The villa was the summer holiday residence of one of Umbria’s most important families, the Piancianis, until the villa was bought by its current owners, the Bachetoni Rossi Vacarri family, in 1911, who then saw to its careful restoration in the 1970’s, overseen by the architect Tomaso Buzzi.

Positioned on the western slopes of the beautiful Valle della Spina, facing the mountains and the borgo where once the soldiers that manned the Via della Spina toll road were billeted, Villa Paradiso is approached by a strada bianca lined with cypress trees. The estate has sweeping views of ancient olive groves, (listed by Unesco to become a world heritage site), the mountains and the flowering beds of the formal gardens. In the middle of the valley is the old toll road which was once the only route from Rome to the Adriatic and the source of the Pianciani family wealth, but this is hard to believe today, given the handful of cars that pass each hour.

With 6 double bedrooms and another single, the villa is an ideal property for an exclusive family holiday in authentic surroundings, or to be shared between families and friends, while it is also an exceptional choice for a romantic wedding or a special place to mark a landmark celebration.

The Grounds

The estate covers over 1200 hectares within unspoilt countryside. It is rugged, even wild up on the Sibillini mountains that reach over 1000m, along with rolling foothills, dotted with olives groves, pines, forest and eternal skyline vistas. Wild boar, red deer and wolves (though rarely sighted) thrive in the mystical interior and at dusk while the songbirds release their final chorus, you can enjoy the melancholic bray of donkeys echoing across the valley.

In the gardens you will find an invitingly large 12x6m swimming pool, with day loungers, a shower and changing facilities.

With a full complement of staff, including a house manager, an excellent chef from Rome with his sous chef and housekeepers, there is no reason to leave ‘Paradiso’, but when you want to explore, the lovely town of Spoleto with its 12th century cathedral is less than 20 minutes away and Perugia, Orvieto and Assisi can all be reached in roughly an hour. The beautiful medieval walled town of Norcia is also close by.

We enjoyed an excellent local lunch at Osteria del Trivio in Spoleto and also ventured to the wine town of Montefalco to visit our favourite restaurant there – Locanda della Teatro - where we dined on the freshest shaved artichokes with 24-month-old Parmigiano Reggiano, linguini vongole and truffle risotto, followed by a plate of local pecorino cheeses, all accompanied by Paolo Bea’s finest Montefalco Rosso Riserva, 2010. In Umbria, they know how to live.

It is magical spending time here, so much so we changed our plans and booked our family holiday here this summer.

OUTSIDE

• Barbeque area
• Large Swimming pool 12x6 m
• Gardens surrounded with Olive groves

GROUND FLOOR

• Large entrance hall
• Two Living rooms
• Breakfast room
• Kitchen with fire place
• Private Chapel
• Library
• Billard room
• One Guest bathroom

FIRST FLOOR

• Ball room
• One Living Room
• Two Double bedrooms 
• Two Twin bedrooms
• Three Bathrooms
• One Guest bathroom

SECOND FLOOR

• Two Double bedrooms
• One Single bedroom
• Two Bathrooms

NOTES

House manager daily from 10 AM to 6 PM. Daily house cleaning, pool maintenance and gardening, bi-weekly changes of bed-linen, bathroom and pool towels. Daily Continental Breakfast, including Sundays. Biologic products, selection of local cold cuts and cheese, fresh patisserie. Complimentary WiFi provided: coverage in living rooms, pool and garden. Satellite TV, hi-fi system in the living rooms with digital library and playlists. Please note that as a historic property, there is no air conditioning, but with thick stone walls this is not necessary. Services on request: laundry and personal ironing, babysitting and transfer service from and to airports.