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

Step back in time to the sleepy village of Castel Cellesi, and this adorable little house. It sits on the main square, pretty in pale blue, with a climbing red rose and a bench out front from which you can catch the last of the sun's rays. And chat with your neighbours; next door lives the owner, warm, elegant Tellervo. Inside find a fresh blue and white kitchen/dining room, and a sitting room beyond a charming sliding screen: an inviting cream sofa, rugs, lamps, and a secret little jasmine-scented terrace. Upstairs is the cosy bedroom – roses on the bedspread, pink swags – and a second sitting room in white and blue, with a big comfy sofabed and painted beams, and a terrace with a boldly striped canopy. Little shower rooms, one up, one down, are spotless and bright. There's a conglomerate of seven restored houses in this village, sharing a lovingly tended garden, with a swish pavilion for drinks (and meals) and a splendid pool on the lawns. This may be off the beaten track but you're close to Renaissance gardens, Etruscan sites and the largest volcanic lake in Europe, for blissful swims in crystalline waters.