REFERENCE:

BEDROOMS: 

BATHROOMS: 

POOL: 

Villa Le Preghiere is a 12th Century monastery in Umbria, lovingly converted to a luxury country guest house of the highest standard.

With terracotta floors, huge oak and chestnut beams, and furnished with antiques and handmade furniture, it is surrounded by a beautiful garden, with a private chapel and swimming pool, all surrounded by open fields with impressive views of the woodland hills.

Accommodating 18 guests, with nine double/twin rooms, 9 bathrooms and a swimming pool, this Umbrian holiday villa is just minutes from the village of Calzolaro. It lies close to Umbertide and Cittá di Castello, and just over the border from Tuscany. Villa le Preghiere is in the midst of Umbria's many walled medieval villages and towns, in the land of Saint Francis of Assisi, Michelangelo of Caprese, and Raffaello of Cittá di Castello.

From here you can easily reach Rome, Florence, Perugia, Gubbio, and Lakes Trasimeno and Montedoglio. A luxurious restored 12th Century monastery, now converted to an elegant privately owned and run guest house. All the bedrooms have en-suite marble-clad bathrooms. Villa Le Preghiere can be rented as a self-catering Villa, accommodating 18 guests or as a bed and breakfast in Umbria. Within the same grounds lies Moscatello Cottage that can accommodate 6 guests over 3 rooms and 3 bedrooms.


There is a large sitting room, an equally large dining room, a billiard room with a library and two shaded terraces. Villa Le Preghiere is ideal for those guests wishing to stay at home and take things easy.


All the bedrooms are furnished and decorated to a very high standard. The beds are fitted with luxurious silk and cotton blend sheets and the spacious en-suite marble bathrooms all have matching white waffle towels, guest robes and slippers, and a hair dryer. Satellite TV is available in all bedrooms. There is an internet facility in the billiard room and a luggage lift to serve all floors.

The furniture has been carefully chosen and each room is different, all with terracotta-tiled floors with underfloor central heating, electric cooling fans, luxurious bedcovers, elegant chairs, handmade tables, beautiful curtains, padded window seat cushions and silk braided parchment lampshades. Small decorative items and pictures are all part of the owners' personal collection which have been placed in the rooms for you to share and enjoy.

Three of the bedrooms are accessible for persons with mobility difficulties (and there is extra on-site twin-room accommodation for group leaders or guides). The owners of this Umbrian villa reside in a separate building, but are conveniently close by for information and recommendations on places to visit. We regret that pets and smoking are not allowed. This Umbrian vacation villa has secure parking and a CCTV security system.

Once a Roman temple dedicated to the Spirits of the Water, gentle candlelight now illuminates the beauty of the restored private chapel in the grounds, which can seat about 50. The entrance to the chapel is through the garden, along a wide winding gravel path flanked by an extensive bank of lavender and rosemary...

There are no standard meals at this Umbria holiday villa: each one is an adventure in which is contained the pleasures of the nearby fields and woodlands. You’ll enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables, locally reared meats, including wild boar, porcini mushrooms and truffles in their season, chestnuts in the autumn, and delicious homemade desserts. And of course, Umbrian wines are appreciated worldwide. Breakfasts are served until lunchtime. Your hosts can also prepare a basket for you to enjoy breakfast in the countryside, admiring the views of the valley or the varied colours of the oak woods surrounding this lovely villa in Umbria.

Special beauty treatments are available in the house, either in the bedrooms or under the shady lean-to by the swimming pool. Various sports are catered for in the local area, including tennis, horse riding, golf, fishing, clay pigeon shooting, light aircraft flying, mountain biking, walking, cycling and swimming.

A more active holiday can be arranged according to the season. This might include wild boar or hare hunting, truffle hunting, mushroom gathering, chestnut gathering, cooking classes, painting, music, relaxation, Italian classes, architectural appreciation, ceramics, organised walks and guided tours to medieval towns.

The bedrooms at this Umbria vacation villa are as follows. Beata Beatrice has a large double bed, tapestry headboard, hand-painted fitted wardrobe and a luxury bathroom with shower. Santa Chiara is on the second floor, with a double bed, antique fronted fitted wardrobe and a luxury bathroom with shower and bath. Mastro Dante has twin beds, large antique wardrobe and a luxury bathroom with shower and bath. Re Emanuele has twin beds, large antique fronted fitted wardrobe, antique style dressing table and a luxury bathroom with shower. San Francesco is on the second floor, with twin beds with antique wrought-iron headboards, large antique wardrobe, antique dressing table and a luxury bathroom with shower. All these rooms lie up one flight of stone stairs from the reception.

The following three rooms lie on the entrance floor and thus are suitable for guests with mobility difficulties.

Padrone Irace is on the ground (American first) floor, with a large double wrought-iron bed, hand-painted fitted wardrobe and matching hand-painted dressing table and a luxury bathroom with shower.

Pittore Michelangelo is on the ground floor, accessed from the outside of the monastery through large arched French doors, which open onto a private covered terracotta-tiled terrace facing the sunken garden. It has twin beds with antique wrought-iron headboards, two Liberty-style decorated old wardrobes, 2 armchairs and pouff, and a luxury bathroom with shower and bath.

Imperatore Nerone is on the ground floor, accessed from the outside of the monastery through double French windows which open onto a private stone-tiled terrace in the sunken garden. There is a large double bed with hand-painted headboard, hand-painted fitted wardrobe and matching chest. The room has a luxury bathroom with shower.

Vescovo Oddo (Moscatello Cottage) is in the adjacent cottage, which was previously a barn and originally housed the first church on the monastery site. Accessed by external stairs leading to a small loggia, there are double French windows opening into a lobby. This leads into a room with an antique double bed in wrought iron decorated with mother of pearl motif, antique dressing table, and two hand-painted fitted wardrobes. There is a luxury bathroom with shower and wall-mounted stylish mirror.

Pittore Perugino (Moscatello Cottage) is in the same cottage, and lies on the ground floor, accessed through double French windows and a paved private terrace. It has twin beds, an antique wardrobe and luxury bathroom with shower. The room and the bathroom are suitable for guests who need wheelchair access.

Fra Angelico is a smaller room on the third floor of the monastery, once used as the watch tower, with twin beds, hand-crafted wardrobe and tiled bathroom with shower. Very tastefully decorated and suitable for a group leader or guide and their partner.

The accommodation at this Umbria vacation villa is completed by Il Moscatello. Lying within the grounds of Villa Le Preghiere, Il Moscatello was originally built as a church in the 1600s for the monastery, and later converted to a granary in the 1840s when the family bought the property.

Now restored as a beautiful cottage it has terracotta floors, oak beams and is charmingly furnished. The grounds and swimming pool of Villa Le Preghiere are available for guests’ use. This property has three bedrooms, two of which have their own private entrance (these are the two rooms that are part of the guest house). There is an open-plan ground floor with entrance hall, living room, kitchen, dining area and cloakroom, and beautiful sun terrace, also outside dining facilities.

This Umbria vacation villa offers a light laundry service on request. A daily cook, and daily maid service is available on request. The property is closed during January and February, though the two cottage rooms (Vescovo Oddo and Pittore Perugino) are sometimes available during January and February by arrangement.
To find out availability and prices on this superb villa in Umbria, please contact us.

Via Curtatone e Montanara 14, 50053 Empoli, Florence, Italy