Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
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This area is a very backward rural area. The Italian government has declared it a depressed area, due to the lack of jobs and to the serious chronic farming depression. The administration of the castle employs mostly local people to work directly at the farming of the estate or at the accommodations or at the restaurant. For them this jobs are vital to maintain their families. The castle tourist also helps the local shops and restaurants to improve their businesses.
Due to the fact that we evaluate the local environment as a primary attraction to the area we do as much as possible to protect it from ignorance, greed and pollution of any kind. The area has two regional parks located east and west of the castle that are protected by law. Our walking excursions are guided by local licensed guides who again benefit from our business. All the activities organized at the castle are a way to enhance the importance of the protection of our countryside for the local economy and to the politicians who have to make decisions. The more we can employ people and show the local politician that by protecting the environment and the beauty of the places we provide a return on the investment, the better it is for the area.
We refuse to provide fun through pollution such as quad bikes tours or other. Horses are the best way to discover the beauty of the area and are part of the local environment. We often rescue horses with problems and after a year of training with non violent methods we turn them in nice reliable companions for our guests.This is one of our biggest satisfactions.
Our heating systems in the accommodations and at the castle are all based on burning our own wood or gpl gas both are extremely clean in the exhaust fumes. Next step is the construction of a solar enrgy system to make the place self supplied with power produced by the sun. It will be a 33kw plant of aprox 300square meters placed above a roof.
Restoration and Rennovation
The castle is a building listed as national monument by the italian ministry for cultural heritage. The place is listed not only for the building itself but also for the park surrounding the castle rich in different kinds of trees typical of the area. The place has been the residence of a very important cardinal member of the Caterini family at the middle of 1800. The castle became his residence as it had been for the past century for the rest of the family for relax and meditation.
The place is so peacefull and surrounded by woods it inspires humans to join nature. In order to be allowed a restructuration of the buildings we had to submit our projects to the ministry for cultural heritage. So every work done on the buildings was allowed only if using local traditional materials, like terracotta tiles for the floors and oak wood for the beams, tufo and peperino rock for the walls, etc. Mr Bruno Bonamici (now almost retired) and his team of workers live in the nearby village of Acquapendente (10km away), he is a specialist in restoration of old historical buildings and churches.
All the works were done by him and it's team and by the team of workers permanently occupied on the estate. So local manpower it was, extremely local I would say. We always use local workers that have the skills brought in by the traditional expertise of the area. Only with local workers it is possible to rebuild the old walls using the tufo rock and old bricks.
The impact of this building on the environment around it is practically none, considering that is a building built in 1700 surrounded by a wood. We have solar panels on the roof to heat the water and the heating is provided by burning wood collecting fallen trees.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
