Io e te is the name of one of the smallest restaurants in the world: it is located between Narni and San Gemini in the province of Terni in Umbria at Tenuta Marchesi Fezia. The idea of hosting the romantic restaurant strictly for two diners in an old renovated silo, with the exception of being able to bring your four-legged friend who is always welcome at Tenuta Marchesi Fezia, came to Monia Santini who, together with her husband and daughters, manages the country house immersed in the green Umbrian hills.
All speaks to heart at tenuta Marchesi Fezia
She had already spoken to me about it on the phone when we wanted to get to know each other before meeting. The impression had already been that of talking to a strong woman determined to create something different capable of attracting local and international tourism beyond the summer period in an area, that of central southern Umbria, which is not promoted in the right way and is less frequented than the areas around Lake Trasimeno or towns like Todi, Assisi, Gubbio or Spoleto. Monia is from Spoleto by birth and moved to Terni for love and in the city she worked for years in the public administration, so she knows both the potential of the territory and its problems well.
Thanks to an aperitif at sunset by the pool, we met in person and the pleasant chat gave us the opportunity to learn more about the history of Io e Te, of Tenuta Marchesi Fezia and also the personal history of Monia, a very beautiful and enterprising woman who also has a political career behind her, as head of external relations, vice president of the Province of Terni and municipal councilor of the Municipality of Terni, thanks to which she has cultivated a strategic vision of the future for a region that must focus on what it has to offer, between art, nature and culture without being overwhelmed by overtourism: in short, exactly what we like.
Returning to Io e Te, Monia told us about its evolution shortly before leaving us alone with our Otto inside the harvested silo for our candlelit dinner with background music, surrounded by hearts of all shapes and sizes. Io e Te represents the new life of a place destined for something else: it is in fact located inside a silo used as a warehouse for the crops of the properties of the Marquis Guerrino Fezia. It is said that right here, where the laborers stored their tools in the fields at the end of the day, couples often formed in secret and that many loves were born in these small towers away from prying eyes.
So Monia, who initially thought of making it a shop selling typical products, thought it was perfect for an exclusive service with staff dedicated only and exclusively to the couple who, in absolute privacy, enjoy every moment of the evening without any external disturbance. In fact, during dinner, the guests dictate the times, calling the waiter through an electronic device. Everything around is a hymn to romance, from the red furniture to the candle lighting, from the mirror for selfies to the arch with lanterns at the entrance to the driveway on which stands out the phrase from a poem by Alda Merini: “There is a place in the world where the heart beats strong”.
The romantic dinner is booked by very young people but also by older couples: this is testified by the phrases on the walls of the silo written directly on the wall or on the sheets available with lots of little adhesive hearts to stick them everywhere. Of course now there is ours too! Many future spouses who have made the promise of eternal love here – Monia confided to us.
Usually the menus, one based on meat and the other on fish, both rich in dishes with aphrodisiac properties, are composed of five fixed courses accompanied by wines. In our case we had the opportunity to choose à la carte enjoying the exquisite proposals of the chef. We had already tasted some of them during the dinner the previous day on the terrace of Il Ciliegiolo, the restaurant located in the main hall of the Estate where banquets and weddings are held that offers its guests menus that follow the rhythms of the seasons prepared with strictly local products.
In the middle of the gentle and sinuous hills with a panorama that embraces the surrounding territory that changes from yellow ochre to intense green, immersed in nature, there are the three farmhouses of Tenuta Marchesi Fezia that host the eight independent mini apartments equipped with kitchenette and simple and functional furnishings in line with the typical Umbrian taste of poor art and country style, usable both in B&B formula and in residence formula. The breakfast at Tenuta Marchesi Fezia is prepared and made available directly in the apartment allowing guests to prepare the first meal of the day in complete autonomy, without time restrictions.
For relaxation, guests can use the summer swimming pool, the open spaces and the suggestive views that surround the entire Estate a short distance from the Marmore Falls and the historic center of Narni, with its medieval streets and the charm of the underground city that we visited with our Otto.
Whether it’s a day, a weekend or a week, Tenuta Marchesi Fezia is an excellent solution for those who need to unplug, combining relaxation, tranquility and good food. The estate, while maintaining its rural vocation, is equipped with every comfort, including a swimming pool and padel courts.
Around a park where, without traveling, the gaze fades into different and remote worlds up to the sky that on June nights, when from the top of the hill the lights of Narni, even if close, seem more distant than the stars. But not so far away as to prevent you from making a wish: after all, in Terni, Saint Valentine has his home so in these parts love is celebrated every day of the year and Io e Te is ready to welcome it!
Tenuta Marchesi Fezia
Via Tiberina, Località San Bartolomeo (TR)
Info: +39 337 1443379
latenutamarchesifezia@gmail.com – tenutamarchesifezia.com
