Holiday apartment for max. 6 persons
Tortorella, Cilento, Italy

Borgo Le Caselle - Casa Soprana

Borgo Le Caselle is situated at the edge of Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park in Campania in the province of Salerno, amidst green hillsides supporting traditional agriculture and livestock farming. From the Borgo you have magnificient views of the Gulf (Golfo di Policastro) and the Thyrranian Sea.
At an altitude of 670 mtrs, the two carefully restored houses built of natural stone are part of the comunal area of Tortorella, bordering on the Basilicata. You will enjoy plenty of pure mountain air and breathtaking panoramic views, hidden pathways taking you through darkish green woodland covered by “stone oak trees”, to the sound of cow bells from cattle grazing in their paddocks.
This is why we consider that Borgo Le Caselle is the ideal place to relax, but no less a starting point for discovering the area´s authentic mountain villages as well as for exploring its unspoiled natural coast line. In the woods close to the Borgo, wild cats and even wolves are said to live. You will come across lizards lazily sunbathing on limestone rocks, and small herds of goats, sheep and cows on their way up to the pastures at a height of almost 1500 mtrs, all of this right at the back of our two houses!
Borgo Le Caselle consists of two houses, offering holiday accommodation in two entirely separate units: The “Lower House” or “Casa Sottana” accommodating 4-6 people on 110 sq.mtrs and the “Upper House” divided into the “Casa Soprana” for up to 6 people on 120 sq.mtrs and an appartment where the owners live. The Casa Sottana at one time served as a cattle shed, whereas the lower part of the “Upper House” (Scuola Vecchia) was used as a one classroom school and the upper part (Casa Soprana) became a meeting place for the locals who would sing and dance together.
The houses sit on terraced hillside land, with lawn, vegetable garden and holm oak woodland. Each holiday home has its own entrance and terraces affording panoramic views across an undulating landscape all the way to the Gulf and the sea in the distance.
Each holiday unit has central heating supplied by a wood burning oven or fire. In summer, hot water is provided by solar energy and gas.
There is an annex to each building, complete with washing machine, dryer, iron board and iron free of charge. Logs for fireplace or barbecue are also at your disposal.We provide you with free bedding and towels.
There is a kind of treehouse on stilts in the adjoining wood where you will enjoy some of your leisure time between excursions.
If you have any special requirements or wishes please let us know, we would like to oblige you.
You enter the unit by a large dining room kitchen complete with fire place, dishwasher, gas stove, electric baking oven, fridge, TV and Internet access. On the same level there is a large living room - bedroom for 2 people and a bathroom with shower and bidet. From the staircase a door opens onto a small terrace with morning sun and the woods behind. On the top floor you will find a second bathroom (shower) and two bedrooms, one containing a double bed, the other two single beds. From each of these bedrooms you have access to a large roof terrace (25 sq.mtrs) with unimpeded views of the hills in front and that strip of the Mediterranean beyond. You can leave your car in the shade of an holm oak tree. There is an annex with a “scullery” where wood is stored and laundering can be done. Again, there is a dryer, iron-board and iron for your laundry.

Short description
Other : Non-smoking house

Short description 1
Number of kitchens : 1
Other rooms : laundry

Living room 1
Other living room features : The livingroom can be used as a bedroom for 2 (3) persons either with a double bed (and 1 single)or two (three) singles.

Kitchen 1
Other kitchen equipment : Fire place

Surrounding
Nearby sports facilities : Diving, Mountain climbing, Mountainbiking, Riding possibilities, Tennis, Water skiing

Surrounding 1
Excursion possibilities : In midsummer, the small coastal town of Villamare on the Golfo di Policastro is the centre of typical Italian beach life. There you will find a wide sandy beach, deck chair rental, small restaurants and bars. Along the steep cliffs near Acquafredda to the South and Scario to the North there are numerous small coves with crystal clear water to be discovered only on foot or by boat. The more adventurous hikers will certainly appreciate the unspoilt beauty of nature on their walks through woodlands to grottoes and streams , with fern and orchids (in May and June), and perhaps find interest in the remains of local agriculture dating from the last century. We keep a number of maps , leaflets and brochures for you to consult. Also, we have several marked trails in the vicinity of the Borgo. To those interested in local history or archeology we would like to recommend visiting the following places of interest: -the Certosa di Padula, the most imposing Carthusian monastery in Southern Italy -the early Christian baptistry San Giovanni in Fonte -Teggiano, an old bishopric with its churches and museum -Roccagloriosa, founded by the Lucanians, a couple of centuries before the arrival of the Romans in the Cilento. The town boasts a small excavation site and two small museums with bronze vessels and gold armaments -Paestum (at about 100 kilometers) with the most imposing remains of an early Greek colonial civilization: three well preserved temples, town wall and an outstanding museum -Velia, a town of architectural interest, with Greco-Roman remains and small museum - Leaving Campania and crossing into Calabria, the Grotta del Romito is certainly worth a visit, displaying Stone-Age graves and a mural drawing.
Location description : The Borgo Le Caselle lies on the south-western slope of the Monte Coccuzzo (1387 mt) in a tiny hamlet belonging to the village of Tortorella in the hinterland of the gulf, some 20 kilometres away. Situated on the southern edge of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (Unesco), the area (part of Campania) borders on the Basilicata. From the terraces of the Borgo in extremely good weather you may be able to catch a glimpse of Stromboli vulcano. Lovely sunsets and starr-studded nights can be observed particularly in spring and autumn. In mid-summer both the altitude of the Borgo and the oak forests provide a pleasant relief from a hot day on the beach or along the coast... Our neighbours keep a small livestock farm with a vegetable garden. Some of the local farmers make their own varieties of cheese and provide fresh lamb. Some earn their livelihood as shepherds as they did a hundred years ago. The pretty village of Tortorella (with groceries, butcher, bar and post-office) lies 6 km from the Borgo, with the distance to the coast and the small coastal town of Sapri (IC railway station) of about 15 km, or 25 minutes by car. Tortorella (582 mtrs above sea level) sits on a plateau falling away to the coast, on slopes of olive groves and woodlands. To the west, the plateau is bordered by the deep ravine of the Bussentino stream. From various view points there are spectacular views towards the Calabrian mountains and, in Campania, towards Monte Coccuzzo, Monte Cervati (1899 m), Monte Gelbison (1705 m) and Monte Bulgheria (1225 m) dominating the gulf area. Tortorella has been able to preserve its original traditional aura. Stone-built houses with decorative portals seem to grow from the rocky mountain side, with narrow streets allowing you glimpses into shaded vegetable and flower gardens. The inhabitants, some three hundred, go about their daily routine, meeting in the forenoon at Giuseppe´s bar for a game of cards or collecting their pensions at the post office, and on Wednesdays chatting with friends in the market place or in front of the church on a Sunday. The comunity area is stretching from about 1400 m down to the sea, with a vegetation providing pasture land at all seasons. From Tortorella to the coast there is a fine roadlink recently built and not yet to be found on the maps (Tortorella-Mare). The journey takes about 15 minutes.
Other leisure facilities : We recommend you to explore the Gulf hiking on adventurous trails, following the traces of shepherds and wild porks... . You can get hiking information and maps from us.

Garden and outdoor
Garden facilities : Garden furniture provided, Grill