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Le Marche Le Marche, Valle Nuova, apartments on a farm

Pauline

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Locanda della Valle Nuova - Casina Nuova
Apartments on a farm, south of Urbino in Le Marche
one 2 bed/2 bath apartment, two 1 bed/1 bath apartments
September 2015

Steve and I stayed at Locanda della Valle Nuova for 9 nights in early September. Our friend Joan joined us for a week.

Valle Nuova is a 185 acre organic farm with crops and cows in the countryside south of Urbino (less than 20 min drive to Urbino). The countryside is very beautiful here, with rolling hills, deep gorges, rivers, farms, charming small towns. The farm is run by Giulia and her parents. They have a B&B with a pool and, about 500 meters away down a lane, two vacation rentals.

There are three apartments in the building - two vacation rentals on the ground floor, and a staff apartment above. We stayed in Casina Nuova, 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms. The other vacation rental, Casina dei Tordi, has 1 bedroom/1bathroom. There is a second 1 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment in another location.

In Casina Nuova the living room, dining room and kitchen are in a open plan room. The kitchen is well equipped and the welcome basket was abundant. We loved the homemade jams and juices. The living room is comfortable. No TV and the wifi is not fast (but we did manage to stream video). The apartment is well set up for two groups. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, ensuite or almost ensuite, and are opposite ends of the apartment. The bedrooms are large and each has a sitting area.

The outside area is nice but does not have the dramatic views that the other apartment has. Still you only need to step out into the lane to see the view.

The farm's kitchen garden is a few steps away and we used it regularly. There were many tomatoes when we were there and they were the best I have ever eaten. We also picked zucchini, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers and lettuce.

We could have used the pool, but we didn't. We did Giulia's recommended 1 1/2 hour walk from the farm on the lanes (white roads) in the area - it was a lovely walk. For a shorter walk we walked out and back from the farm on the lanes. Giulia left a map of the route in the apartment, along with a lot of other good tourist information.

The three of us had a cooking class with Giulia and her mother. It was excellent. We made two types of pasta and two sauces (we requested a special vegetarian class), then had them for lunch.

We liked the small town of Fermignano that was a 10 minute drive. The historic center, on a river, is beautiful. We went there for coffee. There is an excellent gelato place just off the main square. On the bypass road, the brand new Conad supermarket is very good. They even have a vegetarian and natural foods section - yes, you can buy tofu and seitan in Le Marche!

There are restaurants in the surrounding towns, many only 15 - 30 mins drive away, plus in Urbino. There is an excellent restaurant/pizzeria just down the lane from the farm!

We had a lot of fun in this area, visiting Urbino, finding bits of the ancient Roman road Via Flaminia, visiting a monastery up in the mountains, a day trip to Gubbio. I wrote a bit of a trip report on the forums. There was a lot more to do there.

When planning your trip, consult the Valle Nuova website. Giulia has put together suggested itineraries. I used her information to plan our days.

Valle Nuova is a good location to explore northern Le Marche and north-eastern Umbria. It is also a pretty and peaceful place to stay. Before bed we used to walk out on the lane just to feel the quiet and the lovely fresh air and to see the twinkling lights of Urbino perched on a hill in the distance.

Photo of the building with the apartments.

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The wonderful view.

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Giulia's place is perfectly located for seeing Via Flaminia sites in Le Marche (as well as many other things). I have more info about Via Flaminia here. Steve and I were just saying we need to stay there again because there are several bits that we missed seeing! Plus we did not get to some of the towns we wanted to see. And then there is that lovely cat who I called Ginger (because Giulia only names the dogs).

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Reviews copied from the main Slow Europe site.

Reviewed by: @Valerie
Reviewed on: July 10, 2014
Date of Stay: summer 2014

We had been wanting to stay at Valle Nuova for some time, and finally made it up there. What a wonderful setting and gorgeous views! We had the compact, comfortable Cascina dei Cavalli. Cute and cozy, it was equipped with everything imaginable, truly one of the best outfitted apartments we've stayed in. Giulia thought of absolutely everything we as guests could need, including an umbrella and a soft cooler for taking a picnic lunch with us on day trips. The kitchen had everything needed for cooking, including good cutlery (a pet peeve of mine is lack of decent knives), plenty of dishware and cookware. She had a nice welcome pack of goodies to get us started and made recommendations on places to eat and shop. She and her parents are very gracious and welcoming hosts.

We loved the little dog and cute kitties that welcomed us back from our outings, and cooled down in the pool every afternoon, before sitting on the deck to watch the sun set behind the hills. It's a very relaxing setting, yet some nice towns are in easy reach. We took an immediate liking to Urbania, a lovely town with loads of atmosphere, a vibrant feel, good restaurants. Made a day trip to Urbino to see the museums and another day trip to San Marino (taking Giulia's advice to visit the less-touristy San Leo, which is just as dramatic as San Marino, without the kitschy effect).

There are other larger apartments on the property, too. The Valle Nuova is a winner in our book for the way they're equipped, the location, and the overall feel. We'd go back!


Reviewed by: sthure
Reviewed on: April 8, 2009
Date of Stay: summer 2008

Valle Nuova a great place for foodies!

We stayed at La Casina dei Tordi for two weeks and found everything perfect for a pleasant stay in Marche. A beautiful house, built with the expertise of Guilia's father Augosto. Inside decorated with taste and love and also spotlessly clean. The kitchen had all equipment for cooking and a beautiful terrace with a marvelous view ideal for long meals. When tired of cooking we had our meals at "the big house" where Giulia and her mother Adriana showed their excellence in baking and cooking and gave us memories for life.

The Marche region is something of a hidden treasury - everything is available - mountains, coast and beautiful villages, but not too many tourists and very nice people everywhere.
We will be back to explore more of the regions nature, culture and food.

Sussi & Per-Ake, Stockholm, Sweden
 

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