Neighborhood highlights
Colline di Rafael is located in the heart of Italy, in the region of Umbria, but close to Tuscany and Lazio. This place unites the best of these three worlds: the authentic character of the medieval villages in Umbria, the natural character of the Tuscan landscape full of rolling hills with vineyards and olive groves and the southern character of Lazio, the centre of the glorious Roman and Italian culture.
Colline di Rafael is situated close to Lake Trasimeno. This area is protected because of its natural riches. It is nice to visit the islands with children or to go on the water. Around the lake, you will find some beautiful and cosy villages (Passigignano sul Trasimeno, Castiglione del lago, San Feliciano...). Here, you can do some shopping or have a glass of Aperol spritz or Prosecco while the sun sets over the lake.
The immediate surroundings of Colline di Rafael are characterised by splendid medieval villages that are among the 'borghi più belli d'Italia', such as Panicale, Chiusi, Città delle pieve,... To the east, one can also find Assisi, Spello, Spoleto, Trevi, Deruta (ceramics). It is very pleasant to drive through the beautiful landscape in search of undiscovered gems.
Perugia, the beautiful capital of Umbria, is also nearby. This is a lively city with many beautiful shops and cosy bars and restaurants. This city is situated on a hill, but it is possible to park at the bottom and then take the 'minimetro'. This is an automatically operated cable car with a gondola every minute that takes you to the heart of the city in 15 minutes. It is also possible to park and then take the escalators that will lead you to the rocca Pauliana, an underground system of corridors that ends at the top of the piazza d' Italia, where the shopping street begins.
More to the south is the city of Orvieto. It is completely carved out of tuff. The city is characterised by the beautiful Duomo. The surrounding narrow streets are bustling with cosy shops and bars.
The landscape in the area is wide and varied, with views of the lake, vineyards, olive groves and sunflower fields. There are also many beautiful and mysterious gardens to discover in the vicinity of Colline di Rafael, such as 'La Sarzuolo', Parco dei Mostri, La Foce (where the final of 20 Years of the Mole was filmed), and the Renaissance gardens of villa Lante in Bagnaia.
The region around Colline di Rafael is also unsurpassed in culinary terms. There are fish dishes along the lake as well as game dishes more inland. The truffle is also a well-known product of this region, along with all kinds of specialities such as sausages (e.g. salsicce of wild boar) and cheeses (e.g. pecorino). These delicacies are eaten with a glass of the best wines of the region (Grechetto, vino nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montefalco, Orvieto classico, Morelino di Scanzano...).
You do not need to leave the domain to fully enjoy. The domain has a beautiful infinity pool of 6x14 metres, with a panoramic view over the surrounding hills. You can also sit on your own terrace to eat, read or just do nothing. Or you can wander around in the communal garden, where you will be amazed by the varied views of the surroundings.
Colline di Rafael therefore has everything you need to enjoy a sun-drenched holiday where it will be difficult to choose between a relaxing day by the pool or an outing in the beautiful surroundings. Our guarantee: the holiday will be too short anyway and you will want to stay or at least come back.
