English
Italiano
日本語Fabiola & Giancarlo
are pleased to welcome you to their farmhouse.
Fabiola was born and grew up near Milan, where she met Giancarlo, who is from Umbria.
Ten years ago they decided to move to Umbria and renovate an early nineteenth century farmhouse, reserving some rooms for guests.
Before their arrival, the old farmhouse, with thick stone walls, was used as a barn for animals and agricultural tools and was completely abandoned.
When they saw it for the first time they were impressed by the enchanting open position with a 360^ view over the entire valley, Assisi, Montefalco, Spello, Trevi, Bevagna and the energy that the place had and the incredible harmony of colors, smells and sounds.
Sustainable farm
in Bevagna , in the heart of Umbria.
The restructuring was carried out according to the principles of green building and bioarchitecture combining eco maintenance with wellness. The house has a photovoltaic system that covers the consumption of electricity, solar thermal to produce hot water, biomass heating at low temperature, the system most suited to human physiological needs, a tecnical compartment for policombustion boiler (a boiler that burns wood, waste of pruning olive production scrops), the wastewater is purified through an effective system of constructed wetlands.
The tiled floors, wooden beams , old roofing tiles, and the old stone facades have all been maintained and restore with the ceiling fans and solid wooden doors. The old fishpond, which was once full of prawns, is today covered with water lilies lotus flowers and water hyacinths and full of frogs and gold fish which feed on the mosquito larvae so there are absolutely no mosquitoes at the Garden of Elves. If you wish to take part in the farmhouse activity you can ask Giancarlo, he will be happy.
The Way we were
Ca Ubaldi...
Ca Ubaldi: this is the original name of the ancient farm on which insisted the farmhouse now become the ‘Il Giardino degli Elfi’. The farmhouse is very old in fact was already registered in the Gregorian land book.
The farmhouse began as a wooden hut built with branches and leaves later transformed into a “nice house of the farmer” inspired by the architectural elements of the aristocratic houses towns.
In 1700 the farmers begin to clean swamps , tilling land , to plant the first fruit trees near the farmhouse… About ten years ago we discovered this farmhouse completely abandoned, brambles and weeds covered it completely and the roofs were all collapsed, there was no electricity nor drinking water, but it had an incredible panorama open to 360 over the valley …was abandoned for 50 years and the owners wanted to sell it …so it began our adventure… The long and difficult restoring work lasted four years (actually not completed!). So we moved from Milan in Umbria and changing area we also completely changed our life; we bought this old farmhouse …Years of work, anger, hopes and disappointments; we dug, rebuilt walls, reinforced walls, strengthened foundations, sandblasted stone facades, connected the house to the municipal water line, the power line and the telephone line, restored “Gamberaia” and the well, arranged the garden and realized the pool so after several years the house began to take on the current connotation. It was been a long and difficult challenge fought with unequal weapons but in the end we realized our dream… THE GARDEN OF THE ELVES, an authentic farmhouse, …like us.
