Nicki and I married on Feb 17th 2007 and were looking for the ideal place to spend our honeymoon after 3 days in Rome. We booked a week at San Raffaello with our daughter.
Every bit of our holiday lived up to expectations.
Our first impression of the house - completely stunned by its position and surroundings. The house offers amazing views over the surrounding Sibilini mountains and the medieval town of Sarnano.
We were greeted by the proprieters Damien and Sharon on arrival
who provided us with refreshments after our 2 and a half hour journey by car from Rome to Sarnano. They then showed us to our rooms. We stayed in one of the 2 bedroom apartments. The decor was in keeping with local style, many of the old features of the house have been maintained and on show such as the brickwork and beams and traditional red brick roof tiles typical of the surrounding area.
One of the great advantages of San Raffaello is that you can take walks into the local countryside straight from the property without jumping into your car. You can walk to nearby Sarnano in 15 minutes also a real bonus if you fancy a late night taking in local wines and food.
We were so pleased that Sarnano whilst providing much for the cultured visitor - stacks of history, narrow cobbled streets and cracking restaurants it also offers a play area for the younger children in the wooded park and a variety of pizzerias to keep the them happy. There are also a number of local bars which seem to stay open as long as you want them to.
From San Raffaello you are in easy reach (15 mins) from nearby ski resorts. (Not huge ski runs but great if you just fancy mixing your stay with a few days out skiing ). You are about 45 minutes from the beach 2 and a half hours from Rome and within spitting distance of a stack of local villages and culture.
San Raffaello has a few acres of land giving space for walks, games and room to run about for the kids. There was a traditional pizza oven outside which Damien and Sharon were restoring during stay which will provide good evening entertainment . The swimming pool was going through its finishing touches whilst we were there (not really an issue during our winter stay) but was due to be completed in April.
Overall we would thoroughly recommend this property to anyone looking for an Italian holiday whether it be family or adult orientated. The laid back owners made our visit all the more special providing advice on the local places to visit. They are fluent in Italian so can book your restaurant if needs be as well.