A few days ago a couple of guests here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House in Umbria, Italy enquired about a flight in a microlite, and so I called my neighbour who just happens to build them and organised a flight. Aimaro not only builds microlites but is also is a qualified pilot and instructor, and a real enthusiastic guy and very keen to promote his sport and pastime.  Thus at the appointed hour off we headed to the local airstrip at Cipolleto just outside Gubbio and met Aimaro and his machine.

Three of us in turn each took tandem flights, flying over both Gubbio and to Valdichiascio and Bellaugello.  The air was relatively calm as clouds scudded high overhead in the azure skies, some of the turns were tight, one of us in particular wanted more tight turns, but Aimaro was reluctant to subject novices to real scary stuff. It was a tremendous experience, exhillarating, awesome, to be in such a small craft flying high and going just where we pleased.  Definately one that we all decided to repeat.

It has really set me thinking about an adventure week holiday here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House.  Aimaro is keen also to offer guests at Bellaugello a course of lessons to full pilot qualification, ( he has the advantage of being fluent in both English and French as well as his native Italian) why not come and join me I am seriously thinking of signing up.  Email me at info@bellaugello.com for further details and costs.

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A tutti I CIOCCOLATADIPENDENTI la fuori. Prenotate la vostra vacanza a Bellaugello Gay Guest House in tempo per l’ orgasmica festa del cioccolato che si terrá a Perugia quest’anno dal 15 al 24 ottobre.

Le strade e le piazze del Centro Storico di Perugia traboccheranno letteralmente di ogni tipo di cioccolato che si possa immaginare e Bellaugello, con il suo ambiente bello e tranquillo, si trova a soli 40 minuti in auto da Perugia. Il luogo perfetto per assaporare segretamente le delizie del cioccolato.

Per saperne di più su Eurochocolate 2010 Clicca sul link nel mio blog.
Per prenotare la tua Suite a Bellaugello e partecipare ad una delle cene al cioccolato che realizzerò a Bellaugello, clicca sulla pagina delle prenotazioni e inviami un email. Offerte a partire da € 210,00 a coppia per due pernottamenti, prima colazione e cena.

Affrettati, finché c’è ancora disponibilità.

Thanks to my good friend Adolfo for the Italian translation

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All you CHOCAHOLICS out there get your holidays booked here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House in time for EUROCHOCOLATE the orgasmic chocolate festival held in PERUGIA this year between 15 & 24 October.

The streets and Piazzas of the Centro Storico of Perugia will literally be overflowing with every kind of chocolate imaginable, and Bellaugello in its olvely tranquil setting is a mere 40 minutes drive from Perugia and a perfect place to secretly munch on chocolate

To find out more about Eurochocolate 2010 click on the link on my blog  To Book your Suite at Bellaugello and participate in one of the chocolate dinners I will be hosting here, click on the bookings page and send me an email. Packages start from €210.00 per couple for two nights accommodation, breakfast and dinner – hurry while there is still availability

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There was a double celebration yesterday here in Valdichiascio near Gubbio in Umbria, Italy.

My great friends Luca and Valentina were married and shortly after had their son, Pietro baptised, a cause for a major party.

Luca flies helicopters for the Corpo Forestale, and in every sense of the word has a sense of adventure and over-abundant generosity, which to me is complimented by Valentina’s sense of humour, infinite patience and fantstic sense of fun.  They are a great couple and organised a superb evening to which they invited over 200 friends.  It seemed like the whole of Valdichiascio were there present, along with Luca and Valentina’s familes, and work colleagues and friends.  Guys staying here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House, were all invited to the party by the bride and groom, (thanks Luca and Valentina, they really had a fantastic time) and had a chance to mix with the locals and meet many of my cool neighbours.

Catering was by Sabrina and Calaudia of my favourite restaurant, ‘Bargello‘ in Gubbio, and  music by local dj.  The entire evening was held outdoors in the garden with tables bedecked with organza and groaning with food and wines.  To the north over the Apeninnes rumbled unheard a large storm, the clouds illuminated vivid oranges by the distant lightning, very dramatic and quite spectacular, but overhead here a magical cloudless starry sky.

Oh and I just had to wear my kilt and be photographed with the Bride

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For your delectation a couple of pictures of Gubbio our local town here in Umbria Italy, a short drive from Bellaugello Gay Guest House.

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You know that photo for the cover of ‘Time Magazine’, yes that one…

Well the city of Perugia is currently hosting a fabulous show of the photographs by Steve McCurry.  Guests here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House have been to the show and wax lyrical about it.

Here’s the link:  Steve McCurry in Perugia

It is not on for much longer, so hurry book a flight, a bed at Bellaugello Gay Guest House and visit..

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Today the guys here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House related their various stories of the funivia in Gubbio.

There is a large hill that rises behind the medieval city of Gubbio and there are three ways of getting to the top – walk, drive or take the funivia.

The cable-way runs from just outside the centro storico to the summit near the church of San Ubaldo.  It is kinda old fashioned in that it runs continiously and you have to step into the cars, well they are not really cars they are more like cages, in fact they are cages suspended from the moving cable.

There are two ways of looking at the ride, the first is it might not be for the faint hearted or those that suffer from vertigo, the other is that it gives you plenty of time to enjoy the panorama over the cotto roofs of Gubbio whilst hugging your man tightly, personally I opt for the second choice.

Once at the top there are a selection of restaurants, of course the church of San Ubaldo with its simple but pleasing cloister, and a lovely walk downhill through the trees past the three chapels and back into the city near the catherdral.

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Umbria Jazz is now in full swing in the beautiful university city of Perugia, Umbria.

Two weeks of concerts, live music in the streets and general jollity.  Friends went the other evening and heard Mark Knopfler play then wandered in the main Corso in the historic centre of Perugia, a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Bellaugello Gay Guest House is only 40 minutes drive from Perugia, and a tranquil base for UmbriaJazz.

For more information on UmbriaJazz check out the link on this page

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Just started last weekend with a Schumann recital by Angela Hewitt in the castle of the Knights of Malta at Magione, is the fabulous Trasimeno Music Festival.

This festival is held in many wonderous locations around Lago Trasimeno near Perugia ands is a must for classical music lovers.   Bellaugello Gay Guest House is a good base especially for the concerts held in nearby Gubbio.

Here is a link to the programme for 2010:  Trasimeno Music Festival Programme 2010

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It has been another glorious day here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House near Gubbio in Umbria.  From early morning the sun shone and whilst all around was a flurry of activity time was found here in Valdichiscio to chill and relax.

This saturday there is a party to mark the tenth anniversary of a local farmers’ market.  All are invited to join in the celebrations at an all day event which includes music, dancing, and of course lots of yummy home-made produce, sounds to me like a day of bio-ecological over indulgence here in Umbria

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