Quiet Umbrian Sophistication
Outside a storied Italian village on an olive and cypress-dotted hillside, this converted country manor has been transformed into a stylish agritourismo, a boutique rural inn of five independent apartments sharing a communal living room and bar, two swimming pools, a sauna, hammam, garden and farm, and a welcoming pair of resident house pets.
Spare and textural, the sensitive refurb breathes new life into the original medieval watchtower and expansive residence, featuring styling that is unpretentiously elegant, modernly minimal, and sustainability minded. Each apartment is alive with stone, linen, patinaed wood and sleek shining floors, some with private gardens, and all homey and inviting. Apartments feature fireplaces and are brightened by generous, arcaded windows and a natural, earthen décor palette in tones.
On site, guests can enjoy the 21-meter exterior swimming pool, an interior pool, a hammam, a Finnish sauna and spa treatments, as well as yoga on an open-air platform in the woods. A kitchen garden ensures homegrown produce on the farm table, and the property remains an active olive oil producer, harvesting more than 500 trees. Art and design buffs will appreciate the in-house collection of works by Wili Siber, Jahic Röthlisberger and Michael Gstatter, among others, and unwind in elegant modern furnishings designed by Gervasoni, Cassina, Herman Miller, Hay and Knoll.
AROUND
Located outside the medieval village of Città della Pieve, the ancient watchtower turned residence rises from gentle meadowlands bordered by vineyards, olive groves and the pointed peaks of classic Italian cypress trees. Set above the pastoral Val di Chiana region, the estate offers easy access to Lake Trasimeno in Umbria’s green heart, and to villages dominated by historic castles (Castel Rigone, Passignano, and Castiglione del Lago). Traditional agriculture is still prevalent in the region, and cultivated fields of corn, grain, and sunflowers quilt the rolling countryside punctuated by the Apennine foothills in the distance.
The narrowest alley, or village street, in all of Italy is located in Città della Pieve, the local village once home to Etruscans and Romans as well as the artist Perugino (Pietro Vannuci), whose exceptional "Adoration of the Wise Men" fresco and his "Madonna with Child" are both visitable locally, with additional works on view in the neighboring village of Panicale. Hosts recommend a visit to the grotesque frescoes in the Palazzo della Cogna or the private collection of contemporary art in the Giardino dei Lauri in nearby San Litardo.
LOCATION
Città della Pieve, Perugia, Umbria, Italy. Nearest airport: Perugia (45 kilometers)
