Facilitating arrangements both here and in San Venanzo could not have be easier. Bob and Janine could not have been more accommodating or professional. Both Barbara and I are looking forward to our next visit. Sincerely,
Hi Bob, Wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the stay at your house in Umbria. It is spacious, very warm and very welcoming. We loved being able to use the backyard and the tiny little park next to your front door. It was always quiet and we would bring our breakfast out there and also to your backyard and listen to the birds and enjoy the flowers in the adjoining park. The village was so quaint - sometimes we were there a few times in a day. We enjoyed daily cappuccinos at the corner café, the great bakery where we also got wonderful pizza and the real butcher (like we don’t have in the U.S. anymore) was fantastic. More than once we got some great sausage or steak and grilled it in your BBQ in that wonderful yard of yours. If the local grocery stores were closed or didn’t have what we wanted, the town of Marciano was close and the large supermarket there was also fantastic. We had a rental car and parking at your house was never a problem. The view of the fields from the house were also beautiful and we took great photos. The places of interest were all easy to get to from the house. The roads are windy but after the first few days it was like we were locals. We took trips to Orvieto, Perugia, Assisi and Todi but we also took in numerous small villages which were all charming. We also took the train to Florence from Orvieto which was easy and we made day trips to Rome on the train from Orvieto. The ability to park at the train station for free was a great help and the fact that you can be in R$ome in 1 hour was fantastic. So, staying at your house was everything we could have dreamed of. It was a much better value than going to a hotel – it was like being home but in fabulous Italy. I also have to say that Janine was wonderful, working with you was wonderful and your website on this property was right on the mark. We hope to be able to do it again and we will tell all of our friends about your special home in beautiful San Venanzo, Umbria. - Arnie and Pamela Komitzky (June 2011)
My husband and I, along with our boys (ages 11 & 4) stayed at Robert’s house for 2 weeks in the middle of August 2011. We began our trip in Rome and took the train to Orvieto where we rented a car and drove to the house. The ride was a scenic easy 45 minute drive from Orvieto. When we got to the house we were greeted by Robert’s property manager, Janine who met us right on time. She gave us a tour of the house and provided us with a lot of information about the area. Robert also had a thorough, written orientation “manual” for the house that he put together. The house itself is spotless. The bedrooms are generous in size however, the living room is small (as Robert said it was and as the picture on his site showed). It did suit our needs as we only used the living room at night for some down time. It did seat 4-5 comfortably. The kitchen was perfect. It was well stocked with plenty of dishes, glasses, pots and pans etc...The house has a small backyard where the boys where able to go out by themselves. If we had any questions Janine was quick to respond - as well as Robert, via email.
My husband and I rented Bob's Umbrian home for 2 weeks this past September 2011 and we we were very pleased and happy with the location of the house and the amenities in the house. Another couple joined us for the second week and we were all comfortable. We cooked a number of meals in the well stocked kitchen. There wasn't a thing we lacked in the kitchen in order to cook and eat. The Village was small, walkable and I had the BEST latte in our 7 weeks in Italy at a local gellatto/coffee shop just down the street from the house. The house itself it spacious and felt like a cross between a high class hotel and a home. There are 2 large bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. The backyard was welcoming with table, chairs and a place to cook outdoors. The location of San Venanzo was wonderful and allowed us to take day trips to Deruta, Orvietto, Perugia, Spello and Assisi, to name a few. We will definitely return to Bob's comfortable home when we return to Italy. We could say tons more, especially how helpful Bob and his property manager Janine were and how thoughtful Bob was to even call us while we were there to make sure everything was perfect for our stay. It was indeed a pleasure doing "business" with him. Thanks Bob! - Joanne Gelb (September 2011)
Hi Bob, But the star of our trip was your house. Although your web site is really informative and good (and we speak as people who have rented all over Italy, France and Spain) the house and town exceeded our expectations. The cleanliness, the roominess - we were two couples during the first 12 days of our stay - and the thoroughness of the house instructions helped make everything easy to navigate. The kitchen was a delight. We love to cook and made our own dinner every night of the last week or so of our visit. The fish at Conad is wonderfully fresh and the little butcher in town is cheerful and accomodating, putting up with our very pidgin Italian. As did the people who work at Conad and the other good supermarket - Familia- we patronized in Marsciano. Janine is a real asset, full of helpful advice about everything, and always willing to help if we needed anything. Two suggestions for your future guests. First, there is a terrific Sunday lunch in Fabro at La Bettola del Buttero. It's a real experience, dining with local families and hearing almost no English. Big, open grill, great food, everyone congenial. We went two Sundays in a row. Second, we signed up for a one day cooking class in Orvieto, run by a good restaurant called Zeppelin. It went from 8:30am to 3:30pm, and we shopped, cooked, laughed, learned, ate and drank. A truly unforgettable day. The cost, on a market day, was 120 euros per person, and worth much more. A simple phone call to Zeppelin reserves your space. And we were lucky, only four of us were cooking - a full meal, from antipasto through focaccia, pizza, pasta, fish and dessert. All from scratch. Web site is www.ristorantezeppelin.it, and, everyone - chefs, staff,etc., speaks good enough English. Finally, if you ever need people to use as a reference for future renters, don't hesitate to ask. We're more than willing and the experience could not have been more delightful. In fact, we've already passed your web site on to a Princeton professor we met in the Rome airport on our way home.
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