Villa il Cardinale is my family home and I care for it together with my partner, Alex, and my lovely staff, Stefania and Paolo.
DESCRIPTION OF THE VILLA:
Last year,"Meet Me in Rome", an American movie was filmed at the villa. Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdP4D8ZCcjM
The luxury master bedroom, with the antique fireplace, has a bed that is bigger than an Emperor size (it is, aptly, a Caesar size bed!), a large, contemporary en-suite bathroom with walk-in-shower, its own gorgeous terrace overlooking the garden, and its own dressing rooms. Upstairs there are two further beautiful en-suite bedrooms, one with an Emperor size bed, as well as four more bedrooms that share two recently modernised bathrooms, with walk-in-showers, between them.
The upper floor opens onto a delightful garden with an ancient Roman archaeological area, complete with garden furniture, parasols and lighting. Just above the archeological remains, you can enjoy the life of an ancient Roman by plunging in a luxurious hot tub spa for 6 people ideal for hydrotherapy, relaxation or pleasure with powerful jets for massage purposes. The hot tub, reminiscent of and consistent with ancient Roman ablution practices, is situated outdoors, against the backdrop of the 1st century AD wall. In a separate area of the garden, under olive trees, and close to the vegetable patch and the yoga platform, you can enjoy the heated swimming pool.
In the intimate and yet spectacular garden there are several areas for outdoor eating under secular Roman pine trees. A ping-pong table is available to our guests.
On the ground floor, which can be reached from a ceramic and travertine marble staircase, there are two large reception rooms, each with a marble and stone fireplace, travertine stone floors, and high vaulted ceilings. One of the reception rooms, boasting two ancient Egyptians columns with Roman capitals, can be used as a dining or sitting room.
There is a very spacious kitchen, with a professional 'gas cooker, complete with a large electric thermo-convection oven ideal for cooking at very high levels.
The kitchen, with a vaulted ceiling, has a gorgeous fireplace perfect for roasting food and sitting around sipping a glass of good wine. There is a big cellar made to be filled with delicious wines, stacked up against its 4th century wall.Part of the cellar also functions as a utility room with two large fridges, a sink, a dishwasher, a washing machine and a dryer.
The rear kitchen door opens onto a functioning bread/pizza oven and a small fountain. The pizza-oven corner is covered by an awning and it is flood-lit. It has a seating area designed for fun evenings families and their children making pizza together under the guidance of our expert pizzaiolo. We can provide all the ingredients as well as the 'pizzaiolo' for making your favourite pizza!
Behind the kitchen there is a further single bedroom, with its own shower room (and separate entrance by the pizza oven). This could be used as an extra room for a young person, a nanny or a yoga teacher.
The lower garden is wonderful, with a patio and portico that allow for outdoor dining, and entertaining, dancing, or listening to music. At one end of the large patio there is a large built-in brick barbecue and a fountain, garden lights and space for entertaining for up to 100 people.
All around there are fruit trees and wonderfully secluded areas of the garden.
Own car is recommended. However, there is also public transport, two buses, 5 minutes walk away, and two train stations, one at Settebagni (the train reaches the Stazione Tiburtina in 20 minutes, and from there there is the connection to the Rome Metro or trains to all parts of Italy), the other from Saxa Rubra directly to Piazzale Flaminio and Piazza del Popolo. Both stations are only 7 minutes drive away.
THE VILLA’S USP
This is a truly unique property. Its walls, stones, its multiple layers speak of Roman history, of the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Every mosaic stone in the garden bears the memory of Imperial Rome, its rise, and its decadence.
Yet the villa is only two steps away from the ring-road that connects all Roman roads. As we know, "All roads lead to Rome".
The villa is one of the precious historic houses of the region: it is included in the list of the Dimore Storiche of Italy
(see https://www.dimorestoricheitaliane.it/).
You will benefit from hiring a car so as to drive into Rome centre along the Via Salaria (Flaminia or Cassia) in only 15 minutes. Or you may choose to drive for 7 minutes to the nearest train stations that lead into Rome centre and connect to the metro service.
As a former curator and art historian I love telling the history of the Villa and, with my partner, who is a trained historian and a journalist, we love offering tours of Rome and its museums.
TOP AMENITIES: heated pool; hot tub; deck chairs; air conditioning; central heating; wi-fi; luxury bathtub in the master bedroom; Caesar size and Emperor size beds, walk-in showers; outdoor covered platform for yoga retreats; yoga mats, blocks and bolsters; ping-pong table; vegetable garden with local produce; parking for up to 10 cars; various services available, including concierge, fridge-fill, guide to Roman museums and antique sites, breakfast, dinners, events, etc.
CANCELLATION POLICY
We chose a strict cancellation policy because we want to be sure that whoever chooses Villa il Cardinale does it with commitment and enthusiasm, just as we ourselves welcome our guests'. However we are happy to consider individual situations. If you have a serious problem and need to cancel, we are happy to bend out cancellation policy or move the booking to another available date.
"Meet Me in Rome", an American movie was filmed at the villa. Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdP4D8ZCcjM
