Waking Up On the Farm
Europe´s farmstays offer homegrown delights.
Europe´s farmlands are steeped in pastoral pleasures, inviting guests to sample local wines from the barrel, savor homemade jam on country bread, and survey fields planted in peaceful rows. Venturing into such rural regions, however, travelers may find that farmhouse lodging is their only option for a place to sleep. Happily, many farmstays provide much more than the basics, offering amenities such as swimming pools, horseback riding, and abundant meals featuring local edibles likely raised on the farm.
Azienda Agrituristica Savoca
Piazza Armerina, Sicily
Tidy sculpted hedges frame this 19th-century stone manor located ten minutes from the Roman mosaics of Villa Romana del Casale. Peacocks parade around the property, which is surrounded by a poplar forest laced with paths for horseback riding (the azienda maintains a stable of horses). Guest quarters detached from the family home feature stone floors and majolica light fixtures. Dinner includes platters of Sicilian cheeses and homemade pasta. The wild fennel liqueur looks like a shot of wheat grass, but is actually a potent after-dinner elixir. From $96; www.agrisavoca.com.
South Elmham Hall
St. Cross, England
An East Anglia retreat in Suffolk, a hundred miles north of London, the Hall dates from the 13th century, when it served as a hunting lodge for the Bishops of Norwich. Now it soothes harried urbanites with three guest suites overlooking meadows grazed by cattle. A complimentary English breakfast or your choice of stuffed mushrooms, smoked salmon, and the farm´s free-range eggs provides ample sustenance for day-long rambles through fields surrounding the Beck, a spring-fed stream that ripples through the farm. From $162; www.southelmham.co.uk.
Paço de São Cipriano
Guimarães, Portugal
This palatial estate about 30 miles northeast of Oporto has remained in the Santiago Sottomayor family since the 15th century, and little has changed over the years--except that in 1982, the property opened its gates to guests. Like the residence´s regal stone tower, the surrounding historical gardens exude a mannerly elegance, and after promenading along the paths winding through farmland, guests retire to stately four-poster beds draped with canopies. Drive south to sample the region´s port wine. From $150 with breakfast, www.pacoscipriano.com.
Les Petits Tisserands
Epfig, France
A mere overnight among Alsatian vineyards will only leave you yearning for more, so weekly stays are required at this charming gîte on the wine route between Colmar and Strasbourg. The first floor of the modernized 16th-century barn contains a living room and kitchen; upstairs, three bedrooms accommodate six people in oak-floored quarters painted in country reds, blues and soft golds. Plunge into nearby Benfeld Lake for a relaxing summertime swim. From $523 weekly; www.les-petits-tisserands.eu.
Vegustal Gjestegård
Evje, Norway
Axe-throwing is just one way to get your Norwegian on at this south country farm: Clay pigeon shooting and archery are among the outdoorsy activities, and guests can also ride on Icelandic horses to backcountry lakes fringed with firs. Log and wood-paneled cabins are fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows that welcome forest views into the living areas. You can cook for yourself in the cabin kitchen, or take meals in the communal dining room, where a wood-burning oven is used to bake fresh breads, pizzas, and sweet treats like blotkake (cream cake with fruit). From $104; www.vegus.no.
