We're planning another visit to Umbria in the fall and at the moment are thinking mid-October. We expect the weather will be pleasant, perhaps in the 60s during the day and chilly in the evening. Friends of ours made a similar visit a couple of years ago and advised us to inquire about the availability of heating at whichever agriturismo we select. Until I spoke with them, I hadn't considered the necessity, but now realize that without heat it might be a bit brisk inside. That being the case, I'd appreciate comments from others who have had similar experiences and request suggestions about how to proceed. If this presents a significant problem for October, we would go in September. All observations will be greatly appreciated.

Yes, not only inquire about availability of heating but what sort of heating its available and if costs are additional and how they are calculated.
October can be mild in Umbria but I would not stay in a place that does not have a state of art modern heating system.
You do not want to be dealing with stoves or fireplaces as only source of heat, as this would mean coming back early in the evening to get the house warm enought to spend the evening there.
Said this, I am pretty certain that any newly restored accommodation will have a good heating system as it would be otherwise impossible to rent in the winter, e.g. new year.

October is still fairly high season, so you will find plenty offers of heated places.

Ciao Russell -

I too am planning to visit Umbria in October and have just finished an exhaustive search of agriturismos,apartments and private homes in Umbria (South of Perugia)We have found a lovely home to rent directly from the owner.

If you like, I can email you directly and give you the Top 5 -10 or so of my finds,if you specify:

budget
geographic area (near Todi? Spoleto? dove?)
type of accomm - apt/agriturismo/bed and breakfast
any other special needs

I found several b/b's that also have quite nice apts for two persons and with quite reasonable rates.

Glad to help in any way-

Ciao,
Jane

Jane,
Thanks for your reply. I think we'd prefer a B&B to an agriturismo with cooking facilities. We really don't plan to do any cooking so a B&B would a better choice. Our budget is whatever it takes, though I suspect we wouldn't have to go much above 100 euros per night. Preferred location is within 20-25 minutes of Assisi. No special needs, but we would hope to err on the side of greater comfort and the option of having a main meal on the premises. Hope that gives you enough information to work with. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks, Russell

I enjoyed my stay at Il Covone. It's listed as an agriturismo, but it is B&B accommodation. There is a restaurant, which offers gargantuan dinners - antipasto, pasta and risotto, secondo with contorni, always two dolci. It's not "fine cuisine" but plain home cooking. If I had a quibble, it was that over eight days the menu did repeat itself.

My room was large and airy, but very plain. I would have appreciated an armchair or something of the kind. There are common areas in the main building with armchairs and sofas, where I was often the only person using them, and I was there in the month of May.

The family running it is quite pleasant. I didn't have a car, so I also had lunch there, in the garden as a member of the family. Lunch during the week tended to be a much simpler affair; on the weekend, there were many guests who had come for lunch only and, as a result, they were as ample as the dinners.

We've been in Umbria the first two weeks of October, and found the weather great, but I agree that having heating available would be a very good idea. And do bring rain gear. Also, you will be in Umbria in black truffle season. (Which in itself compensates for whatever the weather may throw at you.) If you like truffles, by all means take advantage of that fact!

Jane, my husband and I would also appreciate the information you gathered on Umbria. We, too, are planning a trip for Oct. You can email me directly at drinda 1206@aol.com. Grazia

why would you have to do cooking in an Agriturismo? Just drive off to town and go to a restaurant.In rural areas driving and parking are very easy.We have stayed at places with half board which also worked well.I love being on a working farm!! Prices are reasonable and you get some contact with other people.We have never paid as much as 100 dollars for a room in an agriturismo and that even with half board.we have paid 40-85 dollars/night RR

On further thought, we're now leaning toward a B&B, rather than an agriturismo. We're prefer a prepared breakfast to a D-I-Y and would enjoy the company of other people. Depending upon our other commitments, we might need to go in late September rather than mid-October. Daytime temperatures will be a bit milder then, but either way heating may be nice to have in the evenings or cooler days.

Hello Jane, We too would love your info.if you hae time to pass it on. We will be in Italy for most of the month of Nov. 2006. I have compiled quite a large list of possibilities myself.

We are at dlatm@aol.com.

Thanks

quote:

On further thought, we're now leaning toward a B&B, rather than an agriturismo.

An agriturismo is a working farm that offers hospitality to tourists. Some agriturismi offer apartments and some offer rooms on a B&B base. In both cases you get to stay in the countryside and most likely meet an Italian family that lives on the site.
Agriturismi that offer rooms might advertise as a B&B or country inn but, confusingly enough, for the Italian law a B&B is a city/town accommodation.

I hope this might help you in your search.

I'll add my 2 cents.. as someone who as traveled to Tuscany/Umbria many times in Oct. You are taking a risk with the weather, it can be cold and rainy during this period. If you can go in Sept I would not hestitate to change your travel dates.

