Diletto is a personable old farmhouse that used to lie on the ancient border between the rapacious Papal states and the Dukedom that was Renaissance Tuscany. Nowadays, you would say it’s wonderfully placed on the Tuscan, Umbrian and Lazio borders. Lake Trasimeno, in Umbria, is barely 30 minutes drive to the north. If you go south for 30 minutes you’ll arrive at Lazio’s charmingly untouristy Lago di Bolsena, while 30 minutes to the west will take you into Tuscany to the beautiful gardens of La Foce, created in the 1920s by the writer Iris Origo. Siena is an hour’s drive. Or take the train to Rome or Florence from your nearby station at Fabro. The parking’s safe and the trains cheap and efficient for a splendidly hassle-free day trip!

This old house’s name means “pleasant” and refers to the sylvan woods and the slopes all around. It is indeed a pleasant place! The house is set in 150 acres of private farm land and was renovated just last year. The garden is new and though it’s not mature, it is pretty. The location is so peaceful you’ll feel as if you are hidden deep in the country - though, in fact, you are close to two charming Tuscan villages. Piazze is hardly 2 km away. It’s a tiny place but there’s a restaurant and a sprinkling of shops. To visit the other village, Palazzone, is to step back in time. It’s just 2½ km away and boasts two excellent eateries, a bar, a well stocked little “general store” and even a post office and a butcher. Maybe you’d enjoy sitting with the locals, watching the world go by from the bar, then eating an excellent meal in the village trattoria before a brisk walk home to work off the calories? Or you could simply decide on birdwatching, deer spotting and lounging in the pool!

Diletto’s sitting room is comfortable with two squashy sofas and a large TV to please the young. The quiet, shady terrace outside, with a barbecue, will please the adults. The kitchen is spanking new and offers all the equipment you’d expect plus a huge old oak dresser and a gleaming dining table. There’s a double bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor with three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs. There are solid Tuscan beams, terracotta floors and a generous allocation of traditional and antique furniture. Diletto is not merely “pleasant”, it’s your passport to a holiday of rustic bliss!