Agriturismo Il Fienile di Orazio

This small, neat friendly agriturismo is ideal to discover the Sabina. A restored farmhouse and barn made of stone and wood with large windows, where our guests can eat and, in the winter, spend time relaxing in front of the fireplace. The agriturismo is in a small valley surrounded by woods, mountains an ideal place to gather one’s thoughts, walk, or ride mountain bikes.

There are 6 comfortable rooms, all with private bathroom, characterised by different colour schemes and furnishings, all with wooden floors and ceilings.

Among the amenities offered by the agriturismo are a small pool, a bocce court, archery, table tennis, mountain bikes, a small soccer field and various playing equipment for children.  
Available to our guests is also a room with stone-clad walls and a large fireplace, with a piano, a stereo, a small collection of records and a library for adults and children. The dining room is on the ground floor of the stone barn and the panoramic room with large windows on the first floor can be used for meetings (a video projector and an amplification system are available for this purpose) upon request.
Cuisine: mother’s own traditional, regional and strictly seasonal, with occasional variations, sometimes of the exotic kind. For example: tortelli with potatoes and plantain or lioli but also, and why not, ‘Chinese’ ravioli filled with Savoy cabbage and pork; all ingredients are home-grown. The menu changes according to the different occasion. Upon request a children’s menu is always available. The agriturismo also hosts traditional pasta-making workshops aimed at preserving a local tradition which would otherwise be lost forever.

Among the produce of the small 10-hectare organic farm (half covered in beautiful woods, part of which comprises timber trees) are oil, wine, fruit, honey, vegetables, pigs, chicken and eggs.
 Ornella prepares jams of sour cherries, elderberry, blackberry, pear, quince, plum, cherries, apricots, peaches, green tomatoes, but also fruit pickles and chutneys. As well as traditional salted meats, Mauro also prepares small hot salami and spiced lard.
 Apart from dogs and cats there are many animals which, while not being exactly pets, by now belong to the family: 4 Sardinian donkeys, geese, various species of ducks, mallards and one rabbit.

Il Fienile di Orazio is situated in Sabina, a very special area between Rome and Umbria, dotted with hundreds of important yet almost unknown places in terms of history, landscape, traditions, products.
The agriturismo is by Monte Tancia, at an altitude of about 600 metres, on the road (travelled by Charlemagne to reach Rome for his coronation on Christmas night of the year 800) which in ancient times connected the Umbrian territory to Rome passing near the Abbey of Farfa. 
The area is characterised by calcareous rock which, due to water erosion, features karstic formations such as caves, among which the best-known is the one dedicated to the worship of St. Michael Archangel; from our agriturismo this cave is reached with an excursion of about 1 hour through the woods, leaving behind the ruins of the dwellings of the friars of the St. Michael Hermitage. Between Monte Tancia and Poggio Catino there is a network of paths of different length and difficulty suitable for walks, bike or horse rides. The whole are is ideal for walking activities: besides 6 other facilities, in 2010 a trail of paths coded by CAI called ‘Sabina a piedi’ (Sabina by foot) was created which allows trekkers to follow a detailed IGM map. Soon we also intend to organise excursions along these tracks accompanied by our donkeys. Climbers will find Roccantica an interesting area. Boars, foxes, porcupines, badgers, little owls, hoopoe, cuckoo, hawks can be easily seen in this area among flowers, primroses, cyclamens, crocuses, wild orchids and a wide variety of native herbs which can be used for phytotherapeutic and culinary purposes. 
From here Casperia, Roccantica, Poggio Mirteto, Farfa and its splendid Abbey can be reached on one side, whereas on the other side are Rieti, Contigliano, Cottanello, the Franciscan sanctuaries: Greccio, Fonte Colombo, La Foresta, Poggio Bustone (with the Cammino di Francesco network of paths), the Reserve of the Lungo and Ripasottile lakes, the Marmore fall and the Pediluco lake. The Cicolano area with the Salto lake is also of outstanding beauty.

Throughout the year several different activities are organised, such as sky observation, cookery workshops, excursions in the surrounding area, readings, parties for adults and children, massage sessions while sipping herbal teas and taking in the wonderful landscape. Every summer we organise camping for children aged between 8 and 13; these are wonderful adventure-filled weeks during which children can learn English, art and science through play activities.