I stayed here four nights as part of a group booking. For location and views, this place is unbeatable. The village of Apricale is unique in that all the streets and dwellings I saw were the original medieval set on a steep hillside. There are amazing views of the countryside from most levels of the village. The owners have taken a lot of thought in modernising these houses and each one in this Albergo Diffuso is different. How they have done this on 11th century design footprint is amazing.
The rooms I saw among our group ranged from luxury & spacious to small and basic, (one had a bathroom outside and up stairs) so check out what your particular room offers.
The breakfast room is in a separate house in the middle of the village. Breakfast offered quite a few choices.
I was allocated an attic room accessed by a steep circular staircase on the edge of the village furthest away from the breakfast room and the main Piazza. (Stoppino Rosa). It took a good ten minutes to walk from my room to the breakfast room and I arrived puffed out because of the steep terrain.
So - you need to be young, fit and able to cope well with steep, narrow, winding streets (some of which are more like a tunnel) paved with uneven stone cobbles. You also need sensible sturdy shoes, and go light on luggage. because you are at high altitude, bring a warm layer. I had left my warm things (worn only on the long plane journey from New Zealand) in Rome and felt cold in September, especially at night. I am an older but fit traveller and have to say I found aspects of my stay here quite challenging, and sometimes hazardous.
My room had a deep bath with a shower fitting sitting in a cradle on the top edge of the bath. I never figured out how to use it. The sloping ceiling did not allow for a stand up shower (& there was no shower curtain so the water went everywhere). A kneeling shower was the best I managed. If you sat down you ended up sitting in a cold bath. The water was sometimes warm, other times cold. There was no functioning plug in the basin. A kettle with tea & coffee bags was provided. The hairdryer came apart in my hands when I tried to use it. The queen size bed was comfortable.
I found it restricting to have to get back to my room while it was still daylight because it was quite dangerous to negotiate the uneven terrain in low light conditions, in some parts in the dark. So having a drink with others in my group in the main Piazza at the end of the days itinerary away from Apricale was out of the question.
There are some good eating options in Apricale. We dined twice at different restaurants near the main piazza. Both were very good.
