Room with a View

Amongst olive trees and lavenders, an idyllic 15th century restored tower and house happens to be a wonderful secret to those-in-the-know and needs to be shared with everyone. Villa Gudiolo is a privately owned estate with two separate houses- each with its own saltwater swimming pool- resting above the tiny hamlet of San Giovanni del Pantano in Umbria, Italy. Madeleine Stein is the proprietor of this rustic-chic farmhouse retreat, where stunning views of distant fields and valleys surround the house offering privacy and serenity. Stein’s background is in private banking in Zurich and although Switzerland may be central to uber luxe-living, she has only now found what luxury is all about as life at Gudiolo follows the rhythm of the seasons. Everything she does there is determined by the centuries-old relationship between the local people and the land, and the accumulation of traditions and wisdom that has grown from it.

Offering a home to friends, and friends of friends, Gudiolo’s spaciousness is filled with ample light where pampering amenities coexist with Stein’s comforting hospitality, as guests can expect savory dinners and Umbrian wines at the end of their day. The estate produces its own biological extra virgin olive oil – even harvesting their olives for several days with the same group of friends year after year- and seasonal meals are prepared from their own organic vegetable garden. Whether you choose to stay on site and soak up the peace and charm of the house, check out old ruins such as the Etruscan tomb across the valley, hunt down wild asparagus, mushrooms, and truffles in the woodlands- or even better, chase down designer cashmere 25 miles away- take a gelato making class at nearby Scuola Italiana di Gelateria, or perhaps learn how to master your own gnocchi with nonna from the village, one thing is for sure…Stein has made Gudiolo your Italian villa-away-from-home.