Hospitality made authentic
Carma R.Elais opens its doors
After twenty years of producing award winning olive oil, Carma R.Elais is finally opening its doors to those who would like to stay in a working organic olive grove with stunning views to enjoy the scenery, the silence and – if our guests so desire – great places to visit and home to a wealth of culinary specialties.
There is definitely magic in the canyons surrounding the Etruscan hill-top village of Civita di Bagnoregio, where, as the name suggests, kings came to take a bath in ancient times. Rediscover light, uncontaminated ways of traveling, exploring hidden places, which the Lazio region on a broader scale still offers. Be surprised by an unexpected and under explored piece of the world and a friendliness of local inhabitants long thought disappeared.
Hospitality
Carma R.Elais – for the time being – has one villa and a one-bedroom apartment located in the olive grove that along with a swimming pool are part of the hospitality project. A third house that is at the highest point of the property, will be added, in a year or so.
The estate has the benefits of complete privacy and flexibility, with your own dedicated space to relax, dine, swim and catch up with family and friends. A stylish space to share memories and adventures in a breath-taking spot. Yet you are part of a bigger project, a working organic olive oil farm with five full time staff members taking care of the land, pruning and grooming for the harvest to come. The same five young men, along with the owners, are happy to assist you with your request for a unique and most satisfying stay.
Our narrative seeps into so many elements of design, sustainability, solitude, tucked away in a secluded world of its own, evoking a sense of scenic escapism.
Our history
Tenuta di Carma has a far less spiritual meaning than one might think. When over twenty years ago, Giulio Figarolo di Gropello and Gianluca Pizzo discovered the abandoned property with the most fantastic view on Civita di Bagnoregio overlooking the canyons called Calanchi – little known and even less traveled by visitors back then – they went to have a look around with the neighbour of the property. Nino, an old and very wise man who has a big orchard and grows his vegetables in the most natural possible way: “you kill the parasites with your two fingers,” he says.
So, Nino listens to the two men dreaming of olive groves with an in-house mill, award winning olive oil and a hospitality project further down the line and says: “Si, ma con molta calma…”. But the local dialect transforms the “l” into an “r”, and thus his suggestions to do things with a lot of patience and perseverance, as wise old people often do. A name was found for the property that became the Tenuta di Carma. We called our hospitality project Carma R.Elais. The Carma – at this point – is explained. R.Elais is a tribute to Elais – the goddess of the olives. Today, our olive oil has a solid customer base including five-star hotel, Michelin star restaurants.
Our wish is that Carma R.Elais becomes as irreplaceable as our olive oil is: an escape that our guests would never want to leave.
The discovery of a healthy sense of disconnection. A place that becomes an adopted home. An ethereal location that entices all silence-seekers and hidden treasure hunters to this soul-opening beauty. A closing note on our project: Carma R.Elais is enough of a nomad hub – for its limited size alone – for us to be committed not to change that with our presence or our guests’. It’s a tiny ecosystem, and we put a lot of energy into keeping it all organic, authentic and confined. We are not looking for the big or noisy crowds but those who are content to just be, aware of every moment looking for a connection with nature or themselves.