Agriturismo Col Morino

This was our first stay in an agriturismo, and it was quite a pleasant experience. The place is well-kept, and you can tell that a lot of work and a lot of love has gone into the renovations and the details of decoration. We had a room on the first floor, with views across the hills and farmland to the mountains in the distance. Our room was a double room with an extra bed put into it for our son. This made it slightly on the small side, but was still manageable. The room had a large wardrobe with plenty of storage space, and a desk with a chair, and a very nice en-suite bathroom. I think all the guestrooms are on the first floor, up an outdoors staircase - something to consider for those with mobility issues. Breakfast is of the sweet Italian variety, with generous servings of homemade cakes and pies, together with juice, tea or coffee. It is served in the restaurant, which was unfortunately closed for the season when we were there. It is a very nice space, and we would have liked to eat there - perhaps another time! In the summer it is also possible to sit outside under the vines in the pergola. Abruzzo is a region that doesn't get as many foreign tourists as other parts of Italy, and it is a great place to practice your Italian, as foreign language skills are not always prominent, but here we got by fine between the host's bit of English and my bit of Italian (and the host even helped teach me a little!) The agriturismo is a few kilometers outside the seaside town of Pineto, and it is recommended to have a car to stay here. With a car, you can reach lots of interesting and beautiful places conveniently, though, both seaside and up into the mountains. The hilltop town of Atri is only a handful of kilometers away, and a lovely place to visit - we liked it enough to visit in the morning, and then go back again for dinner in the evening. Overall, we quite enjoyed our brief stay of two nights, the friendly welcome we received, and the beautiful area, and we hope to come back again for another visit.