the area
One of the great pleasures of staying at Villa San Biagio is its location. Set in the countryside of Città della Pieve, in Umbria and just a few kilometres from the Tuscan border, the house is perfectly placed for discovering two of Italy's most beautiful regions, and much more beyond. The town itself overlooks the Val di Chiana and Lake Trasimeno and has long been a meeting point between Umbria and Tuscany.
Medieval hilltop towns, Renaissance cities, vineyards, lakes, thermal villages and extraordinary landscapes are all within easy reach. Rome and Florence can be visited by train, and even the Mediterranean and Adriatic coasts make possible longer day trips.
There is no need to see everything. Choose a destination, follow a country road, stop somewhere unexpected for lunch and leave enough time to come back for an aperitivo on the terrace. This is a region best explored slowly.
città della pieve
Start close to home: this is our hometown. Built predominantly in warm red brick and perched high above the surrounding countryside, Città della Pieve is one of those places you will return to again and again during your stay.
Its narrow streets, little piazzas, cafés, restaurants and local shops make it perfect for an unhurried morning or an evening close to home. Look for the Vicolo Baciadonne, the narrowest street in Italy, so narrow that two lovers can kiss across it.
The town was the birthplace of the Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino, the master who taught Raphael, and his magnificent Adoration of the Magi, painted in 1504, can still be seen in the Oratory of Santa Maria dei Bianchi. There is also a famous saffron, a handful of trattorias where you eat very well and a weekly market.
Come for coffee, pick up something delicious for dinner, have an aperitivo or simply wander without a plan.
lake trasimeno
For a complete change of scenery, head towards Lake Trasimeno, 20 minutes from the house: quiet beaches, reed beds and boats that reach Isola Maggiore in a quarter of an hour.
The beautiful walled town of Castiglione del Lago sits on a promontory overlooking the lake, while nearby Paciano and Panicale offer smaller, quieter Umbrian villages to discover.
Spend a few hours walking by the water, cycle along the shore, have lunch overlooking the lake or dinner facing the sunset with lake fish on your plate, then simply enjoy a relaxed afternoon before returning home. Children would happily stay all day.
rome and florence by train
One of the surprises of Villa San Biagio's location is how easy it is to exchange peaceful country life for a day in one of Italy's great cities.
The nearby Chiusi Chianciano Terme station is about 15 km from Città della Pieve and is easily reached by car or taxi in 10 minutes. From Chiusi, direct trains run into the centre of both cities: roughly 1½ to 2 hours to Rome Termini and around 1¾ to 2 hours to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, depending on the train.
Spend a day among the galleries and boutiques of Florence, or head south for the extraordinary history and energy of Rome. Then leave the city behind and come home to Umbria: country living without feeling cut off from the great cities of Italy.
an hour or two away
The house makes an excellent base: the motorway is close without ever being heard, and every destination below is described in detail on the activities page.
very close
- Chiusi 10 minutes, its station and Etruscan tombs
- Cetona 20 minutes, a first taste of Tuscany
- Lake Trasimeno 20 minutes, beaches and boats to the islands
- Montepulciano 30 minutes, its cellars and its nobile wine
about three quarters of an hour
- Orvieto 40 minutes, its cathedral and underground city
- Perugia 45 minutes, the capital of Umbria
- Cortona 45 minutes, Tuscany seen from above
- Civita di Bagnoregio 50 minutes, the village suspended in time
worth a full day
- Assisi 1 hour, the basilica and its frescoes
- Siena and Montalcino 1¼ hours, the shell-shaped square and brunello
- Rome and Florence by train from Chiusi, 1½ to 2 hours away
- The sea 2 hours, the Maremma coast around Capalbio
through the seasons
Every season offers a different way to experience the region.
- Spring The countryside turns green, wildflowers appear and the temperatures are wonderful for exploring villages, walking and enjoying the first lunches outdoors.
- Summer Summer is made for life outside: morning excursions, afternoons by the pool, lake or seaside days and long evenings on the terrace.
- Autumn Perhaps one of the most beautiful times to explore the region. Vineyards change colour, olive harvests begin and menus turn towards mushrooms, truffles, game and richer seasonal dishes. A wonderful time for wine country, village visits and long lunches.
- Winter Winter reveals a quieter, more intimate Umbria and Tuscany. Explore uncrowded towns and museums, enjoy thermal baths and fireside lunches, then return to Villa San Biagio for an evening in the library beside the wood-burning fire.
the rhythm of the hills
Around the house there is nothing but countryside: rows of olive trees, a dirt track, the bell tower of San Biagio and hills that change colour all day long.
In the morning you drive down for bread and tomatoes at the market. In the evening the cicadas fall silent, the valley turns blue and all that is left is the stars above the pool. La dolce vitta, quite simply.
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