Fittacamere Al Castello

You have heard me go on and on and on about the magical little Italian village that Jack and I live in.  Pontelandolfo is a great example of a Southern Italian mountain town.  H’mm your thinking – will Midge put us all up in her house?  What? Come visit and when you do, you can stay in one of the little hotels and the agriturismo that open their doors to guests.  I must admit, I didn’t realize they existed. Very few local businesses do any public relations or have web-sites.

In August, Pontelandolfo is a magnet attracting back Pontelandolfesse from around the world.  When we first noticed the influx of “tourists” I thought they were all staying with relatives.  Boy, was I wrong.  Over the last few years, I’ve discovered that our little village on the mountain has a number of afittacamere – rooms to let or B&B’s.   I’ve decided to introduce you to places that would be happy to have you.  Now, there is no excuse not to come to Pontelandolfo.   WAIT – that doesn’t mean we don’t like guests.  Well….

I visited Fittacamere Al Castello –  a mini hotel just a short cobblestone walk from Piazza Roma.  It is at the base of the medieval tower that is the icon of the village.  The totally restored building heralds back to the 1800s. The original structure was a granary – place that held grain – and the home of one large family. Over the years it was enlarged and more families shared the space.  Earthquakes wreaked havoc on the building.  The current owners, Donato Addona, and his wife fell in love with the building – sans roof, some walls etc.  He said when they bought it he could see the sky.  It was a total wreck.  They began restoration in 2002 and didn’t put the final touches on the property until 2008.  They did a great job.  You can still see and feel the history of the building. I loved the fact that the owner’s son created a piece of art for every room.

Each room has a fairly large bathroom with a shower, television and small refrigerator.  All I could think about was stocking the fridge with local wine and cheese. Then wandering out to the common area with a good book. Some rooms have incredible views of the valley. There are only about 7 rooms and each one has a different configuration of beds.  A couple have matrimonio – king size beds.  Others have twins or a combination of both.  The “breakfast” room is large, warm and welcoming.  A great place to read a book or write that novel.

The address is Corso Vittorio Emanuele III – oops last year they renamed the road in honor of the Rinaldi Brothers, victims of the 1861 Summer of Terror.  (See Pontelandolfo 1861 story.) The affitacamere is located on Via Fratelli Rinaldi #8.  They don’t have a sign, so you have to know where you are going. Just ask anyone.

To make a reservation or get more information call +39.340.58.24.263 or +39.347.04.36.837.   The owners don’t speak English and or have answering machines. So you can’t leave a message.  Grab one of your Italian speaking buddies to make the call for you or email the owner at Donato.addona59@gmail.com.

Need more photos – hit play!  I’ll be telling you about other places to rest your heads in future posts!  Ci vediamo a Pontelandolfo!