Wake up somewhere so calm
you can finally hear
what you actually want -
and everything around you
adapts to whatever that turns out to be.
Three apartments in Umbria
where the planning for Tuesday can wait until Tuesday.
You know that feeling when you're booking restaurants six months out for a vacation, and you're thinking "How do I know what I'll want to eat on a random Thursday in June?"
This is the opposite of that.
Wake up.
Check in with yourself.
Maybe today's a laptop-in-the-garden day.
Maybe it's a drive-to-Gubbio day.
Maybe it's a hot-tub-at-noon day.
Everything here - from the WiFi that reaches the olive trees to the restaurants that don't require reservations - is set up so you can decide in the moment.
Because you're different on vacation than you are at home. You just need somewhere quiet enough to notice.
Location
Vallingegno, Gubbio in Umbria, Italy
Conveniently placed between medieval towns Assisi, Perugia, and Gubbio. Art galleries, authentic trattorias, and cobblestone streets that have seen centuries.
Property type
Adults-only vacation rental in a historic stone house completely restored in 2023
25-acre estate with centuries-old charm and modern conveniences
Accommodations
3 adults-only self-catering apartments with full kitchens including dishwashers
Up to 8 guests total in two cozy studios and one spacious two-bedroom-two-bathroom apartment
Key Features
High-speed WiFi that reaches the garden, dedicated workspaces, plunge pool, grocery delivery service, peace and quiet
Everything you need to work remotely or disconnect completely
Quick facts
Key details about your Suflora stay
The freedom of real flexibility.
We've built in every option you might want, then made all of it optional.
Fully equipped kitchen for when you want breakfast at 11am in your pajamas.
Restaurants a short drive away that have tables available tonight.
Work setup with dual monitors if inspiration strikes.
Garden loungers if it doesn't.
Museums in medieval towns nearby that you can walk into right now; no advance tickets, no timed entry, no crowds.
Hiking trails that start from your door when your body wants to move.
A hot tub when it doesn't.
We stock your kitchen before arrival. We offer dinner at our table. We deliver groceries twice weekly.
Or ignore all of that and figure it out as you go. The infrastructure exists. Using it is optional.
Why undiscovered Umbria changes everything
Where spontaneity actually works
In Rome, you need dinner reservations months ahead. In Florence, museum tickets sell out weeks in advance. Here in Umbria? The restaurant down the hill has space tonight. Gubbio's museums wonder why you're booking ahead. The best tables are available because tour buses can't navigate our roads.
This isn't just logistics - it's liberation. When you can actually be spontaneous, you stop defaulting to past-you's decisions. You start asking current-you what sounds good.
And sometimes what sounds good is your laptop under an olive tree, finally finishing that chapter. Sometimes it's abandoning the chapter for a medieval town. Both are perfect because both are yours.
The valley that holds space for everything
Work, rest, create, explore -
or change your mind hourly
Romans built a temple to Genius here 2,000 years ago. Benedictines added their abbey for contemplation. We added WiFi and decent mattresses. All serving the same purpose: creating space to hear yourself think.
Maybe you'll:
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Write mornings, explore afternoons
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Paint all day, ignore everything else
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Check emails at breakfast, disappear until dinner
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Plan nothing, follow impulses
The valley doesn't care. We don't care. That's the point.
Three apartments, three ways to find your rhythm
Two studios for two, on the ground floor - with a cozy alcove bed, a desk by the window, bathroom, and private terrace.
Upstairs apartment - Takes up the upper two floors. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, two desks, and a fireplace for when the evening calls for actual flames instead of Netflix.
All come with kitchens (and yes, dishwashers) and weekly cleaning.
IL GIARDINO
Multiple terraces scattered between olive trees, oleander, and whatever wildflowers decided to show up this year. Hammocks for professional lounging, tables for eating actual meals outside, and enough hidden spots that you can disappear with a book and not be found until dinner.
Our garden philosophy is simple: don't overthink it. We plant some things, water it, nature does the rest, and somehow it all works out. Kind of like the best ideas - they need space to breathe, not someone hovering over them asking if they're done yet.
THE PRACTICAL STUFF
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Rates: € 124 - 257 (depends on the space you choose)
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Minimum: 2 nights
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Location: 15 km to Gubbio, 30 km to Perugia
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Nearest airports: Perugia (45 min), Ancona (70 min), Rome (120 min)
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Free pick-up from Perugia airport/station
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What's close: Hiking trails, medieval towns, museums, art galleries, restaurants that don't need reservations
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What's far: Tourist crowds, traps, anyone who needs you to perform vacation
Food freedom
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Pre-arrival stocked kitchen based on your shopping list
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Don't feel like cooking? Traditional trattorias and restaurants in Gubbio (10 minute drive), and the closest one within 2km
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Pick whatever's ripe from our organic garden (tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes!)
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Grocery stores 10 minutes away
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Grocery delivery twice weekly
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Optional dinner with us (we cook, you show up - sometimes the best conversations happen over someone else's rigatoni)
The safety net that makes freedom possible
We're Susanne and Florian: Here when needed, almost invisible when not
Germans who escaped to Umbria for the same reasons you're reading this. We live 30 meters away - close enough to help immediately, far enough that you'll forget we exist.
