Maso Zandonai or Hayloft in Rovereto is a perfect place for anyone planning on exploring this part of Italy. The name is a direct reference to the property’s farming history and character. It is built in a local traditional style putting under one roof place for people, livestock and crops. At one point of its history the property served as a hostel for pilgrims so it has some resemblance to a fortified gest house. There is also a bell tower, a remnant of a small church built for the spiritual consolation of travelers and locals.The house tracing back its origins to XII century has been renovated with great care love and passion by the young owners Michela and Lorenzo. They are great hosts, really in love with the place and the region and breaming with the passion to create something unique and memorable. They have put a lot of effort to bring back the original craftmanship of ancient builders so you have a beautiful old masonry and carpentry in its original austere beauty. Our apartment was a very large bedsitter with high celling (the former hay storage place) with a lot of air and light. It is equipped with all necessary modern utensils, and adds a big TV and wireless speaker for entertainment. The house stands right in the middle of a vineyard and apple orchard and you can enjoy pastoral scenery right at your doorstep. Although the house sits on a busy provincial road the industrious ingenuity of old builders almost perfectly insulates it from the outside noise and you can enjoy peace and relaxed air. The owners sell they grapes to a local cooperative Balter consistently ranked among top winemakers in the region. So, you can enjoy top quality Trentodoc (sparkling wine made in a champenois way) at more than reasonable price.
Maso Zandonai is located at the northern outskirts of Rovereto, itself a small but well kept and elegant city. If you indulge with wine and food a two kilometer stroll in each way is a good wash to your consciousness. Trentino is a region with thousands of years of cultivating enterpreneourship and lifestyle so in the city you have two top class art museums, a castle, and a few good restaurants, bars and delicatessens. Rovereto serves very suitably as a base to explore the Trentino region, lake Garda, southern part of the South Tirol province (for the wine and wurst aficionados!). Verona and northern Veneto is just an hour drive. There are houndreds of kilometers of bike roads to enjoy the nature and beauty of the Dolomites.
The only thing for a true purist is that southern part of the house borders a backyard of the neighboring farm so you see a rather unkept stuff for agriculture use. We did not bother, because the house otherwise has all that makes a perfect stay.
Many thanks for a great holiday!