This is my family home and I care for it together with my partner, Alex, and my lovely staff, Stefania, my housekeeper, her husband Paolo, and other lovely people. You will be renting a portion of the whole villa.
DESCRIPTION OF THE VILLA:
This is a beautiful and very special villa, a unique property where you will made to feel at home. It was originally a 1st Century AD Roman residence (there are archaeological remains in the upper garden that form part of the National Collection of Archeology in the archives of the Museo Altemps in the centre of Rome, near Piazza Navona). We have full historical documentation available for our guests. The Villa has undergone several changes, from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, through to the 18th Century, when the Villa became the hunting lodge of a Cardinal from the Torlonia family, hence the name Il Cardinale. This wonderful residence has four units that can be rented together or separately. There is a fireplace in the sitting area, and a fully equipped kitchen in the apartment and lovely corners of the garden to have lunch or dinner in any season. The main bedroom, with an Emperor size bed, is en suite with a recently modernised walk-in-shower. There is a dining room with a kitchen. The other two double/twin bedrooms share a bathroom. All bedrooms are air conditioned. The large garden and the pool are shared between guests. The owner is happy to help with information about local amenities. We offer cooking lessons, yoga sessions, and tours of Rome. We can organise transport and guided tours of the region, as well as wine tasting and restaurant booking on request (as extras).
A full concierge service is also available on request (as an extra).
We have a swimming pool, a hot tub, an outdoor, covered Shala for yoga retreats, to be shared during your stay either with the owners (if they are at home) or with other guests who might rent the bigger portion of the villa. We offer services according to the needs of our guests. The upper floor opens onto a delightful garden with an ancient Roman archaeological area, complete with comfortable garden furniture, lights. There are several areas for outdoor eating under spectacular Roman pine trees. All around there are fruit trees and wonderfully secluded areas of the garden.Il Cardinale is ideal for lovers of style and space in the close vicinity of Rome. Own car recommended. However there is also public transport, two buses, 5 minutes walk away, and a train from the Settebagni station to Stazione Tiburtina and other stops in the centre of Rome only 7 minutes drive away. Saxa Rubra is also a useful station for a train that reaches Piazzale Flaminio (next to Piazza del Popolo). PLEASE NOTE that you are renting only a PORTION of the whole villa, the upper right wing of the villa.
This is my family home and I care for it together with my partner, Alex, and my lovely staff, Stefania et alia.
DESCRIPTION OF THIS PORTION OF THE VILLA:
The upper floor opens onto a delightful garden with an ancient Roman archaeological area, complete with garden furniture, parasols and lights. Here you can find the swimming pool, under olive trees, close to the vegetable patch and the yoga platform.
There are several areas for outdoor eating under spectacular Roman pine trees. A ping-pong table is available to our guests.
There is a pizza-oven corner which is covered by an awning and it is flood-lit. It has a seating area designed for fun evenings families and their children making pizza together under the guidance of our expert pizzaiolo. We can provide all the ingredients as well as the 'pizzaiolo' for making your favourite pizza!
The lower garden is wonderful, with a patio and portico that allow for outdoor dining, and entertaining, dancing, or listening to music. At one end of the large patio there is a large built-in brick barbecue and a fountain, garden lights and space for entertaining for up to 100 people.
All around there are fruit trees and wonderfully secluded areas of the garden.
Own car is recommended. However, there is also public transport, two buses, 5 minutes walk away, and two train stations, one at Settebagni (the train reaches the Stazione Tiburtina in 20 minutes, and from there there is the connection to the Rome Metro or trains to all parts of Italy), the other from Saxa Rubra directly to Piazzale Flaminio and Piazza del Popolo. Both stations are only 7 minutes drive away.
THE VILLA’S USP
This is a truly unique property. Its walls and stones speak of Roman history, of its multiple layers through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, up to the 20th Century. Every single mosaic stone in the garden bears the memory of Imperial Rome, its rise and its decadence.
This villa is all this and yet it is only two steps away from the ring-road (GRA) that connects to all Roman roads, Via Salaria, Via Flaminia, Via Cassia, Via Tiburtina....
As we well know, "All Roads lead to Rome".
You will benefit from hiring a car so as to drive into Rome centre along the Via Salaria (Flaminia or Cassia) in only 15 minutes. Or you may choose to drive for 7 minutes to the nearest train stations that lead into Rome centre and connect to the metro service.
As a former curator and art historian I love telling the history of the Villa and, with my partner, who is a trained historian and a journalist, we love offering tours of Rome and its museums.
TOP AMENITIES: pool; deck chairs; air conditioning; central heating; wi-fi; Caesar size bed, walk-in showers; outdoor covered platform for yoga retreats; yoga mats, blocks and bolsters; ping-pong table; vegetable garden with local produce; parking for up to 10 cars; various services available, including concierge, fridge-fill, guide to Roman museums and antique sites, breakfast, dinners, events, etc.
CANCELLATION POLICY
We prefer a strict cancellation policy because we want to be sure that whoever chooses Villa il Cardinale does it with commitment and enthusiasm, just as we ourselves welcome our guests'. However we are happy to consider individual situations. If you have a serious problem and need to cancel, we are happy to bend out cancellation policy or move the booking to another available date.
"Meet Me in Rome", an American movie was filmed at the villa. Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdP4D8ZCcjM
