Guest Comments from Guest Book
Recent guest comments:
These comments copied verbatim from guest book (with names and identifying information omitted).
9/30-10/7/2023
What a great spot! We thoroughly enjoyed our week at your beautiful villa. We toured the local cities and ate and drank our way through each piazza. Giusi was actually the highlight of our week. Her gourmet meals attracted us to dine at home- reflecting on our adventures and forgetting our hardships. We will always cherish the incredible week we spent in Umbria. Thank you!! (Six couples extended friends group – Rhode Island)
9/9/2023
A wonderful two weeks in our fourth or fifth time here. Some of us could remember as all the fantastic memories merge into one glorious sunset.
Lovely to see Giusi again. She’s such a star. Garden beautiful. Discovered grapefruit ‘sundowners’ and had long laughs. We’re all decided that we’ll be back again.
Love and hugs to you both, (A for extended family S, G, T and D)
9/16-30/2023
This villa is for the “rich and famous”! What a truly exquisite spot with memorable views of the mountains and valley. We have had a wonderful visit and shall cherish the memories. Our home in Raleigh, NC is exquisite too, but this villa is special. Thank you, Marilyn for your thoughtfulness in arranging everything. (W&S H)
9/16-30/2023
Marilyn, this marks as one of our very best vacations. Your wonderful villa is more than complete. Giusi made us feel so at home with her abundant joy and helpful pointers. We also enjoyed her delicious cooking one night as well. And Marilyn, your helpful notes on excursions were followed to good advantage. We hired your recommended guide for Todi, Orvieto and Assisi. Went on own to St Francis retreat at the Hermitage and to the site of his calling before arriving at Assisi. The chapel is so lovely in its simplicity. At La Collina we never tired of the gorgeous sunsets, your abundant vegetable garden and all the comfort of home that you provide. Tonight, we enjoyed dinner on the terrace and watched the farmer in the valley. We left him on the tractor stuck plowing at 7pm!! Our two weeks flew by- we hope to be back to enjoy it once again. With great appreciation (L and D )
7/22-8/5/2023
Words cannot express the magic of this place. BEST Vacation in a long time. Thank you!
Hard to leave this paradise. (Extended U and C family)
7/22-8/5/2023
Spectacular stay! Quiet first week, reunion type party second week. The property, Giusi and Saimir, all the helpers- were all just fantastic! LOVED it!
(Extended U and C family)
7/ 8-7/15/2023
This week has flown by! Such beautiful, peaceful experience. Exceeds imagination!
Thank you for sharing this amazing place.
(D&D, B& R, R &G, plus 6 extended family from Virginia, Maryland, Florida)
6/17-7/1/2023
We’re stitching into memory every breeze, the early morning sounds of doves and rooster, the evening scents of jasmine and roses, the swooping swallows, the shrieks of the pheasants which wander down to the pool, dinners outside with our own and late into the evening with the house wine, a bottle or two of which appears thanks to Giusi each morning on the kitchen counter, every scene and person, every coming and going of this lovely place!
We hope to return, hope to find the house, the view, Giusi unchanged. We’ve been happy here. Many thanks. (The Mc extended family)
10/8-8/15/2022
A fantastic week! A class of 1980 P mini-reunion after 3 years hiatus due to COVID. We toured, ate, learned about wine and played endless games of killer charades Giusi is a treasure, and a fabulous cook. The group consensus is that we will definitely be back! We are grateful to have experienced this slice of heaven! (Extended B group)
9/17-9/24/2022
Grazie mille! Many thanks for a wonderful and most magical visit to La Collina! It was the inspiration for 3 drawings and 2 paintings plus hundreds of photos- but most of all priceless memories… ( F&L)
9/17-9/24/2022
What a wonderful home and location. Thanks so much for the advice to G&A for things to see and do. This is a lovely part of Italy, and we look forward to returning! (J &A)
5/28-6/4/2022
Thank you for sharing your slice of heaven! Perfect spot to enjoy our beautiful friends! K&M)
5/28-6/4/2022
Dear Marilyn
Just as 8 years ago the K family loved your beautiful home. You think of every possible detail, flowers to greet us…beautiful bedding…gorgeous pool…roses and gardens- fantastic! We hope to return to this amazing house. Hope you enjoy good health throughout this year, Grazie!
