Overview
Give your mind (and credit card) a break with a stay at Villa Pia, an All Inclusive hotel-home-stay-hybrid with a (delicious) difference. Here to show you that holidaying with tots in tow doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to authentic abodes, Villa Pia allows parents to sidestep sprawling resorts by providing a clever combination of local living and family facilities. To say kids are well taken care of here is an understatement. Set in 5 acres of rolling Italian idyll, children are encouraged to roam free, running from soft play to swimming pool, and swings to sand pit. A unique utopia for families, a stay here is rooted in communal camaraderie and switching off from the daily grind. First sight of the breathtaking surroundings is enough to visibly lower your shoulders and quieten your mind, with plenty of picturesque places to practise mummy mindfulness. Committed to giving parents a ‘proper’ break, children are served an early dinner sitting before the adults only 4-course meal begins. Rooms in the main house are all within baby-monitor stretch of the dining room, whilst those staying in the nearby village rooms are provided with (complimentary) babysitters in the evening. With hands-on-help and soul-soothing scenery we can’t think of a better place to fill your family cup – both physically and mentally! All food & drink is included and there’s a free flowing supply of snacks and spirits. Knowing there’s no bill to pay at the end of the holiday is Villa Pia’s final stroke of (gourmet) genius – it’s a case of small hotel, big charm
Mama
Get in touch
Flight
2 hrs 20 mins from England to Perugia airport
Transfer
45 minutes drive from Perugia airport, 75 minutes from Florence, 2 hours for Pisa and Bologna, or 3 hours from Rome. Villa Pia can provide contacts for local taxi transfers, with car seats
Best time to visit
The hotel is open from Easter through to November and you’ll find our month by month Umbrian weather guide below. May, June and September are the best times to visit with preschoolers, whilst during the holidays there’s plenty of social scope for new friends to be made with an abundance of school-aged kids
April: highs of 19 degrees
May: highs of 21 degrees
June: highs of 26 degrees
July: highs of 32 degrees
August: highs of 29 degrees
September: highs of 25 degrees
October: highs of 19 degrees
November: highs of 13 degrees
Favourite room
Choose from 17 charming rooms in the main house (all have baths and some are interconnecting), which are within baby-monitor stretch of the evening adults-only dinner. There are a further 7 rooms in Palazzo Regina, a 3 minute walk away. Slightly larger, these are ideal for those looking for more space to spread out, and come complete with complimentary babysitters every evening
Nearby
Nestled under the Umbrian hill-top village of Lippiano, Villa Pia is a short (3 minute) stroll from storied streets, a fairytale castle and artisanal ice cream. Further Renaissance-rich towns are within a 20 minute drive away. A little further afield, Arezzo, Assisi, Gubbio, Perugia and Florence can all be easily reached
Price
from £1690 p/week in low season for a family of 3 with a child 2 or over, or £1340 with a child under 2
from £2610 p/week in high season for a family 3 with a child 2 or over, or £2020 with a child under 2
from £2040 p/week in low season for a family of 4 with a child 2 or over,
from £670 per adult and £350 per child over 2 in low season and £1010 per adults and £580 per child over 2
FAQs
What family facilities are there, and how much do they cost?
Sprinkled around the grounds you’ll find tennis courts, 2 large trampolines, climbing frames, ride along cars and seesaws. There’s 2 playgrounds with slides and swings and 2 woodland areas, one complete with a Wendy House
The indoor soft play room is a real high, and stocked with lots of toys and books (with a lovely selection for the tiniest of travellers)
On Monday and Wednesday afternoons art classes run from 2-4pm and cooking classes on Friday afternoons at 20 euros per child
Babysitters can be booked at 12 euros per hour
Which equipment is available to borrow for babies & children?
Villa Pia has the whole kit and caboodle of baby gear to borrow, including: high chairs, cots, changing mats, kids cutlery and plates, bibs, sucky cups, juices, yoghurts and fruit available 24 hours a day. As well as baby puree made freshly every day
What are the pools like?
There are 2 swimming pools at Villa Pia, both heated throughout the year. One is great for splashing, at only 80 cm deep
Is there evening entertainment?
Villa Pia doesn’t have any official evening entertainment, but the communal atmosphere means adults often make their own friends and stay up late into the night chatting!
What’s the protocol for allergies?
Everything at Villa Pia is homemade by a talented team of chefs, who are very fastidious at catering for allergies. Gluten-free diets are especially taken into consideration with complimentary free-from cake served every day at 4pm
What’s the dining set up?
Villa Pia provides full catering every day throughout the week, except for Thursdays (when the chefs have a well deserved day off!)
A buffet breakfast and lunch are served for everyone to enjoy together, alongside a children’s only buffet dinner at 6pm and adults only 4 course dinner at 8pm
Room service can also be provided
Meet the family...
Mama Aleks
Parent to Tiny Travellers aged 5 & 11
It’s rare to find a place that combines the ease of a good hotel with the warmth of a small, family-run retreat but Villa Pia does exactly that. Not long after you arrive, you feel like part of a big family and by the end of the week you’ve made new friends, and so have your kids. If you’re after a peaceful, intimate getaway full of authentic Italian charm, Villa Pia will steal your heart... and stay with you long after you leave
Worth waking the baby for
01
Perugia
The capital of Umbria is only 60 minutes from Villa Pia. Home to one of Italy’s most renowned chocolate brands, there are plenty of shops and workshops catering to sweet teeth – plus the deliciously delightful ‘Chocolate House’. Home to a pristine and well-preserved medieval centre, it’s a pleasure to get lost in Perugia’s storied streets – but don’t miss a visit to POST, the science museum, for hands-on activities for STEM-loving smalls
02
Anghiari
A charming hilltop town rich in historic heritage and beautiful birds-eye-views of the Tiber valley. Famous for Leonardo da Vinci’s lost fresco La Battaglia di Anghiari, the town itself, with its wrap-around walls and cobbled streets, is a jewel of central Italy. Don’t miss dinner at La Pineta, a pizza restaurant set in a pine forest with a playground for little ones
03
Cortona
The 1 hour car ride to Cortona is well worth it. A picturesque Tuscan town surrounded by sunflower fields, it’s no surprise that it was the setting for the film “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Top attractions include the Duomo, the small Museo Diocesano across the piazza, with its superb art collection, and the MAEC Museum of Etruscan culture with its rich collection of ancient artefacts. There are plenty of pitstop gelaterias and easygoing trattorias dotted throughout the town
