"Staying at Oliveto is akin to travelling back in time. Sat on the patio looking out over nothing but countryside, whilst a turn of the head allows you to gaze up at the beautiful town of Mogliano, you feel a real bond with the environment. An area unspoilt by either heavy industry or tourism, this is Italy as Italy should be.

With a strong reliance on our Italian dictionary and phrase book, we would venture in to the traditional shops in Mogliano, and buy our produce fresh each day. Further afield lie the bigger supermarkets, but we had very little desire or need to visit these.

Mogliano has the perfect town centre, where the air of community pervades the environment. Happily sat outside the open-air pizzeria, watching more and more local families appear as the clock ticked ever closer to midnight. Never once did we feel unwelcome, and our children happily ignored the language barrier to play with the children of the local families that descended upon the square.

Back at the apartment, our first trip to Oliveto felt quite strange, as the apartment is adjoined to the owners house. For some this might not suit, but for us they helped make the holiday that much better - inviting us to eat with them on occasion in their cantina, and offering on the spot guidance as to places to go and see. More like staying with family friends, but friends that do not impose their presence on you.

It is the only place that we have stayed at where our children (11,9,7) could truly be children. With no flashing lights and entertainment directly on your doorstep, they soon learnt to entertain themselves - swimming, exploring, and even playing Cowboys and Indians (a past-time I had thought was long forgotten) - a real pleasure to witness, as we were able to truly relax without worrying about their wellbeing.

We enjoyed our stay so much that we did not hesitate to book again, and have spent two summers now enjoying all that Oliveto, the town of Mogliano and the region of Marche have to offer.

We look forward to going back again, and would not hesitate to recommend Oliveto to friends and family alike."