(return visitors K & D )
5/28-6/4/2022
Marilyn- felt like coming home. This villa is something everyone should see. Our dinner- wine tasting was absolutely amazing. We utilized the pool and dinners al fresco on the patio. I want my kids (and grandkids) to experience this place. Again- thank you for sharing a piece of heaven with us. ( G and D -return visitors)
5/7-28/2022
We have had a spectacular week in Todi together with old friends from college. From incredible sunsets to illuminating tours (Assisi in particular) the stay has been both relaxing and stimulating. Giusi is making us an incredible final evening meal tonight and we will be planning our return!
(S & L family)
pete p. & anne f.
Princeton & Jersey City friends
September 22-29, 2018
Ciao, La Collina
Ancient Jewel across the sea,
Where wine flows like water
And the wondrous feast goes on and on
Ciao, La Collina,
Thank you for the friendships and the bonds
And, for the memories
They’re your gifts we carry on and on and on
sh**family & crew
August 18-September 8, 2018
Such a wonderful welcoming home this is our fourth visit and as always we have had a ball. It’s a ‘must’ on our families’ calendar is a great moment and location for us all to get together.
Thank you for having your beautiful have with us!!
simon, joannne, rory & rowan
August 11-18, 2018
What a glorious location!! Absolutely loved this location- fantastic place for a family get together.
Thank you so much.
lucy & kevin
Toronto, Canada
August 11-18, 2018
What a magical place this is. Thank-you for creating the most wonderful place for our family to enjoy each other in. The views, the food, the weather. All a dream come true!
jenny
Toronto, Canada
August 11-18, 2018
A perfect place for a special family reunion!
Such a special place, beautifully restored home, stunning views, amazing gardens–we couldn’t ask for more.
This beautiful villa will stay in our memories for many years to come.
don & martha
Ireland
August 11-18, 2018
A week is too short!!!
What a magnificent villa – more than we had wished for!!
The sunsets were breathtaking from the beautiful veranda! We enjoyed the fresh tomatoes and lettuce – such a treat.
A wonderful family holiday in a perfect setting.
rachel, susan, gusi, anne, hugh, james, henry, jeff, chisan, matty & sigrid
August 4-11, 2018
Our time here was awesome! The pool was AMAZING! Giusi’s cooking was delicious. She made us pasta, fish, tiramisu, and veggies. We recommend playing hide-and-seek in the ginormous beautiful house. The beds are extremely comfy and the view is amazing. We took pictures of it. We also recommend doing night swims! There is a switch that turns on the pool lights at night. We ate outside sometimes. Everything about this place is absolutely amazing and wonderful. Have a good time in this beautiful villa!!
peter
Toronto Canada
August 4-11, 2018
Thanks for a memorable stay in Umbria. This villa is the epitome of style and beauty inside and out.
July 9, 2018
Our visit and for this time three weeks! Once again, the place, the people, the weather excelled.
Every time we come, new memories are formed and old ones renewed. It is always a joy. We will be back!
brenda & frank
Atlanta, GA
samantha, sofia & scott
HongKong
September 23-October 7, 2017
I am overwhelmed with the beauty of this area. We were looking for a quiet, peaceful place to R&R with our children and we certainly found it. Your home is perfect—you have thought of every detail. Perfection. Our sons want to meet here same time each year—a great compliment.
Thank you for all your recommendations. We especially enjoyed getting to know Albertini and Jessica at Pardi in Montefalco and eating outside at RoccaFiore. This is a long way from Tallahassee…glad you found it.
P.S. Giusi and Charlie—wonderful help.
mark & kristen
Atlanta, GA
September 23-29, 2017
We had the most wonderful time here. Thank you for opening your home to us. We enjoyed the nearby towns, meal with Giusy. She is delightful. And lounging by the pool. The sunsets were outstanding. It was a lovely trip with the family.
betty
Taiwan, Easton
eddy
ROC, USA
maggie
UK and DC
bjorg
Norway and Washington
September 17-27, 2016
Dear Marilyn,
We have so enjoyed our ten days in your magnificent villa with its lovely view of Todi in the distance, stunning grounds and vegetables from the garden.
