La Maestade
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| details | prices & booking Three delightful holiday apartments with a swimming pool in a breathtaking rural setting halfway
between Urbino and Gubbio in Italy's Marche region. Follow this link for a pop up map. Welcome The traditionally-built complex stands halfway between Urbino and Gubbio at a height of 430 metres above sea level with sweeping mountain views over the Montefeltro area that borders on Umbria, Tuscany and
Emilia-Romagna.
La Maestade is the creation of retired Italian Admiral and fluent
English-speaker Pio Bracco. Over the last few years he has made three charming apartments -as well as a home for himself - out of a 16th century presbytery and church in an idyllic rustic setting in Italy's Marche region.
Accommodation La Maestade has a swimming pool - 9 by 5 metres and 1.2 metres deep - which is in use from 15 June to
15 September, or longer if weather permits. It also has a ``bocce" (bowls) court, a sauna and shaded car parking. There is a proper barbecue and ``gazebo" for rustic outdoor lunches and dinners. The
area is also ideal for horse riding, mountain biking and trekking. Guests are free to use the washing machine in the owner's house. The three apartments are as follows (for pictures of all the apartments
see Cinciallegra Rondine
Pettirosso The ingredients for your first morning's breakfast are offered on the house and will be left in apartments. One child-size bed is available on request. La Maestade is set in a large garden
surrounded by hedges of bay and broom, sunflower fields, vineyards and orchards. It takes its name from a painting of the Virgin Enthroned (in maesta') that once hung in the church. This country chapel is now Pio's own home
and still has 16th Century frescoes. Position The main SS.3 road at Smirra - along the route of the ancient
Roman Flaminian Way - offers easy access to major art towns such as Urbino (30 mins), Gubbio (30 mins), Assisi (50 mins), Perugia (1 hr), Cittą di Castello (1 hr) and Arezzo (1 hr 30mins). Things to do
Nearby sights A few kilometres away, on the flanks of
high Monte Catria, is the magnificent 10th Century Camaldolese Monastery of Fonte Avellana, founded in 980 by Saint Romualdo, one of the major figures in monastic history, and still a thriving religious centre. The medieval walled town of Cagli
stands around four kilometres away. It began as a garrison town on the Via Flaminia, the earliest Roman road to the northern reaches of the Empire, built in 220 BC. The town boasts a number of fine Romanesque churches and Renaissance
palazzi as well as a magnificent 19th
century theatre, the focal point for the town's thriving cultural life. Not least of the town's charms is the lively piazza, the perfect place for an ice cream, a late-afternoon passeggiata or an after-supper digestivo during the balmy summer months when cafe tables spread over the cobbles and the locals come out to enjoy the coolness of the summer evenings well into the late hours.
Among the summer afternoon delights just outside Cagli are the waterfalls and rock pools along the Bosso and Burano rivers, perfect places to swim or simply to cool down. Alternatively, for those who like to be beside the
seaside, the resorts of Fano and Pesaro are just over 40 minutes away. Urbino, one of Italy's finest Renaissance cities, is less than 30 minutes drive away from La Maestade. Built in the 15th
Century during the enlightened rule of Duke Federico da Montefeltro, it is now a UNESCO world heritage site. It was here in Urbino that Raphael was born in 1483. His birthplace is now a museum, conserving one of his earliest
works, a fresco of the Madonna and Child. Other works by Raphael and by some of the greatest figures in Renaissance art can be seen in the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, housed in the city's magnificent Ducal Palace.
The coastal town of Fano
(40 mins) with its splendid Roman archway dedicated to the Emperor Augustus, is one of the most attractive towns along this stretch of the Adriatic. Its charms include plenty of good fish restaurants and jazz and classical music festivals during the summer period.
Further north along the coast is Pesaro
(50 mins), the provincial and cultural capital of the area. Most important of all its many cultural events is the annual Rossini Opera Festival, in honour of Gioacchino Rossini, held at the city's Teatro Rossini. The house where the composer was born in 1792 is now an interesting museum.
Among the many natural attractions of the Marche are the Frasassi Caves
(40 mins), discovered in 1971 by a group of cavers from Ancona and regarded as some of the most beautiful in Europe. Part of this vast labyrinth has been illuminated and can be visited by guided tour along walkways. The largest cave (the Grotto del Vento) is large enough to contain Milan Cathedral. For more adventurous visitors, 2-3 hour excursions can be arranged in the company of experienced speleologists.
How to get here 2) Turn right off the dual carriageway here then immediately right to drive into the centre of the little village. You will see an imposing neo-Gothic ``castle" on your left by the
village green - at the side of this building is the road you want and the first sign marked ``Prop. La Maestade Km 3. Now follow the signs (just keep to the main road at any junctions without signs) for exactly 3 kms to arrive at
La Maestade, the only house on the right of the last stretch of gravelled road. From Tuscany and the West:
Leave the SS.3 shortly after Cagli turning left for SMIRRA then follow directions as from (2) above. Airports
Arrival and departure times A presto,
The three apartments are equipped to
welcome tourists for six months of the year and are tastefully furnished with many pieces dating back to the 19th century.
This one-room, airy studio apartment in a separate building boasts an attractive covered terrace. Ideal for a couple. The simple cooking area has a fridge, gas hob and basic cooking utensils
and dining table. For colder weather it has a fireplace. The bathroom has a shower.
This two-room apartment is on two floors connected by an original iron ship's staircase (one of Pio's many
nautical touches that you'll find at La Maestade). The simple cooking area has a fridge, electric hob and basic cooking utensils and dining table. The bathroom has a shower. There is an outdoor covered terrace.
Similar to Rondine apartment but on one floor and with a fireplace and covered terrace. The simple cooking area has a fridge, gas hob and basic cooking utensils and dining table. The bathroom has a shower.
There is a fireplace and a covered terrace
La Maestade is 3 kilometres from the centre of the little village of Smirra, itself a frazione
of the ancient nearby town of Cagli. It is about 27 kms from both Urbino and Gubbio and about 40 kilometres directly inland from the Adriatic coastal town of Fano.
Pio is happy to
organise a variety of activities during your stay including horse riding, mountain biking, tastings of Marche wines and traditional foods at the ``Alimentare" club in Cagli, and personalized Italian lessons and conversation through
Although you might just be tempted to while away your holiday by the pool, La Maestade provides an ideal base for visiting scores of fascinating monuments and towns.
By car from the Adriatic coast:
1) If you are coming from the Bologna direction or from Ancona, leave the A14 motorway at Fano and take the SS.3 inland following the signs to Roma, Fossombrone,
Arezzo etc. After about 30 km, just after Fossombrone, the road divides. Bear right here, following the signs to Roma & Arezzo (not Urbino) and continue along a second dual carriageway for around another 10 km as far as
SMIRRA after the town of Acqualagna.
From Rome and Tuscany, travel eastwards to Gubbio and then follow signs for the SS.3 road and Fano.
The nearest airports are Ancona (1 hr 15 mins by car), Forli (1 hr 45 mins) and Bologna (2 hrs 15
mins). Ancona and Forli are served by direct Ryanair (
In order to allow for cleaning guests are requested not to arrive before 4pm at the start of their holiday and to depart by 10am at the end.
Pio Bracco