UMBRIA’S SPIKES:
THE FARM HOSPITALITY’S REGIONAL SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION
The structures of Farm Hospitality in Umbria are classified with a system of spikes which goes from 1 to 5.
1 spike (the minimum level), asks a basic series of hospitality’s requirements both for rooms and apartments, connected with the quality of hospitality.
More than 1 spike, from 2 to 5, requests an increasing number of services connected with the typical items of the rural environment of Umbria.

link: agriforeste.regione.umbria

The “Azienda Agricola Ciri” is a 500 hectare farm, located in the Umbrian valley about 10 Km north of Spoleto.  The owners of the farm have lovingly restructured and refurbished some of the farm buildings which were previously inhabited by share-croppers, or used for storing crops and farming equipment.  Lodging is offered at “Casale Grande”, one of the most spacious farm houses on the premises, built at the beginning of the XX century and housing a large farming family until the 80s. The building has been partitioned into 4 larger apartments, best suited for families or groups of friends, and 4 smaller apartments, perfect for couples.  Il Casale Grande is found at the core of the farm, right in the Spoleto valley, in an area of high natural, historical and artistic interest.  Our guests can relax and enjoy the peaceful atmoshpere of the countryside, or explore the surroundings by bike.  Most roads are paved and level;  just 2 Km away, the Clitunno springs and a long riverside bike route offer fishing and sports activities.  Those interested in farming activities are welcome to visit the farm premises, including the historic  “Mulino della Torre”, an ancient water mill used for grains and olives.  The grain mill is still being used for producing stone-ground flour, while the oil mill has been turned into a farm museum, hosting a collection of traditional farming tools and equipment belonging to the Ciri family.  Guests wishing to relax at the Casale Grande will enjoy free use of an outdoor pool (15m by 6m) and a spacious garden with barbecue and bocce field and a children’s play ground.  Many historic towns are easily reached from the Casale Grande: Spoleto (10 Km), Assisi (30 Km), Perugia (55 Km), Spello (25 Km), Bevagna (28 Km), Montefalco (15 Km), Todi (45 Km), Gubbio (70 Km).  Rome and Florence are also within reach, being 120 and 250 Km away, respectively.

The Quality System of agriturist Umbria: Tradition, Clarity, Guarantee
The Agritourism “Il Casale Grande” was one of the 6 founding members of the Quality System of Agriturist Umbria, which numbered 30 associate members in 2004. The main objective of our certified and guaranteed quality system is to meet clients’ expectations in full, in relation to the specific quality-price level they have chosen  for their vacations in the umbrian countryside. The system started with a careful review of guests’ comments, gathered in over 200 agritourisms all over Umbria in the past 5 years; the next step was to provide special training to the agritourism operators to ensure that they are able to provide all that they promise, and to help them achieve their highest aims in their farms and agritourisms. Each element of the quality system needs to be coherent with the others: the truthfulness of informational and and promotional materials, the need to provide maximum comfort to the guests during their vacation, the warmth and friendliness of both the agritourism and its operators, the quality of all products served at meal times or sold at the farm. Every element of this quality system requires a permanent educational process on the part of all operators, and a continuous monitoring of services by means of clients’ evaluations of all farms which have chosen to be part of the quality system. The 30 umbrian farms which have subscribed to the Quality Agriturist Umbria Project in 2004 are listed in the web site www.agrituristperugia.it.