Price	Starting from € 6000 per week (more information)	Price on request.
Sleeps	10
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	5
Accessibility	The house is not specifically suited to less mobile guests.
Facebook	view on Facebook

Fontesecca

This villa is the acme of style and charm, fusing rusticity with modern design in a stunning hillside setting

With its warm materials and cool design, Fontesecca is a modern interpretation of a traditional Umbrian farmhouse. Brought to life by the design team at Special Umbria, the project was completed in July 2022.

Fontesecca is a 350sqm villa that has been built on the site of a derelict farmhouse, from which as many materials as possible were repurposed for the new building. The house’s unique location, tucked into the hills just five minutes from Città della Pieve, offers picture-book views towards the pretty hilltop town, a valley on one side, the Val di Chiana the other, and Tuscany beyond.

The property is built over three floors: four bedrooms on the first floor; kitchen, dining and living space, as well as a further double, on the ground floor; and a TV room on the lower-ground floor. The modern farmhouse aesthetic is a tactile mix of materials and a fanfare of soft lines creating a delightful interplay between circular shapes, such as the dining table, and more linear angles, such as the smooth resin stairs.

Outside, there is a stunning 13m x 4m heated pool with views to match, and a path that leads through the trees to a centuries-old, original wine cellar that has been transformed into a cantina. The indoor/outdoor kitchen and pizza oven enable guests to cook here, and they can dine at a long table shaded by a pergola, with the same hypnotic views beyond.

Fontesecca is exclusively managed by Special Umbria.

Rooms description

Bedrooms

The property sleeps ten in five spacious en-suites, including four doubles on the first floor and one twin on the ground floor. The rooms have traditional beamed ceilings and handmade cotto floor tiles with an under-floor cooling system. The beds have luxurious memory-foam mattresses and are dressed with comfortable, cool linens, while the furniture, including Kave Home desks in a couple of the rooms, is a subtle mix of rustic wood and sleek Italian design pieces, giving a modern, calm, country feel.

Bathrooms

All of the bedrooms have en-suite shower rooms with high-performance fixtures and fittings. The cementine floor tiles bring individuality to each room and beautiful colours and patterns to the simple details of the metal washstands and smooth, shower walls. Please note, there are no baths in this property.

Kitchen

The modern farmhouse kitchen has, like the rest of the house, handmade cotto floor tiles and a beamed ceiling. There is a strong focus on local, natural materials, such as the large wooden, freestanding island, the marble sink with brass taps, and the worktop made from smooth travertino di San Casciano. Meanwhile, the island pendants by Karman marry form and function in a sleek design. Open to the living and dining areas, the kitchen is expertly equipped with a large double oven by Ilve and, for ease, two dishwashers and two fridges.

Living rooms

The entire living space is a celebration of natural materials, colours and handcrafted techniques, reflecting the beauty of the property’s location. The modern fireplace is on a bench, creating a stylish fender, while the handcrafted metal banister nods to the agricultural origins of the property. The smooth resin staircase is a joyful piece of functional sculpture and there is plenty of space in which guests can gather, relax or party. On the lower ground floor there is a large TV room that is ideal for children to use as a playroom.

Other rooms

The dining area links the kitchen to the living room. It’s a large, convivial space with French windows to outside. The light and airy feel is made welcoming with the warmth of the natural materials. The beautiful wooden dining table, the dining chairs by Miniforms, a young Italian brand, and the Gervasoni pendant light add contemporary design to the farmhouse aesthetic. On the ground floor there is a separate WC and a large hallway with lots of storage space. On the lower ground floor there is a laundry room and the property’s technical room, next to the TV/play room.

Facilities

Cleaning

2 mid-week cleanings on Mondays and Thursdays + final cleanings. Linen change weekly for stays longer than a week

Amenities

private pool, pool heating, air conditioning, dogs allowed, floor cooling, espresso machine, nespresso machine, car charging point, sonos music system, hob/stove, oven, fridge, fridge with freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, iron+board, television, wifi, central heating, cot, high chair, barbeque, vinyard, hairdryer

Accessibility

The house is not specifically suited to less mobile guests.

Outside

The outside of the house is as meticulous and beautiful in its detail as the inside, with its pleasing shape, copper drainpipes and sculptural chimney detailing. The 13m x 4m heated pool lies on a terrace in front of the house and the garden has been cleverly landscaped to make the most of the view and surrounding woods and hills. The garden is fenced, with an electric entrance gate, gravel driveway and private parking. With no direct neighbours, Fontesecca is private but not isolated and the pretty town of Città della Pieve is five minutes away by car.

Notes

A short stroll from the main house is the cantina, located in the only original structure to remain, which was once a wine cellar. The upper part is garden storage but the lower part is where the magic happens. This inside/outside space has a kitchen, and a pizza oven has filled the gap of what was once a window. The dining table under the portico outside is a dreamy setting for large group meals with a mesmerising view, personifying all the best bits of Italy, and Umbria in particular. In the Villa you will find the soap, shampoo and shower gel exclusively produced in Umbria and composed by bio agriculture and essential oils.

