Our Story

Villa Pia has been welcoming families since 1997. In recent years, we’ve had our first adults, who came here originally as children (!), return with their own little ones.

Villa Pia remains a cherished memory for many families who love its relaxed, communal atmosphere. We, Morag and Kevin, set up Villa Pia with the dream of creating an environment to bring up our own children in the safety and wilderness of Umbria. Today, our 5 acres of land provide a landscape for parents and children to truly unwind.

Our Staff

Many of our staff have worked with us for over 20 years.

When we first set up Villa Pia, we made a conscious effort to be part of village life. Today, our staff’s passion and creativity are the beating heart of Villa Pia’s “unassuming charm.” The cooks’ talent in making seasonal food will have you taking notes on how you can reproduce their dishes at home. Our guests often sign up to cooking classes for a chance to learn recipes passed down through local families.

Facilities

The hillside location provides a safe landscape for children to play with their peers in nature. 

A small woodland, swings, two swimming pools, a ping-pong room, a soft-play room, a box garden and a tennis court each set the scene for a different kind of adventure. 

Games of hide and seek, ping-pong tournaments, talent shows and tennis matches all begin to take place organically as families get to know each other. By Friday evening, you’ll be wishing you were staying another week!

Food and Mealtimes

Food sets the rhythm of the day. We trust in our cooks’ passion, creativity and heritage. 
 
Villa Pia lunches are a favourite. A relaxed buffet: a choice of around 17 different dishes, lots of vegetables and salads, some meat dishes, pasta or rice. 
 
We provide a children’s dinner at 6pm and adults’ dinner at 8pm. 
 
Children’s dinner caters to young taste buds with simple, healthy recipes. Adults’ dinner is a traditional Umbrian four-course meal.
 
Throughout the day, you can help yourself to water, milk, juice, fruit, yoghurt, coffee, tea, beer, wine and spirits. 
 
And don’t forget the four o’clock cake!
 

Please note:

Thursday is the cooks’ day off. Breakfast is provided and all drinks and snacks are available as usual. Lunch and dinner, however, will not be served. We can help you book a local restaurant, or order take-away pizza. 

 

Dietary requirements:

There’s an abundance of food for you to help yourself to, you definitely won’t be hungry! But please do let us know of any allergies, the cooks are very good at catering to any dietary needs.

Rooms

We have 17 rooms in the main house.
 
Some of these are interconnecting rooms – two rooms with a shared bathroom. 
Others are a large family room with a bathroom. 
 
There are 7 rooms in Palazzo Regina.
 
Palazzo Regina is a 5 minute walk above Villa Pia in the village of Lippiano. Guests enjoy these rooms as they are larger than the ones in the main house. We provide a babysitter here every night at no extra charge. The Palazzo has its own breakfast room, stocked with drinks and snacks, and a small playroom. 

Activities

For adults:

Cooking classes, yoga or pilates, wine tasting, reflexology, massages and beauty treatments are all available to book. 
 

For children:

Children’s art club and cooking club are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons (chargeable). Babysitters are also available to book throughout the week. 
 

For families:

The Villa Pia landscape is a space for families to play and spend time with each other. The courtyard, the woods, the swings, the tennis court, the box garden, the play room, the music room and the ping-pong room are all spaces in which families have the freedom to relax and play. 

Local Area

We are nestled under the hill-top village of Lippiano. Many Lippianesi have worked with us for over 20 years. It’s a charming, quiet place with a medieval castle and a bar that sells artisanal ice-cream.

  • Anghiari is a fairytale town with a beautiful birds-eye view 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.
  • Sansepolcro used to be a hub for painters and mathematicians in Renaissance Italy. Birthplace of the famous Piero della Francesca, it has a museum with many of his original works. The museum of natural medicine is also worth a visit, showcasing the biodiversity of the region. Some exceptional restaurants in Sansepolcro too. 

A little further afield, day trips to Arezzo, Cortona, Assisi, Gubbio, 

Perugia and Florence offer countless opportunities to explore the beauty and food of Italy. We are more than happy to give recommendations.

Getting Here

Perugia airport is only 40 minutes away, and by far the easiest option. You can hire a car here with Europcar. 

Other airports we recommend are: Florence (90 minute drive), Pisa (2 hour drive), Bologna (2 hour drive), or Rome (3 hour drive). 

We highly recommend you hire a car if you want to visit nearby towns during your stay. We can also organise taxis from the airport or Arezzo train station. 

Arezzo train station is a 30 minute drive from Villa Pia, with direct trains to Florence and Rome.

Reviews

“We arrived at Villa Pia – expectations were high – and were exceeded. Yes it’s paradise – no five star formality – just a great safe, family friendly home, we all had a memorable holiday.”

More Reviews