Villa Dolce Vita - not bookable in 2023

Information

Set in a large private estate of 14 hectares in the unspoilt Umbrian countryside with glorious valley views, the beautifully restored Villa Dolce Vita is a very stylish luxury villa that combines quality with comfort, and enjoys a sense of seclusion within easy reach of amenities.

The lovely tiny village of Pontecuti, with a nice bar for aperitivo, is 17 minutes walking distance from the villa, on the other side of River Tevere valley. The famous historic town of Todi is 10 minutes drive (7 kms away), with all facilities for shopping, food, culture and history. Todi is one of the most important Umbrian towns, renowed for its history, excellent restaurants and wineries, museums, monuments and its wide offer of artistic events and festivals throughout the year.

Cook, maid, shopping, driving and laundry services can be provided on request by 2 live-in caretakers, to add an extra level of leisurely relaxation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY

Restored at the highest standars with style and attention to detail by its Italian owners, this spacious villa combines traditional form and Italian craftsmanship, with contemporary comfort and 21st century facilities.

Form the entrance door we access the main floor of the house featured by huge windows offering breathtaking views of the beautiful garden, the valley and surrounding hills.

This floor consists on a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and the master en-suite bedroom. The generously sized and elegant living room has richly coloured sofas, antique rugs and a fire place, along with carefully chosen objets d’art, antique furniture or crafted by local artisans. The entrance door opens to a stunning library on 2 levels, on the righ side there is elegant dining room with huge arched windows leading to a fully equipped air-conditioned kitchen. This very contemporary kitchen has an island and dining table, huge windows and direct access to the garden and the outside dining area. Not just a kitchen but a place to relax, enjoy the views and prepare meals with friends or participate to a cooking demostration made by a local chef.

The elegant master bedroom on the same floor is air-conditioned, has walk-in wardrobe and a large bathroom with shower, the room opens to a private balcony, ideal location for an intimate breakfast.

The lower floor is composed entirely by the sleeping area with 5 en suite bedrooms (5 double bedrooms and 1 twin bedroom), a service bathroom with shower completes the floor.

Each bedroom has a unique style, with a different ceiling shape and the same elegant color palette for walls, bathrooms, paintings, textiles and doors.

Bedrooms are bright and naturally fresh, each bedroom has a walk in wardrobe and private bathroom with shower, along with direct access to the garden and outside lounge areas.

Mosquito screens protect the windows of the bedrooms.

The floor is completed by a laundry room and gives a potential access to the independent apartment of the caretakers, kept locked to guarantee a total privacy of the guests staying in the villa. The caretakers are a lovely couple living permanently in the villa since many years and taking care of the property. They have been trained to be at guests' disposal, if necessary, strictly respecting guests' privacy during the stay.

On demand, caretakers can provide laundry and ironing service or maid service, shopping&cooking service, breakfast preparation or barbecue service. The lady is an excellent cook that will delight you with hand made pasta and pies made with local marmelade with fresh fruit from the garden. His husband is a trusted handyman, excellent gardener and great cook for barbecue dinners in the garden by the pool. Extra services can be provided on request at an extra - reasonable - cost.

POOL AREA

From the sleeping area a few steps lead to the most beautiful and livable area of the entire property: a very spacious living room with indoor heatable pool and direct access to the garden and outside dining/lounging area with shaded dining table for 12 people, barbecue and sunloungers. This bright area is featured by coloured sofas and works of art, there is an open bar, a gym corner, a service bathroom with shower and a desk corner where is possible to work using a laptop.

Coming from the sleeping area to the pool area, guests will pass near a wine cellar where the owner keeps important Italian wines; it is a fascinating room, a sort of wine museum that can be shown on request. Some of the wine bottles can be purchased and tasted during the stay.

The pool area is naturally fresh and is generally used as "social space", there is a stereo music system, an open bar, coloured lights for an occasional party in the evening and, surprisingly, the ceiling above the pool may become a starry sky when it gets dark, switching on dozens of small lights.

Th indoor pool is 8,80 metres X 3 metres, 1,50 metres deep, with elegant shape and 2 jacuzzi corners.

The indoor heatable pool won't just be used in the colder months, but can also be enjoyed and appreciated during the Summer, on a rainy day when is not ideal to have a bath outside or for an evening warm bath in Summer - countryside evenings may get chilly. However, this is a pool that can be easily enjoyed also in the hottest months, living opened the huge glass doors is like being outside, the sunlight of the afternoon reaches the pool from 4 pm to 8 pm and will be lovely to go from the pool to the nearby wooden deck to sunbath or reach the shaded dining table under the roses pergola. A built-in barbecue encourages lenghtly lunches or al fresco dinners with friends, refreshed by a natural breeze due to the commanding hilly location.

GARDEN

Catching the breezes in its elevated spot, the glorious garden surrounding the villa extends to 4000 square metres, with 2 large dining tables, multiple lounging areas, pergolas and parasols for al fresco living, plenty of space to walk, have meals or aperitivo, and relax. Cypress trees, large mulberry trees, lots of fruit trees as well as ancient oaks; hedges and lawned areas of the garden are scented with jasmine, lavender, wisteria arches and climbing roses, to fill the perfectly maintained garden of this elegant villa, peacefully secluded in the hills of Southern Umbria.

