Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

Write, paint, read or potter: here, deep in the woods, there's nothing to distract you. This is a secret little Hansel and Gretel house with a vegetable patch, demure shutters and lace-trimmed curtains. It stands isolated among chestnut and cherry trees, reached via a long, wriggling track; below are bucolic meadows, falling to a farm or two, and a further distant descent along the yawning valley. An old stone farmhouse converted and adapted for B&B, La Piana is a modest place to stay. The bedrooms, named after local berries, are a good size and painted in clear pastel colours; tiny pictures hang above beds and little windows set in thick walls look out over the glorious valley. The shower rooms – one of them a restyled chicken shed! – are simply tiled. Valeria lives ten minutes away at La Civetta. She is gentle, kind, spoiling; even the breakfast torte di noci are homemade. She will also help organise everything, from trekking to truffle hunting. An ideal spot for those who love the simple pleasures of life: good walks by day, good food by night.