Rain happens in Sept and October, but one may need heat in the evening and the morning either month, I think. At least I often do.
If it is B&B, agriturismo Casa San Martino, near to me, is really nice and Alberta has trained to teach cooking, if it is of any interest. There are also kitchen facilities which are shared.
Jane of 'Jane and Ken' stayed with Alberta last fall. This is in the Sansepolcro, Arezzo, Gubbio, Assisi and Perugia zone, although you can get to other areas, this is the immediate area.
Heat is always an extra as used, because fuel costs are incredibly high. At that time of year most local people with light a fireplace or a stove evening and morning, rather than fire up the furnace, but a bath could be quite chilly!
Otherwise, every hotel I know serves a breakfast and doesn't charge for heat, although as I understand it, it is required only after Oct 15 and to 20°C.

quote:

for the Italian law a B&B is a city/town accommodation.

I understand that the laws regarding bed and breakfasts differs from region to region. This is not the law in Piemonte, where most of the B&B's are in the country.

Di

We have stayed in Agriturismos with prepared breakfast,even half board.One time it was prepare your own but honestly breakfast is not a big deal in Italy it would be just as easy to go to town for coffee.RR

Thanks Diana,
I did not realize B&B law would differ so much from region to region, but of course this happens all the time in Italy, isn't it?

quote:

honestly breakfast is not a big deal in Italy it would be just as easy to go to town for coffee

The last time I was in a B&B (Ravenna) we were offered good coffee, Tea, juice, yogurt, cereals, warm croissants, really nice bread, homemade jams and local honey. On a previous holiday (Puglia) we were offered all the previous and homemade sweets.
I thought those were really good breakfast.
My general experience is that some B&B/agriturismo do offer better breakfast than a hotel of similar price range.

Even it's only a good cup of coffee and a decent roll, breakfast is important to us. It's how we start the day and plan the hours ahead. If we have the option to enjoy that pleasure where we are staying, we would certainly exercise that option rather than driving to the nearest cafe, wherever that might be. Moreover, at a B&B and possibly an agriturismo, one may have the opportunity to compare experiences and share conversation with other guests. Far less likely at cafes, I think. The thought of preparing our own brings along with it the need to keep a few items on hand plus the probability of having coffee that's not likely to be what's readily available locally and chez whichever B&B one stays at. I doubt that the typical agriturismo has a Gaggia espresso maker available for the use of guests. Breakfast may not be a big meal, but it is a big deal. When we're on vacation, we rather up the comfort level a notch.

We have stayed at agriturismos that not only had nice coffee but had fresh eggs from their own chickens! I can understand not wanting to make breakfast but I think you can find an agriturismo with breakfast.Our favorite places to stay in Italy have been Farms.It dosn't hurt that they are halk the price of hotels either.
have you tried
brigolante? Rebecca posts essays here.I am not sure of the breakfast situation,but ask.
RR
RR

I've been in touch with Rebecca, but am waiting for resolution of Delta's latest problems before finalizing arrangements. If Delta can work a deal with the pilots, that should allow the airline to continue. If the pilots strike, that could force liquidation of Delta. I'm hoping for the former so I can use up the balance of my frequent flyer mileage. Delta's target date is April 17th. After that, I'll make my reservations. We're almost certainly going to move ahead to the last week in September, figuring that the three-week advance will provide slightly milder weather.

quote:

I doubt that the typical agriturismo has a Gaggia espresso maker available for the use of guests.

Rebecca is away for a couple of days, but she provides "caffettiere", that is the typical coffee pot that many Italians still use at home to make coffee (moka coffee). Some agriturismi that rent apartments will provide breakfast and all agriturismi that rent rooms will provide breakfast. Bigger properties will offer espresso (using a Gaggia maker), smaller properties will make coffee in the caffettiera. It can still be a very good strong coffee, as you can imagine Italian families have some "coffee standards"!

I just don't think Delta is going to go bankrupt(he said hopefully)RR

According to what I've read in reasonably respected media, the pilots' recent vote to authorize a strike was probably a bargaining chip. If they do indeed walk, that would worsen Delta's situation and increase the chance that their jobs would be at risk. Delta's cash flow is quite lean and it wouldn't take much to push the airline over the edge. Pan Am's gone, TWA's gone, and so are quite a few others. Meanwhile, carriers with better business plans such as JetBlue and Southwest have prospered. So I agree that the odds are slightly in favor of Delta hanging on, but would be reluctant to bet on the company's long-term future. With luck, they'll manage at least through this coming fall so I can use up the miles in my account.

Noooo!, hang on until next spring so i can go to venice on my miles.

We booked our Delta frequent flyer miles on Air France. It isn't the most convenient schedule but we are assuming (hoping?) that Air France will honor them even if Delta strikes. You could also try KLM.
Peg