Rooms

The rustic 15th-century buildings can accommodate up to 25 families, in either large Family Rooms (an open-plan space with a double bed and 2/3 single beds) or pairs of Inter-Connecting Rooms (a double and a twin) with a shared bathroom.

We stayed in the main house and our 1st-floor room was spotless, with charming original-tiled floors and decorative ceilings. Furnishings are simple, and there are no luxuries (no TVs, DVD players, toiletries etc), but you have lots of space to spread out, and lovely antique drawers and wardrobes for your things. Most importantly, bedrooms are warm in the cooler months and airy and cool in the summer. Bathrooms are mostly small but perfectly functional, with a shower over a bath.

Four of the rooms are in Palazzo Regina, a restored building in Lippiano. It has its own kitchen for making drinks and snacks, but meals are still taken at the main hotel (5 minutes' walk). Rooms here can be booked for shorter stays.

Features include:

• Fan
• In-room treatments available
• WiFi

Eating

The price is all-inclusive of food and drinks, and meals are taken communally. Breakfast is a simple buffet of cereals, breads, croissants, meats and cheeses, but we'd recommend you skimp on it in order to enjoy the amazing lunches. A bell rings at 1pm and the cooks deliver a vast array of mouthwatering dishes - veggies, salads, sausages and divine homemade pastas (the pesto was particularly memorable).

At 6pm a kids' tea is served in the dining room. This might be more pasta or homemade pizzas. Then, once the kids are in bed, olives and nibbles appear, before a 4-course adult dinner is served, along with plenty of wine. In summer this is all outside; in winter in the dining room or kitchen. Popular dishes include steak cooked on a wood fire, truffled tagliatelle and plenty of fresh fish.

On Thursdays the restaurant is closed, but you can still help yourself to snacks from the communal kitchen for breakfast. There is a local bar for light meals, or staff can help you order a takeaway / book a restaurant (and a babysitter).

Features include:

• All meals included
• Communal dining
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Many families stay on site all day to enjoy the pools, toys, games, bikes, tennis court, and just running free in the 5 acres of garden and woodland play areas
  
• Children's cooking and art classes are on offer a couple of times a week and were a roaring success with our kids, who made cookies, muffins, jam tarts and pizzas for their tea
  
• For adult relaxation, head to the beauty room, where Maria offers massages, mud wraps, facials, manicures and pedis. Or take a Pilates or yoga class
  
• The local town, Lippiano, has a fairytale 10th-century castle and gelaterias, both heaven for kids
  
• Borrow bikes to explore the woods, go walking, or arrange horse riding with the local stables
  
• Book a babysitter for the afternoon and go wine tasting
  
• Opportunities for days out abound: Citta di Castello (20 mins' drive; stunning medieval architecture), Arezzo (30 mins; the Church of San Francesco has incredible murals and there's a Roman amphitheatre), Perugia (1 hour; the capital of Umbria, with a helter-skelter of cobbled streets and ancient stairs) and Siena (1.5 hours; its old town is a Unesco site)

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Table tennis

Best Time to go

Our Top Tips

Location

Villa Pia is on the edge of a small town called Lippiano in Umbria, a couple of miles from the Tuscan border in Italy.

By Air:
Perugia is the closest airport (40 minutes from Lippiano), or fly into Florence (1 hour 15). Rimini, Bologna and Pisa are all about 2 hours' drive away. Click on the links below for a detailed list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
You'll need a car to get here and to explore the area - see our car rental recommendations. You can park for free at the hotel.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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