Agriturismo Malvarina

A farm in the hills of Assisi

Malvarina is a farm stay at Via Pieve di Sant'Apollinare, 32, in the countryside south-east of Assisi, among olive trees and woodland. It is run by a family agricultural company with an organic farm: extra virgin olive oil, honey and preserves that are sold at the house and used in the kitchen. It is for those who prefer to sleep in the countryside, with a car, and go up to Assisi for the day; the centre and the basilica are a few minutes by car.

What weighs most here is the table. The Malvarina osteria is in the Slow Food guide Osterie d'Italia: family Umbrian cooking, with recipes by Patrizia, the cook, and produce from the farm or from small producers in the area. Torta al testo, cardoon (gobbo) parmigiana, chicken cacciatore and rocciata for dessert. The menu of the day is published on the website: for example, a first course of €15, a main course of €20 and a dessert of €7, or the full menu of the day at €35 per person with water. On Sundays there is a traditional family lunch. Always book by phone: the closing day changes with the season.

Rooms and cottages

There are double, triple and quadruple rooms (in the last two, a double bed goes on a mezzanine) and independent ground-floor cottages with an equipped kitchen, a sitting room with a sofa bed, a double bedroom, a bathroom with shower and a private garden with a table and chairs. All have heating, free wifi, a private bathroom with towels and toiletries. There is no television, on purpose. They are tidied every day, with a change of bed linen and a thorough weekly clean.

What to do from here

Malvarina hires electric bicycles, a good way of getting around the plain and the hills between Assisi, Spello and the plain of Santa Maria degli Angeli. For the basilica and the centre, the convenient thing is to go by car and leave it in an outer car park, such as Piazza Matteotti.

The website does not publish room prices, check-in and check-out times or rules on animals: you see them in its booking system or by asking.