Villa Campo Verde

I've been meaning to write this post for a long, long while but have kept putting it off because it seemed like such a monumental task and secretly I couldn't face choosing from millions of photos. But those of you who follow me on social media may have been a little bombarded recently by some 'villa spamming'. So I thought it was finally time to share one of my favourite places in the world... Villa Campo Verde.

Villa Campo Verde was discovered in Italy by my auntie and my uncle in 2006, shortly after my auntie had moved to Umbria and fallen in love with the local area. Umbria is in the centre of Italy, bordering Tuscany and is a region known for it's green, green hills and medieval mountain towns. It's a beauty and I think it's quite underrated. Anyway.... the villa was hidden away in a tiny medieval village known as Eggi and was essentially a crumbling wreck. It was first built in the 1600s as a traditional old farmhouse with it's surrounding land used for livestock and crops. In 1970 the Santini family who had owned it for generations sold it on and it was purchased by a Roman artist, who used it as a space for artists and various friends to perform their work {when we purchased the villa it was still full of theatre props and costumes!}. But in the early 1990s the artists moved on and the villa then remained empty. 

When my family discovered the villa, it had been unoccupied for at least a decade and was in a total state of disrepair. It appeared very unloved and had been on the market for a while. Thankfully my auntie and uncle could see immediate potential in it and after much planning and excitement, the villa was jointly purchased by a group of family members and friends, as a restoration project. A big, big project!!!

For the next few years the villa was lovingly and beautifully restored and it's long lost soul was brought back to life with the hard work and help of some incredible architects, builders, family members and friends. It was a true labour of love. I would love to take some credit for it but I have to admit that the most I did was help pull down a tree in the garden...!! Never the less, the ongoing project made the perfect excuse for some wonderful holidays in Italy, checking up on the progress of the renovations. We were continuously fascinated by how much it kept changing.

In 2009 the villa was pretty much finished and since then it has provided many visitors from all over the world with a wonderful space to enjoy family holidays, reunions with friends, cultural trips, Christmasses, weddings and parties. You name it! Thanks to the villa's size, it can accommodate up to 25 guests with it's ten grand bedrooms, nine bathrooms, dining room, several living areas and communal kitchen. Oh, and I should also mention that the villa even has a library and... a tower!!! Every room has been thoughtfully and beautifully designed in a way that has retained the building's charm and character and many of the decorative pieces inside hold sentimental or historic value which relates to the local area or the property itself. The wrought iron railings in the upstairs living room for instance, were found in the garden!! These hidden treasures make it all the more interesting when you wander around {while desperately trying not to get lost!!}.

 
There are so many lovely nooks and crannies to discover and it truly does feel like you have stepped into a bit of luxury when you're inside. I think my favourite room of all is one of the bathrooms {pictured above} which has a fireplace in... firelit bath anyone?!
And the kitchen is where the real Italian atmosphere comes to life. Oh the food!

Location wise, the villa couldn't really be more ideal for those wanting to explore Italy's rural and rustic charm. Rome is only an hour or so away and magnificent Perugia isn't far either. If you're really into your history then you might be interested in visiting Assisi, the birthplace of St Francis {one of Italy's patron saints}, but I can assure you that there are just so many breathtaking hilltop towns and villages just a few kilometres down the road and you never have to travel far for a good sunset spot. Not forgetting Spoleto which is the nearest big town just 5 minutes down the road, which boasts its own castle, cathedral and annual arts festival! 

Last year Rob and I drove down to visit Cascata Delle Marmore, Europe's largest man-made waterfalls which were really beautiful and made for a fun day out.

We've had some wonderful holidays spent at the villa over the years, in the heat of summer and in the slightly cooler months too. Rain or shine, it's a heavenly place to be. There are seven {yes, seven!!} fireplaces to choose from, so when it's snowy outside in winter you can cosy up with a good book inside and in summer you can use the big fireplace outside to BBQ locally caught trout or whatever you fancy.

What makes Villa Campo Verde so very special though is the hospitality that comes with it. It truly wouldn't be the place it is today without the wonderful team of people behind it and the sheer hard work they put into making each and every stay so memorable. They can organise wine tasting trips for you, authentic Italian cooking classes held at the villa or cultural tours to nearby towns. The villa also makes for the most wonderful wedding venue. Over the past few years, with the help of our local friends, we have been able to organise and hold quite a few weddings at the villa. As you can see from the photos below, they were completely magical. I love all the festoon lights amongst the palm trees... But I won't disclose too much more because I think I may dedicate a whole blog post to Villa Campo Verde Weddings at some point...

Anyway. Enough villa spamming for now... I could post hundreds of photos on here but you'd get bored! Hopefully this gives you a bit of an insight into the heaven that is Villa Campo Verde. If you want to know more then don't hesitate to ask and there's lots more information on the website... www.villacampoverde.com.

If you're looking for the perfect place to unwind, holiday, explore or get married... why not discover Villa Campo Verde?



Lydia xxx