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Imagine staying in an historic villa atop a hill in the Umbrian countryside - listening to birdsong as you drink your morning coffee on the terrace, sipping an aperitivo at dusk under a gazebo smothered in jasmine, and being looked after by warm, friendly hosts.
That's a vacation, an idyll, an oasis of tranquility.
Enjoy the gentle pleasures of a house furnished with European antiques, comfortable beds and down-filled sofas. Cool off in a tiled swimming pool set in an olive grove. Linger over a meal grilled in an open fireplace over olive-wood coals.
And, if you can tear yourself away from this haven, close by you can explore some of the most beautiful medieval villages and towns on this planet, together containing an estimated 20 percent of the world's artistic heritage. You could build a lazy day around a superb lunch at either a modest family trattoria or a sophisticated restaurant, or visit an outdoor market or shop selling antiques, hand painted ceramics, linens, leather, cashmere, olive wood and other traditional crafts.
Or, just head out the back door on a country walk through a landscape seemingly cut and pasted from a Renaissance masterpiece.
We welcome you with the traditional hospitality of the Umbrian people.
Come, be our guest.
The Villa and Park: Built in the Italian Liberty style in 1918 as the residence of the "padrone", or wealthy landowner, of the surrounding farms and vineyards, Villa Gioianna is one of the few grand houses of its type in the area. The Villa has been renovated and updated with respect and sympathy for the original architecture and retains the warmth and ambience of a family country home. Terracotta and hand-painted tile floors, whitewashed walls, walnut doors and wood-beamed ceilings form a simple background for the elegant but comfortable antiques and textiles furnishing the rooms.
The Villa is approached via an avenue of cypresses and lime trees and sits in a mature park of four and a half acres of woods, vineyards, olive groves, fruit trees and flower gardens on a hill above Lago Trasimeno. The gardens are landscaped with carefully selected flowers and herbs in order to provide maximum fragrance as well as color and shade. Villa Gioianna is a small working estate that produces its own olive oil, grapes, fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs.
Location: Villa Gioianna is located near the shores of Lake Trasimeno, on the western edge of Umbria and a stone's throw from the Tuscan/Umbrian border. A few kilometers away are the Etruscan town of Chiusi and its excellent train connections to all destinations on the Naples-Milan high-speed train line, including Rome, Florence and Orvieto. Chiusi also provides convenient access to the Autostrada del Sole (the A-1 highway). Within an hour's drive are many historic Umbrian and Tuscan hill towns such as Assisi, Arezzo, Cortona, Montepulciano, Orvieto, Pienza, Perugia, Deruta, Spello and Montalcino, as well as other less well-known, but equally charming, smaller villages. Many of central Italy's other leading historical and cultural centers (Rome, Florence, Todi, Siena, Spoleto, Gubbio and Urbino) can be reached in less than two hours.
The nearest major airports are Rome, Pisa and Florence. Each is about a one and a half to two hour drive away. Bologna is a bit farther, but still feasible (approximately two and a half hours). Perugia airport is the closest (about 40 minutes). It services primarily charter and Italian domestic flights, but as of December 2006, Ryanair introduced regularly scheduled budget flights from London to Perugia.
The medieval town of Castiglione del Lago is the nearest market town (6 km). Designated as one of "I Borghi più belli d'Italia" (the most beautiful towns in Italy), it sits high on an olive tree-covered promontory jutting into the west side of the lake. The town's magnificent medieval castle and frescoed palace dominate one end of the old town center, and the 19th century church of Santa Maria Magdalena the other. In between are a number of small shops, restaurants, cafés, bars and bakeries. Castiglione del Lago provides easy access to the superstrada linking Perugia and eastern Umbria to Siena, Chianti and western Tuscany, and is the embarkation point for one of the ferries servicing the lake islands. |
