ACCOMMODATION
LIPPIANO, UMBRIA
Lippiano is a traditional Italian village set on a hilltop nestled on the border between Umbria and Tuscany, perfectly located 30 minutes away from Arezzo, 1 hour from Perugia and 1.5 hours from Florence.
VILLA PIA
Situated in the village of Lippiano, is the truly magical Villa Pia. This 15th century country manor house was once the summer residence for a Florentine family and is now a welcoming family guest house and the ideal place for us to host Bland Badger retreats.
The house and its converted barn and stables, provide 17 bedrooms.
Each room is unique, with original traditional features and simple furnishings as well as views of the unspoilt surrounding landscape, which is unchanged since the great Renaissance painter Piero Della Francesca was born in a neighbouring village.
Guests are invited to treat the house as their own. This means helping yourself to unlimited Aperol Spritz and cappuccinos while also having your bed made for you each day.
In the main house there are communal rooms for dining, and space for you to relax and chat or read a book in the library. The house opens out onto the courtyard – perfect for time outdoors, with an aperitivo.
The villa’s staff take care of everything so you can immerse yourself in the week and leave feeling creatively nurtured, relaxed and with a whole host of new pals, too.
“Villa Pia is not a bad place to spend a week. The blue-shuttered stone country manor sits in the shadow of a medieval castle in the hilltop village of Lippiano, on the Umbrian-Tuscan border. Once the summer escape of a Florentine family, the house features five acres of sloping grounds that look out across a patchwork of tobacco fields and chestnut trees backdropped by the Apennine Mountains” ~ Aimee Farrell, Airmail
BEDROOMS
There are three different room options available to accommodate everyone, whether travelling solo or sharing. The simple and charming bedrooms are split between the large rustic house and the annexe. The annexe is the villa’s terracotta coloured converted barn with original paved floors. Both buildings open onto the central courtyard. The rooms either have views of the courtyard or the surrounding countryside and are a mixture of ensuite and shared bathrooms, all with showers. There are two sets of two rooms with shared bathrooms and these are ideal for two friends. Please note, as is the typical style for the region, most of the bath tubs are small shower-tub style.
THE MAIN HOUSE
The house has the communal spaces, the breakfast room - with 24-hour access to drinks and snacks, including the wonderful coffee machine - with it's huge open fire and large marble table to gather around, and additional sitting room spaces on the ground floor.
Most of the house bedrooms are on the first floor - there are two single bedrooms with a shared bathroom on the ground floor - and either look out onto the courtyard or the surrounding countryside. The house bedrooms all have tiled floors and traditionally painted borders around the walls.
THE ANNEXE
The annexe is a cosy, converted barn with original paved floors and vaulted ceilings and is set to the side of the house with the first floor accessed via a separate staircase. It is all bedrooms with three on the ground floor and three on the first floor. They all have views out onto the surrounding countryside and are orientated to get the beautiful, sunrise light in the mornings.
