Agriturismo Campo Rosso

Katia is courteous and helpful, and the food she makes is tasty and simple, with high-quality ingredients. You can tell she puts effort into it. The property itself is pleasant at first, and the rooms are small but comfortable. Still, I’d only recommend it for a night or two, not a longer stay. There are some serious drawbacks. We had to pay on arrival rather than at the end, and the required 50% deposit seemed high to me. At more prestigious places I’ve booked online, it’s usually been 20-30%. The bathrooms have no bidets. Some have a combined seat and basin that does the same job, but only some. Check the room photos carefully, since this feature is hard to spot on the website. The showers are set up in odd places, even in the bedroom, and have curtains instead of enclosures. In my view, the space could have been used for a proper shower stall. The shampoo and shower gel listed on the website weren’t provided either. There are no mosquito nets or air conditioning, which could make summer stays uncomfortable because it stays hot at night in this area. The nearby houses have air conditioning. Breakfast could also use more variety. We always enjoyed the excellent desserts, but there was nothing else to try, like fruit or yogurt. Fruit wasn’t offered at dinner either.

We had a lovely Easter stay. The food was excellent, with good-sized portions, and the staff were incredibly kind. Even during the much busier Easter lunch, everyone kept smiling. They pay attention to good ingredients and local produce. The cappelletti, lamb, and wild boar were all delicious. I’d recommend it if you want to rediscover the flavors of the past.

I spent eight nights here for work, so I got to know the place better than someone staying just one night. This is meant constructively, even though I’m giving it two stars. The place is fairly clean and quiet, Wi-Fi is a little unreliable but usable, the rooms have fresh paint, and the wood floors have been refinished and lacquered. The sockets and switches are in good condition, with an antenna socket too, though there’s no TV despite the satellite dish. The furniture is new, but the beds are just frames without headboards. There’s a small fridge in the hallway, which helps, though it won’t be enough if it’s full. I couldn’t try the kitchen because it’s often closed, apparently only open on weekends. Breakfast wasn’t available before 8:00 either. The food I did have was not a factor in my stay. The bathroom is dated, with no shower stall, just an unhygienic curtain. The faucets are made in China, with chrome plating that’s rusted, and the shower head feels flimsy. Not having a towel rack or soap dish in the shower is tolerable, but still inexcusable. The biggest problem is the lack of mosquito nets. There are lots of mosquitoes, perhaps because there are chickens, though I never got to try their eggs with the kitchen usually closed. You can’t leave the windows open at night, and the heat becomes overwhelming. In peak summer, with Cerberus raging, the thick walls don’t keep the room cool. Without air conditioning or even a fan, it was scorching until at least three in the morning. Outside, the garden looks nice at first, but the table boards are rotting and raised, and look like they haven’t had wood preservative in years. Mosquitoes also made it impossible to eat outside. The place might be worth three or four stars, but not at this price. There’s little else around, and Camporosso seems to be taking advantage of that. It’s a shame nobody else has opened a cheaper B&B in Civitella.

The Moon Room is in the attic and faces south. We stayed there for four nights, and despite there being no air conditioning, it was fairly cool. It’s nicely presented and adequate for a farmhouse stay. The real star is Chef Katia Sandri’s cooking. She turns simple, locally sourced ingredients into tasty, ambitious dishes that bring tradition and new ideas together. Breakfast was lovely too, with cakes and jams made on site. The jams in particular were delicious and distinctive. Five stars without a doubt.