Poggio Maria: dream house on a hilltop
Piedmont, Italy. great food & wines, beautiful landscape.
All you need to know
The house, the panoramic views and what you can do...
The house
Centuries old farmhouse turned into a comfortable family home
It's just you, the house and nothing else on this beautiful hill... Poggio Maria is a great family home near the small village of Melazzo, with 6 bedrooms with double beds (boxsprings), 3 bathrooms, 2 wood stoves, 1 fire place, spacious living room with TV (Canal digital, all channels available), dining room for long diners and kitchen with SMEG-equipment like fridge, stove and oven. Several terraces outside. Fit for 4 to 10/12 people. In season 2023 we'll have a new pool 12 x 6 meters, poolhouse with BBQ, table and benches. Private cook service available for long Italian evening diners...
The view
360 degrees panoramic views from Swiss Alps to Acqui Terme
Poggio Maria is located in the municipality of Melazzo, a small village with a castle.. Due to Poggio Maria's location on top of a hill ('Poggio' means 'hill'), with clear weather you can see the French and Ligurian Alps. On both sides you'll find the valleys of the Erro and Bormida rivers. At night you will enjoy all the twinkling lights....
To do's
Old villages, hills, wines, slow food
Make sure you have enough days to explore this beautiful region.... Villages such as Acqui Terme (photo), Nizza Monferrato, Sassello and Monastero Bormida are absolutely worth visiting. Don't forget to visit the restaurants. Piedmont is famous for its 'slow food' and wines. Il Giardinetto (Sessame), Ristorante Del Pallone (Bistagno), Tre Colline (Bubbio) and Il Castle (Montabone - what a view!) are just some of our favorites. Chef Paola from Tre Colline is on request available on weekdays to prepare private Piedmont diners at Poggio Maria. And guide Giuseppe will take you on hiking and cycle tour where ever you want to go: Barolo, Monferrato....E-bike rental service is just around the corner, provided by our Dutch neighbour Aad van Opstal. Too little time!
The book
Dream came true!
Poggio Maria is described and pictured in the book 'Piedmont - the dream, the house, the life' from the Danish Jesper Remo. After his football career, Jesper helped people to find the perfect location to build their dream house in the Langhe region (Piedmont). This book describes his love for the region. Jesper and his wife bought Poggio Maria end 90's and restored it completely. We bought the house in December 2017 from its (successive) Danish owners. The grand mother of our Italian notary also happened to be one of the former residents. A house with a rich history....!
prices
Please contact the owners to check the availability, Miranda Mens, +31 6 53215501 of miranda_mens@hotmail.com
Prices per week in 2023
Perfect for small and large families: 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 4-10 p.
Mid season (April 29-June 24): € 3.100
High season (June 24-July 8): € 3.600
Super high season (July 8-Aug 19): € 3.950
High season (Aug 19-Sept 2): € 3.600
Mid season (Sept 2-Oct 21): € 3.100
Excl. €250 for cleaning and €500 deposit.
Extra cleaning is available, off course!
Poggio Maria is rented out per week, from Saturday-Saturday.
reviews from our guests
Peter and Nan, September 2022, Netherlands:
Poggio Maria, what a great place.
We enjoyed it immensely with our friends. In the morning and in the evening, eating outside on the lovely terrace by the kitchen. We enjoyed the Chef at home, who came to cook for us, she set the table so beautifully and served delicious dishes and wines. Then we turned on the music and danced under the stars. We cycled on electric bicycles through the beautiful surroundings with a wine tasting and a special lunch along the way. We received a cooking workshop from Paola, where we learned to make pasta ourselves. These were all suggestions from Miranda, great that we could arrange all of that! It were great two weeks.
Family Gautschi, October 2022, Switzerland:
We can certainly recommend this house. Good location, well furnished and decorated. If you are with several people, you can withdraw in various places. There are many cozy outdoor places to sit!
Joseph, June 2019, Germany:
We've been there for one week with three families, 6 adults & 7 kids (aged 2 -9) and it was amazing. The pool was fantastic and the main attraction for all of us. The interior is spacious and stylish but also comfortable. There is enough space for everyone and it was easy to cook in the well-equipped kitchen. The view on the top of the hill is really inspiring and the kids made friends with the animals in the neighborhood. We're looking forward to coming back! Thank you Miranda and Mathieu for this relaxing week!
De Kort Family, September 2018, Netherlands:
Comfortable holiday house with private pool that was cleaned and taken care off properly. Style of the house suits the region and environment. Charming terraces with enough space for many guests. Beautiful ping pong table, and we appreciated the dishwasher and washing machine. Arrangements that were made have been followed up as agreed. We have enjoyed the house with 8 adults and a baby. Weather was good.
Hoek Familie, August 2018, Netherlands:
Fantastic!!!
Had a great holiday with 7 adults and 2 children. Enjoyed the house with the private pool in stunning surroundings.
Letty, September 2018, Netherlands:
One of a kind!
We have had a top week and would love to come back!
Annika, October 2018, Finland:
A charming house in a quiet location. The views were amazing, even though in October we had some cloudy days. The house was big enough for two families with teenagers to have a comfortable stay. The tips provided by Miranda were very useful and made our stay very smooth. We drove around quite a lot, as the location was so good - the Barolo hills, Serravalle outlet, Asti & Alba and even to the Mediterranean for a swim. A big shop was about 10 min away by car and we had a nice barbecue at the house. As you can expect in October, the floors were cold - so bring a pair of slippers with you! Big thanks for Miranda & Mathieu for renting the beautiful house!
