Villa on hill top overlooking vinyards, other crop fields and Tiber valley
Location: Orvieto, Umbria, Italy, Europe (1 Hour by Train from Rome.)
Accommodations: Villa, 6 Bedrooms + Office, 6 Baths (Sleeps 12)
Keywords: Villa
Villa del Sogno captures the essence of Umbria, the province known as the green heart of Italy. The large restored stone farmhouse sits high on a hill overlooking the Tiber River Valley, and is surrounded by vineyards that produce the famed Orvieto Classico white wine.
Villa del Sogno is a quiet, peaceful oasis in the midst of vineyards about two miles from a main route that leads to the hill town of Orvieto. Only an hour by train to Rome and two hours to Florence, it is a convenient location for many sightseeing excursions. The Orvieto train station is 10 minutes from the house and has a free parking lot.
Orvieto is a wonderful town for shopping, eating, and wandering. The cathedral is located in the heart of the town and is considered to be the best Gothic church in Italy. There are also underground caves to explore, other small churches, lovely shops, restaurants, wine bars, and gelaterias. There is a renowned outdoor market twice a week in the Piazza del Popolo, and views that range from glances down classic, minute Italian streets to scans over the ramparts to the valley below.
Villa del Sogno has been carefully restored. The architecture is still that of a classic stone house, while the sunny interiors have been updated. White walls and chestnut beams frame contemporary and comfortably furnished rooms. The open kitchen is decorated with blue and white Florentine tiles and is superbly equipped (one of the owners was the editor-in-chief of Food & Wine magazine) with a large stove, marble island, and two refrigerators. The villa's cook, Alexandra, is available(at clients' expense) upon request. Her wonderfully varied menus can be served at the dining table or outside on a stone table under the pergola.
The house has three separate terraces so there is ample space for privacy as well as entertaining. The swimming pool is on its own terrace with a pergola for dining and hammocks for afternoon naps. There are chaises with awning covers and large white umbrellas to provide shade.
An English house manager will greet you on your arrival and be available to help you with local information and reservations. There is a complimentary food and basket for you to enjoy at your leisure. Villa del Sogno is a beautiful destination where you can relax, dine, and soak in Italy.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Air Conditioning : Available in main bedrooms. Ceiling fans in every bedroom.
- Linens Provided : Linens are top-of-the-line American brands. Pool towels are provided for each guest.
- Washer (2) : One in main house and one in independent apartment.
- Off Street Parking
- Wood Fireplace (4) : Three fireplaces in main house, one in apartment.
- Beds
- Queen Bed : All main bedrooms can be made up as queen-size or as two single beds as clients prefer.
- Double Bed
- Twin/Single Bed : Two single-bedded rooms in main house. Beds can also be combined in main bedrooms to be used as queen-size beds.
- Entertainment
- Cable/Satellite TV
- DVD
- VCR
- CD Player
- Music Library
- Private Pool
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen (2) : Excellent range of equipment including food processor and blender. Main kitchen fireplace has a grille. Apartment also has full kitchen and dining area.
- Cooking Utensils Provided : Good and varied pots and pans including le Creuset, cast iron and terra cotta.
- Refrigerator (3) : One fridge in main house has large freezer capacity. One fridge in apartment.
- Dishwasher
- Catering Available : Available with extra charge.
- Outdoor Features
- Charcoal BBQ Grill : American Weber grill.
- Deck/Patio : Extensive tiled terraces surround house.
- Balcony : Tiled terrace balcony off master bedroom with outdoor stairs to lower level. Furnished for lounging and dining
- Lanai (2) : One with table that seats 12 outside dining room doors.
- Gazebo : Poolside with dining table to seat six.
- View/Location
- Lake View : View of lake Corbara in distance.
- Water View
- Mountain View
- Communications
- Telephone (3)
- Cell Phone (2)
- Broadband Internet : DSL with router.
- Other Amenities
- -Housekeeping four hours, twice a week (more available on request). -Welcome basket. -Pool Changing Room. -Vegetable Garden and Fruit Trees available for tenant use. -Artists Studio Space (available upon request). -Central Heating and Additional Room Heaters. -Screens on all bedroom and bathroom windows. -Hairdryers in every bathroom. -Three wood burning fireplaces.
