Hidden back in wood and gardens behind a farm pond, The Longbarn is the epitome of a country-elegant retreat. It takes a good imagination to visualize this architect-designed restoration as a barn, despite the abundant barn wood and a loft above the glamorous, soaring living room, with two separate sitting areas below. "This house just keeps going on and on," says Chiara as she shows the "dinette" used for breakfast beside her large kitchen at one end of the structure and the Garden Room guest quarters at the other end. Here you'll find a queensize bed dressed with a floral quilt and a down comforter, with matching pillows and fabric draped behind the bed.

Head upstairs to a loft dining area so big that the Langleys can entertain 40 for a Thanksgiving buffet dinner. It's warmed by a museum-quality art collection and terra cotta sculptures by Italian sculptor Don Gianni Gilli, whom Chiara enticed to Middleburg in 1994 to create similar works for St. Stephen the Martyr Church, built three decades earlier for the Kennedys. Off the loft is an expansive deck facing gardens, gazebo and pond. Beyond is the Blue Room, named for its blue metal bed, again with private bath. Adjacent is a third guest room that's sometimes pressed into use, when it's not serving as the hostess's laboratory (she used to work as a scientist). You get the idea that Chiara will do more with the house, which has five bedrooms and five bathrooms.

That's the way to go, given the serene setting and the classical music that plays throughout the house. Chiara serves a lavish continental breakfast -- from cereal to croissants, "everything but eggs." She has been known to give complimentary facials to guests, and sometimes a friend presents piano concerts in the great room. "We do enjoy this house," she says. "It's like living inside a violin, with all this wood paneling. It's such a joy to be here."

To Loudoun Country Bed & Breakfast Guild,

The stresses of our daily rat race prompted my wife and I to look for a place to get away from it all. Thanks to your guide, we found the Longbard of Day Spring in Middleburg, Virginia. We arrived Friday evening. Our Italian hostess and her lovely estate made us feel as if we'd flown to Europe for the weekend. The rooms were spacious, quiet and comfortable and tastefully decorated. I had the best night's sleep I've had in years. In the morning, after a hearty continental breakfast, I relaxed with a good book, from the extensive library, under the shade of some very large hardwood trees, surrounded by English gardens. Around chapter five, I moved to the gazebo and watched the ducks on the pond for a moment before returning to my reading. My wife brought her watercolors and was in a "painters heaven" with all the captivating scenery surrounding the estate. In the afternoon, we traveled into the historic town of Middleburg to visit sites, shop and enjoy the fine dining. We purchased a few antique pieces for our home and my wife found a lovely white summer dress at a quaint little shop. During dinner we decided that for our last day at the Longbarn, we would renew our wedding vows in the Corn Crib Chapel. Our hostess helped find an official for the event and on Sunday afternoon, we were married all over again. The Longbarn has become a very special place for us. We now return a couple times each year to relax and enjoy the serenity, charm and for us, nostalgic setting.

We sincerely thank Chiara Langley for her wonderful hospitality, and the LCB&B guild for helping us find the perfect getaway.

Mr. & Mrs. S. Alfred Tatina