Gerards family, June 2022, Netherlands:
Enjoyed a beautiful house in beautiful green surroundings, a paradise! House is very attractive and fully equipped. Pool is beautiful and well maintained. House and garden offer the possibility to relax in different places. Wonderful bike ride through the wine regions of Acqui Terme. Enjoyed wines and beautiful fresh products that the Piedmont has to offer!
Phinney family, October 2022, USA:
Miranda's house was the perfect stay in Arzello. Nice, clean and cozy. Checking in and out is easy and we had zero issues during our stay. We'll be back for sure!
Rachael, UK, May 2019:
This house is the dream. Perfect mix of modern and rustic. We felt very at home during our stay and the communication with the host was perfect, even allowing us to change around with dates with no hassle. Excellent villa, beautiful pool and even better hosts.
Isak, juni 2019, Zweden:
We had an amazing week at Poggio Maria. The house was beautiful, well cleaned and the perfect size for 2 families (9 guests). The large pool and ping pong table was much appreciated by the kids! There were plenty of little villages around the area to visit, some closer to the house than others, and a giant food store just a 10-minute drive away. The beach was located a little further from the house, about an hour drive, but on the hottest of days, totally worth it. We visited the market in Acqui Terme which had great fresh commodities and lots of cozy coffee spots.
Katja, July 2018, Denmark:
This house is very beautiful and full of "ambience", It´s located on a small hilltop with a beautiful view over the lush green hills of Acqui Terme. This region is much less touristed than Tuscany and the location of the house is close to many enchanting hilltowns, wineyards, Alba, Asti, the Ligurian Sea. The big and beautiful pool is great for both adults and youngs. We took many walks in the nearby hills, and bought fresh peaches from the farmer next door. I would recommend this house - and region - very much!
Søren, July 2018, Denmark:
HEAVEN ON EARTH!
We spend one week in july 2018 in this house and we LOVED it. The house, pool, interior and location was love at first sight. We had no problems with either the house or the landlord. A minor detail is the location of the house - it´s not on Google Maps but the owner was very helpful (again). We hardly left the house for one week - we spent the time at the pool and by the BBQ. I highly recommend the house! 6 out of 5 stars.
Magdalena, September 2022, Germany:
This is a wonderful place to spend time with people you like! There are more than enough places in and outside the house, where you can enjoy together or alone!
Family de Hond, August 2021:
“It really is a beautiful house in an absolutely unique place. We were three families and we really enjoyed it here. The house is very tastefully decorated and is really fully equipped. Comfy beds and a lovely kitchen where everything you need is also available. We ended up spending most of the time outside. In addition to the large swimming pool, there is also a nice sitting area and a very cozy place to eat outside. We had never been to this part of the Piemonte, but the landscape is really unbelievably beautiful: a green patchwork of small vineyards. We were super excited and definitely want to come back again. And also recommend everyone to do the same. This house is a 100 percent recommendation!“
Jensen Family, June 2019: Denmark:
Absolute best location and very nice house. The surroundings and views are spectacular. The house itself was very cosy and authentic.
Ruesink Family, May 2019, Netherlands:
Had a lovely stay in this beautiful villa with our family (9 persons, parents, children, grand children) . A great place with spectacular viewes. Well cleaned house with all requirements that made our stay comfortable, enough space for a large group of people. In the neighbourhood livingly and vibrant cities like Acqui Terme and Alba. Piemontese food is the best. A tour with e-bikes highly recommendable to enjoy this great landscape to the max.
Koeman Family, April 2019, Netherlands:
We had a great week in Poggio Maria. Fantastic in every way! We are still enjoying every minute. Our children and grandchildren are also very enthusiastic, it was a perfect week! We enjoyed the house!! Every day we saw deer, we heard the cuckoo and owls. We have always had a nice meal on one of the terraces or at the swimming pool. Delicious restaurants nearby, Il Giardinetto and Tre Colline but also Al Cascinone! Had a very nice wine tasting in Poggio and one at Torelli. The evening with in-house cook Paola was AWESOME! And every evening we walked up the mountain to enjoy the view! In short, a week where valuable memories have been created ! The deal is that we are going to save for the next time ... because we all started to love Piedmont and Poggio Maria!
Laetitia, France, August 2018:
Awesome !!! This house is great and quite suitable for holidays with family or friends. We were 3 couples with 6 children and spent a week relaxing around the pool and barbeque. The house is spacious, everyone had their space and the preparation of meals was facilitated by a very good equipment of kitchen utensils and crockery. We spent a lot of time around the pool cleaned regularly by Mario, a friend of the owners. The view is superb, giving 360° on the Piedmont valley. In short, happiness!
Pernilla, June 2018, Sweden:
Fantastic wonderful house with an amazing view .The house really breathes the region of Piedmont. We were completely in love with the interior of the house. One of the most cozy houses we have hired with a truly magical view. We were 3 families who never rented houses together before and we all knew we could relax without trampling each others toes, Lovely rooms with generous of Space. The house owners and hostesses were incredibly helpful, when needed. Well planned outside spaces where you could relax regardless of the mood. The house has all the conditions for a enjoyable moment. Best regards from Pernilla and company