Text us for anything: Restaurant recommendations. Where to buy the best mozzarella. How to work the pellet stove. Want to share dinner and stories? Great! Want to be left alone? Just as great.
The balance between independence and backup. Because true relaxation requires both.
"Beautifully designed apartments, a stunning big garden, and truly lovely hosts. I could honestly live here."
Eveline Rosenberger
"An oasis nestled among olive trees, on a beautiful hilltop with breathtaking views of the forests and nature."
Matthias Peper
"If this place can't broaden your horizon, nothing else will."
Robert Trotzmüller
For those ready to stop pre-planning life
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Medieval hilltop towns that haven't been turned into theme parks - Gubbio, Assisi, Perugia, Spello, Todi, Orvieto, Spoleto
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Art and culture from when people built things to last - 700-year-old palazzos, Renaissance galleries, trattorias run by the same families for generations
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Outdoor stuff - Truffle hunting with dogs who take their jobs very seriously, horseback riding, golf courses, cycling routes through actual countryside
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Historic sites - Ancient hiking trails, monasteries where monks still live, Roman ruins you can touch without guards yelling at you
"Suflora isn't just a pretty place to stay. It gave me exactly what I needed to finally write my book: quiet space to think clearly. I couldn't believe how much easier the words came."
Nadine Steiner
"This place is magic for your brain. I recharged completely and ended up doing things I never make time for - like just sitting and watching clouds drift by."
Sabine Zimmermann
What people do here
Someone shows up planning to finally relax, then spends three mornings working because ideas keep arriving and there's no reason to ignore them. By afternoon they're done and the rest of the day is blank in the best possible way.
Two friends come for a milestone birthday. They cook together for three days, barely leave the property, talk about things they haven't had time for in years. Then someone mentions Spoleto has a market on Saturdays. They go. They don't plan the rest. They just wander and see what happens.
A person arrives exhausted, sleeps for eleven hours, spends the next day reading in the garden without accomplishing a single thing. Feels guilty for approximately twenty minutes, then realizes they haven't felt this quiet inside in months.
Someone else hikes every morning, works every afternoon, cooks elaborate dinners from the garden vegetables, and tells us later it was the most productive week they've had because they weren't performing productivity—they were just doing what their body and brain wanted when they wanted it.
The common thread isn't what people do. It's that they do what sounds good in the moment, and nothing punishes them for changing their minds.
Who this works for
You want space quiet enough to hear what you actually want. And you want to be able to act on it without penalties—no lost reservations, no wasted tickets, no explaining why you changed your mind.
You value infrastructure that works (WiFi, kitchen, hiking access, helpful hosts) but you don't want anyone managing your experience or organizing your days.
You might work a bit if inspiration strikes, but you're not on a work trip. You might cook elaborate dinners, or you might eat out every night. You might hike daily or stay on the property for three days straight. The pattern is that you don't know yet, and you don't want to commit.
This won't work if you want daily housekeeping, meal service, organized activities, or someone planning your itinerary. It won't work if you need constant social interaction or expect staff to anticipate your needs. And it definitely won't work if you're bringing kids—we're adults-only because everyone here is trying to escape being responsible for anyone else's schedule.
FAQ
Uhm, no. You're in Italy, after all.
So, you've got options: The nearest restaurant is 2 km away. Plenty, plenty more in Gubbio, around 15 minutes drive.
Or, you can join us for dinner. Alternatively, we can deliver home-made meals to you. More details here.
Sorry, they'll need to stay home. Suflora is meant to be a space to focus on yourself, without this kind of vigilance, this feeling of needing to make sure everyone is alright. Especially because this feeling is automatically extended to all creatures that are somehow more vulnerable than we are - it doesn't only apply to our kids.
Sometimes, all of us deserve a little bit of just taking care of ourselves.
No. Please refer to "Can I bring my kids?" above for the reason why.
Of course you can. We've got three apartments in different sizes, suitable for different set-ups. Find the right apartment(s) here.
If you want to ensure complete privacy and have the entire house to yourself, the Groups page shows you how.
Yes! With WiFi that works even in the garden, workstations in boutique apartments, and no interruptions. Unless you count the birds chirping. Or your own brilliant ideas.
Absolutely. With 3 apartments in the main house, and us living just a stone's throw away, Suflora offers privacy without isolation.
We are here, literally a stone's throw away from the guest house. We love some good company, so don't feel shy. At all. Ever. We're here, we love to connect with you, and we want to make sure you get the most out of your time here.
Plus, you can always join us for dinner if you want to.
Absolutely! The whole property can be yours for group bookings, whether it's a team offsite or a small-group retreat. Check out our Groups page for details.
We're in the middle of Italy, which means you can fly to Perugia (direct flights from London all year, Rotterdam, Brussels and Barcelona from April to November), Ancona, or even Florence or Rome. We would advise renting a car at the airport and enjoying a scenic drive to Suflora. If that's not an option, take a train to Perugia and we'll pick you up free of charge.
Email us: sufloranature@gmail.com or call us: +39 338 330 5494 - we (that's Florian and Susanne) are happy to hear from you! We speak English and German. And, with enough wine, even manage Dutch.