- Suitability
- No Pets Allowed
- Handicapped Accessible (may have limitations)
- Kid Friendly
- Minimum Age Limit for Renters
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities
- Tennis
- Shopping
- Swimming
- Biking
- Mountain Biking
- Wildlife Viewing
- Antiquing
- Horseback Riding
- Hiking
- Restaurants
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Museums
- Other Activities
- -Appropriate day trips include: Assisi, Perugia, Spoleto, Banoregio, Deruta, Viterbo, Sorano, Pitigliano, Siena, Florence, Rome, Tarquinia, Todi, Basci, Porto Santo Stefano, and many other small hilltown villages in Umbria, Tuscany, Lazio. -Wealth of local restaurants. -Local festivals and open markets throughout spring, summer and fall seasons. -15 minute drive to Orvieto center. -10 minute drive to supermarket shopping.
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
Mar 06-Apr 09.. Main House - $4750/week .. Apartment - $1500/week.
Apr 09-May 14 .. Main House - $5250/week .. Apartment - $1750/week.
May 14-Sep 17 .. Main House - $6000/week .. Apartment - $2000/week.
All other periods are negotiable.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Property Photos
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- Villa on hill top overlooking vinyards, other crop fields and Tiber valley - Orvieto Vacation Home with Private Pool and Great Views
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- Outdoors dining on one of four terraces - Orvieto Vacation Home with Private Pool and Great Views
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- Master bedroom with access to upper terrace and pool area - Orvieto Vacation Home with Private Pool and Great Views
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- Kitchen and adjacent dining room. Table expands to seat 10 or more
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- Pool area with covered dining area
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- Upper terrace with view of Appenines and hill towns across Tiber valley
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- Library with fireplace. Many books on Italy
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- Beds can be made up as queen or single sizes
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- Second floor apartment living room with fireplace
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- View East to Lake Corbara from apartment kitchen
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- Apartment kitchen/ dining area.
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- One of two apartment bedrooms each with bathroom
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- livingroom of main house
Traveler Reviews (5)
Gorgeous vacations
Guest: Alan and Susan
(DC)
Date of Stay: 05/01/11
Review Submitted: 01/29/12
We have stayed at this villa 5 times over the years. Unbelievable sunsets overlooking olive and grape orchards, Umbrian hills, and sparkling towns and old ruin towers in the distance. You find lists of local restaurants and local travel ideas from the owner/"experts" who know the area awaiting you. Full house ammenities, including clothes washer make life easy, There is a garden with fresh herbs, swimming pool, lovely patios and plantings for comfort at the villa. A variety of books are available for relaxing reading. And most importantly, the caretakers can assist with any complications such as road travel problems! Will definitely go back! Susan and Alan
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.
An ideal villa in the heart of Italy
Guest: Mary & Doug
(New York, NY USA)
Date of Stay: 06/04/11
Review Submitted: 12/14/11
We have been fortunate to stay at the villa twice, both times for two-week family gatherings. What a perfect place! The location, surrounded by vineyards and with superb views of the Umbrian landscape, is breathtaking and incredibly peaceful. It is convenient for day trips to nearby Orvieto (perhaps, like us, to catch a festival there) and to numerous other always-fascinating towns, even rail trips to Rome or Florence for the day. With detailed roadmap in hand, just explore. Part of the charm of the location: wonderful restaurants, the best just down the road. The owners provide suggestions for those along with excellent recommendations for touring nearby towns. If you'd prefer to cook, local markets and the house's garden provide fabulous fresh ingredients. Shopping for food, especially on market day, is a particular joy. The kitchen is amply supplied and easy (for several) to work in. The adjacent dining area is comfortable for large parties, but even better is the table on an outdoor terrace with views and breezes. That's one of many nice places to relax with a glass or two of the local wine! It's also a great spot for early morning coffee and breakfast. And while nearby touring is a lure, just staying home and enjoying the pool, the terraces, the gardens, the views cannot be beat. The bedrooms are large, the bedding impeccable.. Both the house and adjacent guesthouse (with staircase access) are superbly maintained, the supplies generous, the local help graciously efficient. All of our guests have raved about their stays there. They--and we--would all love to return.
