Tenuta Montelaura | Agri - Braceria e Agriturismo — Restaurant in Forino

We chose to overnight here due to the good reviews on this site. We really wondered if we had gone to the wrong hotel! The owners are very nice, but extremely scruffily dressed and didn't change their clothes while we were there. The rooms are basic, but comfortable and clean. However, we were expecting a wonderful dinner in a family style location, and the reality was very different.||||The dining area is huge with only about 20% being used giving a cold, unused feeling to the downstairs area. It is cold and dark with nothing homely about it. We were served a lovely pasta dish to start which we enjoyed and were looking forward to an Italian culinary experience. This didn't happen. The pasta was as good as it got. We were served and a lump of meat and a side salad drenched in vinegar! That was it. Then some fruit was put on the table, considering of apples and one pear. We were starving so we asked for some cheese. We were presented with a 3 tiny slices of home made cheese and again that was it. We ate the bread basket and went to bed hungry. Throughout the meal, the son and daughter sat behind a desk staring into space with looks of total boredom on their faces. Very off putting! ||||Breakfast was a cup of coffee and a pastry! That was it.... Hungry again.||||We were presented with a bill for €20 each for the dinner plus an additional €5 for the cheese, plus €10 per bottle for the home made wine. We felt ripped off. ||||It's hard to write a bad review for the Tenuta as the family were very nice people, but they could really up their game without too...

The moment we arrived we were welcomed by the owner and knew we'd made the right choice in staying at Tenuta Montelaura. My family and I were having a short break in the Italian countryside and stayed for one night at this hotel. ||The owner Lello took time out of his Saturday to drive us around Forino and Avenillo as we didn't have a car. This meant my dad could go horse riding and my mum and I could also visit a vineyard. It turns out that Lollo is also a Sommelier and has a keen interest in food. After horse riding he took us to a new pizzeria that had just opened as he wanted to try it out. Lello ordered with ease and we shared delicious pizza and tried some craft beer that he recommended. ||After lunch we went to his friends' vineyard where we had a tour of the vineyard and sampled local wine. It was a wonderful day and so unexpected that the owner would offer to drive us around. ||Dinner was delicious as well - simple homemade pasta and divine grilled pork with vegetables. All the produce was local and cooked to perfection by Lello's wife Flavia. We felt very welcome in their home. Naturally, wines were matched with the food and we had the privilege of trying wine made at their vineyard for dinner. ||It's a trip that I will remember forever and I applaud Lello on his patience in translating and taking the time out of his day to make sure that ours as was memorable. ||Definitely recommend...

This is a good ariturismo experience. It is a working farm, and the family lives and works here.||||The building is modern, only 10-15 years old, but it has a more rustic feel. The room can get a little dark and chilly in the offseason, though is it spotlessly maintained and large, with a lovely balcony. The bathrooms are fine. The B&B is not a place you would necessarily choose to spend the afternoon relaxing at, but it is certainly a comfortable enough place to stay a few nights while exploring things in the area and coming back to eat their wonderful dinners.||||The best part is the food and cooking. The food is largely taken from the farm itself, with meats, wine, cheese, etc. all produced right on site. The family is a farm family going back generations, and knows how to produce wonderful specialities you won't find in normal restaurants. And Flavia's cooking is really wonderful. She cooked local pastas we had never heard of before, with delicious little sauces accompanying them. Their kids do much of the serving -- it really has a warm family feel.||||Lello is brimming with restaurant tips for towns in the area. We tried one of his recommendations, and it was outstanding. He offered us a wine tour, and if we had known earlier, we would have budgeted time for it.||||There is minimal road noise, since the country road that passes by is removed...