Special mention should be made of Giusi’s cooking and her sunny disposition. She’s a joy to have around. The villa is perfectly situated for our excursions into the hill towns.
We look forward to a return trip.
mary & john & family
June 17-24, 2017
Giusi is marvelous! She cleared up around us, and her cooking was amazing—so good that she prepared three dinners for our clan- this was a real delight, given the small children and their short attention spans.
A terrific week. We hope to return some day.
P.S. Our six year old learned how to play pool!
andie
Annapolis, MD
July 8th, 2017
Wow, Beautiful spaces for our Yoga retreat. Blissful. Bountiful. Thank you, Marilyn, Stefano, Charlie, Giusi!
sarah & jerrod
and kids…Brooks, Fields, Webb, Miles, Zoe & Elodie
June 25-July 1, 2017
We had a wonderful time in this extraordinary place!
mary h.
June 17-24, 2017
Hi Marilyn,
What a great time we had! All nine of us—3 kids ages 3, 3 ½, 6, two sets of parents, and we grandparents from Princeton, Brooklyn and Baltimore, USA. After touring around other parts of your beautiful, interesting country, it was a delight to crash and relax here in Umbria. Your house is exquisite and functional, the pool and grounds are terrific. We made a few trips to Todi and Deruta, and caught the “welcome to summer” festival in the former. The soccer pitch in the piazza dei Popolo was fun for us soccer fans.
elizabeth o. & family
August 20-27, 2016
LOVED Everything about this house, Monticello and all of Umbria that we were able to see. The flow of this house is fantastic and tends to the best in entertaining. La Collina is a beautiful place and I cannot wait to return. A wonderful experience for our entire family. Thanks.
o. family
August 20-27, 2016
Our stay here at this beautiful home was everything we hoped for when we began planning our Italian adventure…much more than a vacation…an experience to treasure!
Great weather, beautiful house, beautiful countryside, people and architecture. A place to truly relax and have the time of y our life.
Our families enjoyed a wonderful week here at La Collina. This is a special place and allowed us to create and treasure memories for years to come. Thank you Giusi for your hospitality and care during our stay! We are looking forward to coming back sometime soon. Grazie mille!
z*** family
August 27-September 2, 2016
Dear Marilyn-
Our time here was just heaven! The house worked perfectly with all the rooms, guest house and studio. The days were packed with exciting adventure, and the best meals were the dinners outside with the glorious views.
Took very good care of us!
z*** family
Our families enjoyed a wonderful week here at “La Collina”. This is a special place and allowed us to create and treasure memories for years to come. Thank you Giusi for your hospitality and care during our stay! We are looking forward to coming back sometime, soon.
Grazie mille!
elena & david
Jerusalem
tari & yara
August 6-14, 2016
This was simply the right place, the best on the planet to celebrate Eileens 70th birthday with our sons and 8 grandchildren and two cousins. Ages ranges from 70 to 4 months. Giusi and Stefano helped us with whatever we needed with smiles and kindness. How is it possible to say goodbye to this miraculous setting? Happiness is always and gift, and this villa and its people gave us The gift. Grazie.
All this after the pre-trip preparation, attentive back and forth communication between Marilyn and myself. Thank you, Marilyn.
val & tony, linda, fausto& patrizia, mike & roberta, andrew, saran, mark & amanda, and kids
July 9-23, 2016
Thank you for allowing us to stay in your beautiful home for the past 2 weeks. Everything was perfect—we thought we had died and gone to heaven. Our afternoons by the pool with the panoramic views are unforgettable. We so enjoyed our large family dinners under the pergola as we watched the sun set. We couldn’t take enough photos! When Giusi cooked for us and did our cooking lessons we were so well fed we could barely stand up from the table! Her kindness and energy were contagious. This was the perfect way to celebrate Val and Tony’s 60th birthday. A trip to remember. We will be back!!! The house book was very helpful, wonderful recommendations for day trips to Orvieto, Assisi, Perugia, Deruta, Narni, Amelia, Terni, Todi, Civita de Bagnoreggio & Montefalco.