I’ve always wanted to sleep in a Castle…preferably right up there in a turret…how about you? Well I got to do exactly that in a hauntingly beautiful genuine medieval castle in Umbria, Italy.

The Castello di Petroia, dating back to the Middle Ages, around 1163 to be more precise, is right up there on my ‘magical experiences’ list. And that’s why it rates in my continuing  ‘fabulous accommodation finds’ theme.

My Rapunzel moment was not without it’s challenges I must add. A flight of steps up to the front door, bathroom down a flight, bedroom up two flights, rooftop vista yet another. Not for the faint hearted yet affording the most magnificent 360 degree view across a tapestry of rich green undulating valleys.

Walls a meter thick, barely space for my big feather four poster bed, moonlight to guide my way I was completely entranced and all thoughts of being haunted by the turret’s ancestry were replaced with the luxury of pleasant dreams…until a Wood Pecker tapped on my window to wake me. I’m glad he did. Watching the sun rise across the misty valleys was absolutely breathtaking. It felt good to be alive!

Oh! If the thought of the turret is just too daunting, there are similar evocatively atmospheric rooms in the main castle, and just a single flight of stairs.

http://www.petroia.com