Who are we?
Nice to meet you! We are Torben Heerze (53) and Klaartje Heerze-te Winkel (50), we are the owners of 7 holiday apartments within 1 beautiful villa with swimming pool called Casa San Carlo, situated right on the border with Tuscany. We are originally Dutch, but we emigrated from The Netherlands to Italy in 2008, to a small town called Monteleone d’Orvieto in the region of Umbria. We have lived and worked here ever since with our two daughters, who are now both teenagers. To make sure that during our tourist season we, as a family, can also enjoy some privacy, we do not live at Casa San Carlo, but rent a house along the road, withing walking distance.
How it all began
In 2006, after spending numerous holidays in Italy, we decided that we wanted to live and work here. We had always had a ‘soft spot’ fort he region Umbria, also know as the Green Heart of Italy. In February 2007 we first laid eyes on Casa San Carlo, and we fell in love. The impressive villa, consisting of 6 apartments and a little separate studio, had all the exact qualities that we were looking for in a possible rental business. Its location was stunning, it had beautiful views, it had a large swimming pool, spacious apartments fort he guests and a communal dining area, a large roofed terrace….We took the plunge and 1 year later we signed the notary deed. We could start our new adventure in life! We lef tour jobs in The Netherlands, sold our house and packed up all of our stuff and our six-months old baby daughter, and started a new life in Umbria.
Making you feel at home
Right from the start, from our very first tourist season in 2008, our aim was to turn Casa San Carlo into a ‘home away from home’ for all of our guests. We have tried to create a relaxed, familiar, friendly atmosphere in Casa San Carlo, making sure everyone is comfortable and feels at home. Over the years, many of our guests have become returning guests, some of them even dear friends. This is exactly what we hoped for when we started renting out Casa San Carlo 17 years ago. We have never consciously tried to ‘create a concept’, to use a marketing term. We have simply worked hard to be able to live the lives that we wanted to create for ourselves and our daughters, while making sure that our guests can enjoy our lovely region alongside with us.
Casa San Carlo is ideal for both individual travellers and for bigger groups. We rent out the 7 apartments separately, but the whole villa can also be booked exclusively. We have been lucky to have received many different ‘types’ of guests over the past 17 years.
We also host intimate weddings at Casa San Carlo: as a weddingplanner, Klaartje organizes everything for the brides and grooms, making sure their wedding day is exactly what they had envisioned. Torben, as a wine sommelier, organizes special Culinary Wine Trips and we accommodate yearly Yoga Retreats . Our aim is to share Casa San Carlo with many different guests, so that a wide variety of people can enjoy Umbria in all its beauty.
During the months of April May, June, September, October and November, we receive guests of all ages with all sorts of interests. People who like culture and want to visit the cities and villages around us, people who like to go on long nature walks or go cycling, young couples with their toddlers who want to relax by the pool… During our High Season (July and August) we only accomodate families (with children between 0 and 16 years old).
We look forward to welcoming you at Casa San Carlo!
Torben & Klaartje
Personal CONTACT WITH ALL GUESTS
If you want to book your stay at Casa San Carlo, you can easily do so through the automatic bookings system on our website. All of the booking requests are handled by KLaartje personally. This way, she can guarantee dat we can offer you the type of holiday or stay at Casa San Carlo that you look for! By responding to all emails personally, she can advise you about the best apartment for your travelling party, listen to any preferences you may have and give you tips on what to expect (and what not to expect) from your stay at Casa San Carlo.