The Right House in Italy

Why a Villa Changes the Experience

A well-chosen villa offers what hotels rarely can: space to spread out, privacy when desired, and the pleasure of coming together without schedules or formality.

For multi-generational families, each person finds their own rhythm — morning swims, reading, walks through vineyards, cooking — while everyone can gather for long lunches after an excursion and for unhurried dinners. For friends, there is ease: no taxis to arrange, no reservations to coordinate, no sense of being rushed. For couples, even a substantial house can feel intimate : quiet gardens, restorative views, complete privacy and independence.

Three Villas, Three Italys — and a Roman Home to celebrate Easter ! 

The following homes represent a small part of our collection: in Chianti Classico, on the Amalfi Coast, and in the Val d’Orcia. And an extraordinary apartment in Rome.  Each is maintained by owners with a strong sense of stewardship. These are lived-in houses, not investment properties.

All have availability in some of the most desirable travel periods of the year.

Villas range in price from 10,000 Euro per week up, and depending on the week and the season.

Rome for Easter ! A Roman Home this Spring ! 

A significant part of my childhood was spent in this neighborhood. Were I to choose where to live in Rome, it would be on this very piazza, steps from Piazza Navona and in the heart of old Rome.

This splendid apartment, in a 16th-century palazzo with elevator and doorman, is available from March 18 to April 18 due to a cancellation — a beautiful window during which to experience Rome at Easter and before the peak tourist season. (Other dates may also be arranged.)

The three large bedrooms each have private baths. The living and dining rooms are remarkable in proportion, light, and detail with high ceilings, careful furnishings, quiet color. The owner’s care and good taste are evident everywhere.

Markets nearby brim with spring: peas, asparagus, artichokes, fava beans, early wild strawberries, delicate greens. The kitchen is generous and made for use.

You may of course choose a different superb restaurant each night — or ask the talented cook to prepare lunch or dinner at home.

For stays of a week or more, the owner includes airport transfer (arrival or departure) and a private Roman shopping walk with an exceptionally knowledgeable local. I will also provide my Insider’s Guide to Roman restaurants and arrange reservations as desired.

The rate is €1,800 per night, based on a seven-night stay, with full daily housekeeping. It would be a shame for this apartment to remain empty at such a beautiful moment in Rome.

The Amalfi Coast — A House Apart

Our Amalfi Coast villa is one of the rare houses that feels removed from tourism, even in peak summer.

Set among terraces and layered gardens and with a lovely pool, the villa offers generous common spaces and eight double bedrooms, each with private bath. While it can accommodate more, we find it most comfortable for 10 – 14 guests, when the house feels just right rather than full. And it can be rented for as few as three days – for a special birthday, wedding, anniversary or reunion.

Boat trips can be arranged everywhere – absolutely no need, under any circumstances, for a rental car.

One of our favorite restaurants on the coast is also within walking distance, and there is always a table awaiting you.

Still, many evenings, it is lovely to be cooked for at home — with simple but succulent local dishes — and enjoy from your table the legendary pink coastal sunsets.

There are walks through lemon groves and paths that remain largely undiscovered.

With our local friends — artisans, farmers, cooks, educators — you are welcomed naturally into their worlds.

Archaeological visits to Pompeii, Paestum, Herculaneum, or Oplontis can be arranged at the quietest hours, always with experienced and thoughtful guides.

We swim on this coast well into November most years. October is a dream.  Winter — which is very mild here — comes late. What a wonderful villa this would be for the winter months too, a sun trap and a place for total repose and regeneration.

Val d’Orcia — Southern Tuscany for Families and Honeymooners

Our villa in the Val d’Orcia is generous in scale yet immediately welcoming. It works beautifully for extended families, and equally well for two or four guests seeking space and quiet.  Our first guests here were honeymooners who wrote “this villa is so perfect for us that we plan to never leave.”

The main house includes two bedrooms with en-suite baths, two additional bedrooms sharing a bath, and a pool house with its own bedroom and bath. Ten guests sleep comfortably.

The garden carries you from early spring through late autumn.

Guests often remark that it is difficult to choose where to settle themselves as the views shift with the light and are compelling from every angle.

For those who enjoy cooking, the kitchen is a professional one and superb. The villa’s local chef is delighted by conversation; pull up a chair with a glass of wine and you may learn more than expected. Breakfast is included, as is daily chef service for dinner (ingredients additional).

Nearby are Pienza, Montalcino, and Montepulciano, with Siena an hour away. One of Italy’s most beautiful gardens lies within walking distance.  For wine lovers, there are few happier bases.