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Villa Pia, Umbria, Italy

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Villa Pia country house. Image courtesy of Villa Pia.

Villa Pia country house. Image courtesy of Villa Pia.

Villa Pia looks wonderful. It’s a 15th century manor house in the Umbrian village of Lippiano, Italy, where you can stay with your children. Villa Pia offers all-inclusive luxury family holidays in child-friendly accommodation.

I’ve been asked to write about Villa Pia and the more that I research and read about it the more I wish that we’d gone there when my children were small and still needed a babysitter. If you have young children it seems to me that Morag and Kevin, Villa Pia’s British owners, have thought of everything needed to create a welcoming, relaxing holiday environment in a beautiful part of the world.

Accommodation

Let’s start with the accommodation. The rustic buildings look just as you’d like an Italian country house to look: they’re built of old stone, they’re a bit crumbly and they’re beautifully restored. The main house and its converted stables and barn have 17 guest rooms, each with a private bathroom.

Villa Pia bedroom. Image courtesy of Villa Pia

Villa Pia bedroom. Image courtesy of Villa Pia

There’s also another building which has space for four families. If you go there with babies or young children I don’t think you’d need much luggage apart from clothes and nappies. Villa Pia provides cots, high chairs, waterproof covers for cots and beds, cot sheets and baby blankets, potties, baby food, fruit juice, bars for beds, children’s plates and cutlery and a microwave for heating and sterilising bottles.

Facilities

There’s not much chance of anyone getting bored at Villa Pia. The villa is set in five acres of grounds and has two swimming pools, a sand pit, a trampoline, an indoor soft play room and an adventure play area. There are slides, swings, pedal cars, bikes, push-along cars, soft toys, dressing up clothes, board games and toys for the pool and sandpit. There are sun terraces to relax on and enjoy the views and woods to explore and play in. There’s an all-weather tennis court and even a vineyard which produces wine for the villa. The one thing which Villa Pia doesn’t have – and I think this is great – is a TV. But it does have wifi.

Villa Pia pool. Image courtesy of Villa Pia.

Villa Pia pool. Image courtesy of Villa Pia.

Food

The food at Villa Pia is seasonal and locally sourced as much as possible and I bet it’s delicious. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the price of your stay and are prepared by local chefs. If you’re hungry between meals then you can help yourself to fresh fruit, yoghurt, bread, baby puree, tea, coffee, soft drinks and alcohol whenever you like. Everyone eats together at a long table in the dining room or on the terrace of the main house. (I like the sound of this but I guess you’d need to be happy socialising with the other guests at the villa for this to work for you.) There’s a children’s dinner for the younger ones at 6pm and then the adults can take their time enjoying a four course meal while the kids are looked after by English-speaking babysitters. Perfect!

Activities

Guests at Villa Pia can use the on-site babysitting service so that they can enjoy beauty treatments, adult cookery classes, Pilates, yoga, wine tasting and more. There are also cookery classes and art classes for children. Villa Pia staff can organise cycling, horse riding, hiking and farm visits for you.

Nearby

The village of Lippiano looks like just the kind of place I like to explore in Italy. It has a 10th century castle, a playground a football pitch and a local bar with homemade gelato. It’s in Umbria but close to Tuscany. Arezzo, Florence, Perugia, Pisa and Siena are all within striking distance if you fancy a day trip to somewhere amazing.

Villa Pia map. Image courtesy of Villa Pia.

Villa Pia map. Image courtesy of Villa Pia.

Cost

A week at Villa Pia including meals and drinks costs from £540 per adult, £230 per child between the ages of 2 and twelve years old. Children under 2-years old are free if they’re sharing a room with their parent.

This really does sound to me like the perfect place for a family holiday with young children. What do you think? Would it work for your family?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Villa Pia.

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Comments

  1. We stayed in Villa Pia a few years ago. It was an amazing holiday, so relaxing (considering we had a 2 and 4 year old), a wonderful setting, incredible food and they had thought of everything that parents of small children might need and more. Our little ones were busy making new friends, playing with the toys, eating the amazingly tasty food and we could actually sit down and relax a bit too – in fact, do the same that they were doing. Our 4 year old (who is now 6) still talks about it and wants to go back. I am currently looking for a similar type place, either in Italy or somewhere else in Europe that I could go….has anyone any ideas?

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  16. We have friends who have gone there every summer for the last few years. They absolutely love it. I’ve seen photos of their kids in cooking class and playing in the grounds. The parents have also done day trips to Florence. We’ve been invited to join them but I always spent summer with my parents in the USA. If we didn’t, I would have gone to Villa Pia in a heartbeat.
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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.