We have chosen this name because this place enchanted us and the idea to share it with friends and guests brought us back a few years when in Baja California we stayed in a similarly-named beautiful b&b… El Encanto Inn!!

 

Well, we are in Italy, so why didn't we consider translating it? Actually we thought of it, but the result of a survey among friends removed all doubt… Encanto was the best choise!!

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Its history goes a long way…

 

The main building dates back to the 12th Century when it was used as a resting place for the pilgrims on the Canterbury to Rome Pilgrim’s Way (the Via Francigena official path is a bit different now). In 1300 it was inhabited by Franciscan monks, so the name Convent (that is how it is known in these vicinity) is not random and refers to some of its structural features.

 

Around the 17th Century the property was purchased (though we presume it was maybe seized without any regular transactions) by a local noble family, the Malaspinas whose crest is still above the stone fireplace. They used this residence and the stone cottage as their hunting lodge.

 

A couple of centuries later it became a smallholding. In what was once the chapel, was a dryer for chestnuts to make flour from them. There was also an oven used by all the inhabitants of Arlia. 

 

... In recent times ...

 

After being abandoned for 30 years, in 1988 a British family purchased the property and made it their vacation home. For over twenty years they enjoyed it and restructured it with love and dedication!!

 

And here we are ... our history together with the Encanto has starded…!!

 

From May 2015, after two years of careful work of recovery and restructuring with the primary objective of maintaining the old structure, the house is ready for a new life that, as in the past, is centered around the hospitality.