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New B&B opens near Valley wineries
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Jan Pumphrey, left, and Brenda Hernan, co-managers of the Bella Fattoria bed and breakfast, 14560 Ellsworth Road, Berlin Center, display one of three guest rooms in their newly opened establishment, where an open house will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
BERLIN CENTER
People visiting Lake Milton and Berlin Reservoir and the wineries near them have a new and convenient overnight lodging option available to them in rural western Mahoning County.
The newly opened establishment is the Bella Fattoria bed and breakfast at 14560 Ellsworth Road in front of the Mastropietro Winery.
Translated from Italian to English, Bella Fattoria means “beautiful farmhouse” and accurately reflects the location of the bed and breakfast in a 19th-century farmhouse, where an open house will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The Mastropietro Winery, owned by Dan and Marianne Mastropietro, also will be open during the open house.
Each of Bella Fattoria’s three guest rooms has its own private bath, smart TV and fireplace. The house also offers free Wi-Fi.
Two of the guest rooms, a backyard deck and an upstairs sitting room overlook Mastropietro’s vineyards.
A ramp makes the first-floor living room, dining area, deck and guest room handicapped-accessible.
The Mastropietros sold the farmhouse to Bob and Brenda Hernan, who operate the bed and breakfast and market it as a destination for a romantic getaway or celebration of a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion.
“It’s a blend of the old and the new, so we have all the conveniences of our time, blended with antiques to create a romantic experience,” said Jan Pumphrey, innkeeper.
“We tried to keep the old woodwork — the floors. Whatever we could keep, we tried to keep,” in the old farmhouse, which has a slate roof, Brenda Hernan said.
On weekends, the winery features live music, either indoors, or outdoors, depending on the time of year and the weather. The annual hot air balloon festival, which draws thousands of visitors to the winery, will take place in August.
In season, Lake Milton and Berlin Reservoir offer boating, fishing, swimming and waterskiing, with hiking and bicycling opportunities along their shorelines.
Also nearby are the Noah’s Lost Ark Animal Sanctuary and the Vickers Nature Preserve, with its adjacent Buckeye Horse Park.
Bella Fattoria is within 10 miles of six wineries, including Mastropietro.
The MetroParks Bikeway, a 14-mile, asphalt-paved bicycle trail from Canfield to Niles is 15 minutes away by car.
The bed and breakfast, where accommodations will be available only by reservation, will display the works of local artists, which are available for purchase; and it will feature the products of local farms in its breakfasts.
“We want to promote local everything: local foods, local art, local attractions,” Brenda Hernan said.
Nightly room rates, including breakfast, range from $85 to $150 during the winter, depending on the day of the week and which room is rented.
Summer rates will vary between $115 and $200, likely peaking at $250 per night for special events, such as the balloon festival, Brenda Hernan said.
Dan Mastropietro said the bed and breakfast will help his winery. “People travel to bed and breakfasts for the different activities around [it]. ... It’ll help us when we host weddings at the winery. They have a place to stay” overnight.