Availability & Pricing

weekly prices

from 6 January 2024 to 18 May 2024	€ 6000
from 18 May 2024 to 8 June 2024	€ 7500
from 8 June 2024 to 14 September 2024	€ 8500
from 14 September 2024 to 5 October 2024	€ 7500
from 5 October 2024 to 21 December 2024	€ 6000
from 21 December 2024 to 4 January 2025	€ 7500

Weekly cleaning: EUR 300
Floor cooling: EUR 150 per week (on request). In high season included in rental price
Pool heating available between mid April and mid October: EUR 250 per week (on request)
Baby cot: EUR 75 per week
Dog: EUR 100 per stay
2 extra single beds: EUR 250 each per week
Car Charging Station: EUR 150 per week

Extra services on demand:
In house chefs (fine dining, traditional, BBQ, Pizza)
Massages
Yoga & PT
Babysitting
Wine tastings
E-bikes rental
Transfers

Security deposit: EUR 1500 to be paid to SU before arrival as specified in the booking confirmation.
Deposit: 30% upon booking, balance 30 working days before arrival;

Sustainability

For every booking we make on this property, we will plant a tree through our charitable partner, Trees for All.

Arrival & Departure

Saturdays (depending on other bookings) arrival from 4 PM and departure latest 10 AM. Other arrival and departures days upon request.

Leisure & Activities

Activities

There are beautiful walks and bike rides from the house and for those seeking beach and watersport facilities, Lake Trasimeno is 25km away, or there is a waterpark with slides in Tavernelle (17km). There are two golf courses close by: the 9-hole Golf Course Lamborghini at Panicarola (16km) and the 18-hole Golf Club Perugia (28km) Antognolla Golf club an 18-hole course, one of the best of Italy (56 km).

Specials

Special Umbria is happy to tailor-make itineraries for our guests, including guided tours of national parks, city culture tours or other activities. We are able to organise a private chef for your entire stay or someone who can prepare traditional, local food when required. Please contact us directly for rates and availability.

Happenings

The world-famous, annual Umbria Jazz Festival takes place in the first two weeks of July. Previous artists include Diana Krall, John Legend and Lady Gaga. Every year in August in Città della Pieve a high quality 'Palio' (medieval festival) with all kind of activities during this period will be organized . Please ask for more information.

Surroundings

Location

Click map for detailed location

Surroundings

Part of the lure of Fontesecca is that it is only five minutes by car from Città della Pieve - one of Italy’s prettiest hilltop towns. A small, ancient jewel with a proud artistic heritage, here you can wander the pretty streets and soak up the buzz, beauty and charm, feasting on the art and architecture and, of course, the food. The town is brought to life throughout the year by its various markets and festivals that are steeped in tradition and full of colour and vibrancy. Other attractive towns nearby include, Monteleone d’Orvieto, Chiusi and Montepulciano, which is famed for its wine.

Travel

Air The nearest airports are: Perugia [PEG] (53km) with direct flights from Rotterdam [Transavia], Brussels [Ryanair] and London [BA and Ryanair]; Florence [FLR] (146km); Rome Ciampino [CIA] (167km); and Rome Fiumicino [FCO] (190km). Rail The international train station at Chiusi (22km) is ideal for direct journeys to Rome, Florence, Arezzo and Perugia. Car rental is available from this station. Road The A1 motorway exits closest to the property are at Fabro (22km) for Rome and Chiusi (25km) for Florence.

Distances

Fontesecca is close to several towns and cities in both Umbria and Tuscany, including, Castiglione del Lago (23km); Montepulciano (famed for its wine) (35km); Perugia (43km); Cortona (45km); Deruta (45km); Orvieto (45km); Todi (63km); Assisi (65km); Montefalco/Bevagna (67km); Gubbio (94km); Siena (95km); Spoleto (104km); Florence (135km); and Rome (162km).

Your villa and Covid-19

To prevent any possible spread of Covid-19 and to enable you to enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday, all our villas are cleaned to the highest standard possible, and according to the latest Italian health and safety regulations.

Perfect hygiene: to ensure an exceptional level of hygiene in all our villas, we’ve worked with our owners to create a Covid-19 villa management protocol. Based on recommendations from the World Health Organisation, and in compliance with current Italian national law, this protocol goes above and beyond our usual rigorous cleaning standards.

Prior to arrival, your villa will have been fully sanitised, including all surfaces, objects, kitchen items, curtains, sofas, throws, pillows, toys, and in and around the pool. You are welcome to ask for a detailed list of the entire cleaning procedure we do after each departure and before welcoming new guests to the property.

The owner of this house has complied with the following standards:

To ensure the necessary information concerning social distancing and the use of masks is available to all guests
To guarantee availability of and accessibility to hand hygiene systems with hydro-alcoholic solutions and soaps in all inside areas of, and pertaining to, the villa
To guarantee cleaning and disinfection of all areas according to national authority guidelines. Further information is available on request
For the swimming pool: to guarantee the efficacy of the water treatments, while respecting legal limits (the parameter for free active chlorine in the pool is between 1.0 – 1.5 mg/l; combined chlorine ≤ 0.40 mg/l; pH 6.5 – 7.5 or equivalent oxygen)
For air conditioning systems: to guarantee the air re-circulation function is switched off and, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, with the plant in off-mode, to clean the air filters of the heating/cooling plants that use heat pumps, fan coils and convectors, at the end of each stay