An underground garage for 2 cars and an outside parking space for 6 cars, complete the property.

ACCESSIBILITY, RESTRICTIONS

The house is accessible by car, from the main paved road leading to Todi, a gravel road leads and ends at the property, no traffic. The bedrooms and bathrooms of the sleeping area are accessible from the garden so can be used by guests with some mobility restrictions, however the house is not very suitable for guests with severe mobility problems. 

Children are welcome, on demand, however parents are asked to supervise them, due to the antique and high quality furniture of the villa.

Smoking is only permitted outdoors, pets not accepted. 

FACILITIES/AMENITIES

-  WiFi internet connection

-  TV (with some international channels)

-  DVD player 

-  Music Sound System in te pool area and open bar

-  Washing machine 

-  Dishwasher 

-  Toaster 

-  Electric water heater 

-  Nespresso and drip coffee machine 

-  Oven 

-  Microwave oven 

-  Iron 

-  Ironing board 

-  Hairdryers 

-  Barbecue 

-  Mosquito screens (in the bedrooms) 

-  Indoot heatable pool (8,80x3 meters, 1.5 meters deep) 

-  Sunloungers, outside dining and lounging funiture

-  Airconditioning in the kitchen/dining room, in the master bedroom. Not needed in the rest of the house

-  Fan provided on request

-  Heating

-  Fireplace 

-  Alarm system

-  Cooking, shopping, ironing, laundry, maid services, on demand and payable locally

-  Caretakers living permanently in the property, in an independent apartment

LOCATION

Umbria delights its guests with its stunning natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Local truffles, olive oil, asparagus, funghi porcini, and famous Sangiovese wines will ensure food lovers will be in for a treat when visiting one of the region’s many excellent restaurants.  

Some of Umbria’s most famous sites are at easy driving distance from the villa.

The villa is 7km from beautiful Todi, 40 minutes drive from Perugia and Orvieto, 1 hour drive from Spoleto and Assisi - which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list - 1 hour drive from Bolsena and Trasimeno Lakes and the boarders with Tuscany region, 1 hour and 45 mins drive from Rome and the airports, 2 hours drive from Florence. 

The Umbrian hills make it easy to immerse yourself in nature with its rich forests, rivers and lakes. Italy’s ‘Green Heart’ invites you to undertake a range of activities including hiking, horseback riding, canyoning, rafting and cycling. Or to simply enjoy a picnic and some of Umbria’s less visited hamlets.  

Spending a morning at a the antique market in the nearby town of Todi, visiting Perugia’s or tasting Montefalco’s famous red wines can be easily combined with a lazy afternoon at the pool. Maybe have a barbecue and watch the sun set, or take a short drive to Todi for dinner at one of its famous restaurants and wineries. Rome, Siena, Chianti and Florence all make for good day-trips, as does the Tirrenian coast, the nearest beaches are in the famous and beautiful Orbetello lagoon and Ansedonia town, and the peninsula with the renowed towns of Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano.

WHAT TO DO DURING THE STAY

ART, GASTRONOMY, TOURS, NATURE, SPORT, CULTURE, RELAX 

International Art festivals 

in-house chef, on demand 

Antique markets (Todi)

Wine Tours in the vineyards and cellars 

Active Days (guided or self-guided walks/hikes in the surrounding forests - cycling - river rafting - hiking, free climbing et.) 

Bike tours followed by pic-nic lunches prepared by a local chef 

Horse riding

Truffle Hunting Excursion followed by lunch including truffles 

Classic City Tours in Umbria and Tuscany 

Cooking Classes in the villa 

Gourmet Tours (to include olive oil, cheese, cereals, cured meats); 

Winter fun (snow rackets trekking/cross country skiing) in the mountains 

Foraging Excursions followed by tastings (mushrooms, asparagus, edible flowers and wild herbs); 

Especially suitable for children (Pizza making, Truffle hunting with dogs, Riding with donkeys in the mountains followed by picnic, Farm visits, outdoor adventure park and more) 

NON-PEAK SEASON BOOKINGS

With its fireplaces, heating system and heated indoor pool, Vilal Dolce Vita is also a good option in the low season. This is when the cities gets less crowded, temperatures are lower but still hover around 20 degrees Celcius in the afternoon. Autumn is a very colourful season and the light is beautiful. In October and November there is the hand-picking of olives and grapes, while in spring the region enjoys warm temperatures and a beautiful flowering of fruit trees and poppies. Not to mention the winter peirod, with the Christmas and End of the Year celebrations and events, with a layer of snow whitewashing the mountains while guests enjoy the warmth of the fireplace.

RENTAL RATE - minimum stay 1 week

Includes 

 • Final cleanings • Welcome pack and toiletries  • Linens and bathrooms change once per week with quick cleanings • Utilities  • Air conditioning  • internet wifi • heating of the pool

Does not include 

• Heating of the villa, if used, payable locally  • extra services (cooking service, maid service, laundry service, shopping and driving services, extra change of linens and towels, extra cleanings)

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