We chose to stay in Cartoceto because my husband has relatives in the area, and a cousin recommended the Villa Cartoceto B&B. Everything about our stay was excellent. Our room was airy and the bed was comfortable. The hosts, Judith and Axel, were friendly and helpful. Happily, for us, they are fluent in English -- and also in German and Italian. The breakfast, served on the deck overlooking the valley below the town, was wonderful, and contained something for everyone's taste, from croissants, to ham and eggs, to yogurt, fresh berries and juice. My husband says their coffee was the best he had in Italy (and he thought the coffee in Italy in general was way better than coffee here in the US). Judith and Axel also have a restaurant across the street from their B&B which is open for dinner. We ate there twice and had excellent meals both times. I highly recommend the Villa Cartoceto and would stay there again.

Cartoceto, Le Marche Italy The Villa Cartoceto:
April 30th thru May 3rd, 2008
Al Zarzana, Pasadena, Ca.

From the moment my wife and I arrived at Villa Cartoceto we knew that this was going to be a wonderful experience. The owners Axel and Judith we attending a wedding for guest that were staying at the Villa so we were let in by the house keeper and she showed us our room from then on our adventure began. We met two other guest that have stayed at the Villa several times before and they were so nice we felt we were visiting family they offered us a glass of wine and we became friends fast. After an hour or so Axel and Judith and the newlyweds arrived and we all celebrated their wedding.
The view from the balcony was unbelievable we drank and talked for hours until Axel and Judith had to go across the road and open their wonderful Osteria so of course we wanted to have dinner there on the first night and everything was so good that we ended up having dinner there 3 different nights and the one night we went some where else Judith recommend a wonderful place in an old Olive Oil Mill which is part of a private Villa and that was a great experience as well.
Our 4 nights at Villa Cartoceto was just what we wanted to experience in Italy it was like visiting family and we cannot wait to return so we can visit our new friends again and again.
Anyone wanting to experience the real Italy must visit Villa Cartoceto.
Axel and Judith are the perfect host.

In the fall of 2006, my husband and I were looking for a place to stay prior to driving back to Venice for our return trip to the US. We found Villa Cartoceto on the internet and spent two nights there. It was so authentic and Judith and Axel were such gracious hosts, the countryside was so beautirul and the food was so terrific -- that then and there I decided to celebrate a "big" birthday the following November with "the girls" in Cartoceto. So in the fall of 2007, I returned to Cartoceto with four friends. We took the train from Venice and spent our afternoons cooking with Axel at Osteria del Cardinale. It was great! We ate the delicious foods we cooked, drank good wine, learned about local foods and traditions, laughed, practiced our Italian, made new friends --it was a perfect experience! Cartoceto is "real". Axel and Judith were extremely helpful in planning our three days in Cartoceto. I am very interested in food and travel and have experienced a lot of both -- and spending a few days with Judith and Axel at Villa Cartoceto is very special indeed!

We stayed at Villa Cartoceto for two nights and, like the other reviewers, found Axel and Judith to be amazing hosts who run a great little place to stay. While not fancy, Villa Cartoceto is very homey and comfortable, and breakfast on the sunlit terrace was perfect. Also, like other reviewers, we found their restaurant (just across the street) to be fabulous. Axel's preparation of the fresh, mostly organic/local ingredients was superb, and Judith's easy, friendly service was first rate. Despite dining in some remarkable restaurants earlier in our trip, we consider our dinner with them our favorite.

The best part of staying with them is that they're very sensitive to their guests--they find the right balance between being helpful, engaging hosts and allowing guests as much privacy as they desire. One other comment--after having traveled through central Italy for two weeks staying with Italian-run places, we really appreciated having hosts who knew the area well but were not native, as they seemed to have a knack for seeing the area through the eyes of a newcomer.

Our eventual return to Italy will certainly include a longer stay with Judith and Axel, in part because it's certain to be enjoyable, and in part because northern Marche seems to deserve much more exploration.