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.
Extraordinary Vaction - 50th Wedding Anniversary
Guest: Vivienne and Ron
(Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 06/25/11
Review Submitted: 12/08/11
If you want have a heavenly vacation, spend it in the hill of Umbria at "Villa del Sogno". With the perfect directions given from Rome airport to the Villa, we arrived to find a spotlessly clean house with maid service, gardener, and pool attendant for our 50th Wedding Anniversary. Our family ranged in ages from 5 years old to 76 and we each had our own quarters with large, comfortable rooms and separate baths. The views were spectacular from the adjoining terraces. When the kids were tired of touring they jumped into the pool and relaxed in the hammocks and deck chairs. We dined "al fresco" morning, noon and night and our "Last Supper" at the villa was superbly prepared and catered with delicious Italian cuisine. To partake of once in a lifetime experience, plan your trip at the end of June to witness the entire town of Orvieto parade in medieval costumes, banners, trumpets, and drums for a really impressive procession of "Corpus Christi." This is a truly ideal location for family and friends in the rich and beautiful hills of Umbria. Our family will remember this exceptional time together forever!
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.
Amazing House
Guest: Melissa + Steven
(New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11
Review Submitted: 12/02/11
We stayed here in June and had what can accurately be described as our best vacation ever. We represented three generations of one family with ages ranging from 3 to 66 and this house suited all our needs perfectly. There are enough separate spaces to have quiet times and enough communal areas for great togetherness. It is situated in the most idyllically Umbrian spot imaginable with vineyards out the window and small hill towns in the distance. The location is perfect to spend your days visiting a different village each morning, having lunch in a delicious restaurant, picking up some local produce, wine, pasta and charcuterie, relaxing by the pool in the late afternoon drinking Negronis, and then using all those ingredients to make a perfect meal which can be eaten watching the sun slip down over the hills. Walter and Mary's directions and house instructions make navigating a new area and home a breeze and their restaurant and sightseeing recommendations are impeccable and off the beaten track. We were introduced to great local vineyards through their notes and several extremely memorable restaurants. Our family has always felt the world offers many places to visit, but this is one house we will absolutely return to!
Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.
A Truly Wonderful Find
Guest: John & Sandy
(South Burlington, Vermont, USA)
Date of Stay: 05/10/11
Review Submitted: 11/29/11
The location is spectacular, a quiet oasis surrounded by vineyards with a many mile view over the Umbrian countryside. You must have a car to get to the house -- there is no public transportation into Orvieto. Orvieto is among the most interesting towns in Italy, and a great home base for touring Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio by car or train. The Duomo, and its Signorelli chapel, should not be missed. There are excellent restaurants nearby, but the house and apartment are fully equipped for delightful Italian meals inside or outside. We have become fans of the fresh ingredients, including fish and meat, from the local Orvieto supermarkets. We have been there six times in the apartment, usually with one other couple, and once in the main house. Each is very comfortable, with all desired amenities. The apartment is upstairs reached by an outdoor staircase so it is not accessible for the disabled. The apartment has two good size bedrooms each with a private bath. The Italian appliances -- like the clothes washer -- work albeit at the pace of rural Italy. Even in the considerable heat of summer, open windows provide good ventilation for good down time and sleeping. The cleaning women, gardner, handy man on call, etc. keep the place clean, beautiful and in working order. You rent this for all the reasons we have specified above, but your best memory, if you are fortunate to experience it, is the hospitality, help and good engaging time with your host and hostess, Walter and Mary (yes it's true she was once EIC of Food and Wine Magazine). They live half the time at the house and half in the US. They know Italy in ways only Italians know and love to share their knowledge and stories. They shower you with information about sites, restaurants and other delights (like Mary's favorite place to go for a facial). Their story of buying the house and repairing and remodeling it is amazing (Mary did a written version in a magazine). If you are really lucky you will share a meal with them. If they suggest a trip to the Jovez (a local country restaurant with no menu) say yes immediately. We have recommended this accommodation to many people -- indivuals, couples and families -- and everyone has come back raving about it. We keep going back every few years.
Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #220244
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