An Italian Treasure

I don’t often recommend a destination I’ve never been too, but this looks like such an ideal vacation spot, I’m going to suggest it anyhow. I met Alessandro Zullo, the man who represents the property, online at the LinkedIn website, where I associate with other travel writers and bloggers. He is a delightful man who speaks from his heart about this wonderful vacation spot.

The Dimora Del Prete Belmonte, built in the 16^th century is an enchanting Bed & Breakfast in a beautiful, historic house located in Venafro, Italy—an excellent centralized location for tourism in the Molise region. It is centrally located for tours to Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi coast, and Capri and is easily reached by both railway and autoroutes.

The Palace of the Del Prete di Belmonte rises in the center of the old city of Venafro. Next to it, on the Piazza del Cristo, stands the church of the same name. The Parco Oraziano behind the cathedral became the Regional Agricultural Historical Olive Park of Venafro. A regional law aimed at establishing a protected area to preserve the heritage of Venafro’s olive trees. The Regional Agricultural Historical Olive Park of Venafro is the first park in the Mediterranean area with an olive theme. No doubt, it is spectacular in early spring when the olive trees bloom.

The palace itself, built on one of the cardinal roads of the Roman town, was restructured in neoclassic style around 1860. The ground floor, once used to keep carriages, has been transformed into a beautiful hall available for small conferences, private meetings and other social events.  On the main floor, guests enjoy breakfast in an elegant drawing room decorated with frescoed ceilings depicting views of the town and the Del Prete country estates. Outside, there is a courtyard with charming central garden, in the middle of which stand two very old palm trees and a rose garden with old-fashioned fragrant roses.

The rooms in the upper floor of the palace are furnished with period furniture and are available for guests. All are air-conditioned and have private toilets. Breakfast is included in the price of the rooms.

The owner of the estate is offering courses in Italian, as well as cooking, archaeology, canoeing, etc. It could also be used for weddings, as there is a beautiful chapel inside the palace. The staff at the estate are able to book tours for you to all the well-known sights. As well, they will make suggestions about equally beautiful, undiscovered places they tell me are even more worthy of a visit than the regular tourist spots.

Trip Advisor ranks it as #1 of Venafro B&Bs and many of their readers gave it 5-star ratings. One reviewer, from North Wales had this to say in July of this summer:

 “We stayed for a week in this wonderful place in the centre of the old town of Venafro. Our host, Dorothy was so helpful & welcomed us as part of the family. We have stayed in various places in Italy over the past years but none compare with this special B&B.

The town & surrounding area have a lot to offer with historical sites & dramatic mountain scenery . If it's the real Italy you want (away from the tourists) - this is certainly the best we've found.”

Alessandro Zullo is extremely enthusiastic about this special place, and is hoping to attract the senior cliental to a very different Italian encounter. If you are interested in experiencing something a little different the than usual glitzy, American-style hotel, Del Prete di Belmonte may be just the place for you.

You can book your vacation at The Palace of the Del Prete di Belmonte through Expedia.co.uk, with Travel Advisor, or directly with Mr. Zullo at  alezullo@gmail.com.