Villa Jacopo

Accommodates 8 - 4BR, 3BA, Swimming Pool, Air-Conditioning, Internet

What an incredible place! The Villa Jacopo is a Palladian-style palace built in the second half of the 16th century by a noble family from Venice. It has always been a private home, and even today it is occupied year-round by descendants of the same family who originally gave it life. The Italian gardens in front and the English gardens to the rear are beautifully maintained and serve to enhance a happy union between architecture and nature. The charm of the grounds is enhanced by the presence of an old dovecote, a chapel, and a fish pond created by filling the cavity left in the ground from which the stone used to construct the villa itself was quarried. It is really not too much to say that one is transported to another time on these grounds.

Location? We're talking the very heart of the Veneto countryside, about 30 kilometers from either Venice or Padua. You're also within reach of such charming Veneto towns as Cittadella, Bassano, Asolo, Castelfranco, Treviso, and Maser. In addition, the property is walking distance (1500 yards) from the little village of Levada, home to a coffee bar, grocer, newsstand, bakery, filling station, and hairdresser. Just a little further, a little over a mile via a charming country lane, you'll find Badoere, a little bigger than Levada, with an unusual and interesting piazza at its center. Badoere has a first-rate butcher, plus supermarket, florist, little restaurants and trattorie, and antique dealer.

To get to Venice from Villa Jacopo, the very best way is by train in about 40 minutes from the little station at Piombino Dese, just 7 kilometers away.

Our offering is a large, fully independent portion of the left wing of the villa called a "barchessa" where the owners have created delightful quarters for our guests, elegant yet comfortable and inviting. These consist of a sitting room, separate dining room, kitchen, 4 equal bedrooms and 3 baths. Furnishings are a delightful mixture of family treasures, objets d'art, and period paintings. Floors are mostly parquet, while walls have original marble plaster surface and ceilings decorated stucco. Baths are furnished with charming hand-painted Vietri tiles. Fresh flowers adorn the living room and bedrooms.

Details: You enter at ground level and go up a set of marble stairs. There, at the left side of the landing is a matrimonial bedroom suite with private bathroom (shower over tub) and its own little sitting room with sofa, writing desk, and armoire. Ceilings are beamed, and windows overlook the porch of the villa's wing. To the right of the landing you reach the dining room with table for 8; kitchen equipped with oven, microwave, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, and toaster. (There is no washing machine, but laundry service is available on site.) The living room, also on this level, has six windows on three sides and is beautifully furnished with sofa, overstuffed chairs, armchairs, and chaise longue. This room has an open bar, satellite TV, stereo CD and DVD player.

Upstairs, via a wooden staircase, you reach a landing from which three doors give onto the 3 remaining bedrooms. The first has a matrimonial bed, writing desk, three chairs, and two dressers. En-suite bathroom with shower over tub. The second has a matrimonal bed, writing desk, easy chair, and dresser. The third door from the landing leads into a sitting room with wardrobe, sofa, and writing desk; this room leads in turn into the third bedroom, with two twin beds, easy chair, three armchairs, and two dressere. These latter two bedrooms share a bathroom located off the sitting room just described. All of the windows on this upper floor overlook the facade of the villa and its garden.

The entire accommodation is air-conditioned; a centralized system operates in the main living spaces, while an individually contolled unit is in each bedroom.

Outside, for the exclusive use of the guests, is a private flower garden with swimming pool and gazebo ideal for outdoor dining.

Perhaps the most important aspect of a stay at Villa Jacopo is the warm hospitality of the owners. They will provide expert advice on every topic, from where to go play golf or tennis to where to eat well. Recognizing that this is an area which, despite its proximity to world-famous sights like Venice, is still unfamiliar to many vistors, the owners have dedicated themselves to the organization of daily itineraries accompanied by expert guides whom they know personally. Such itineraries can be culturally oriented - like visits to the Palladian villas or to the delightful walled villages in the are -- but they might equally be oriented in the direction of wine (both production and consumption), food (ditto), shopping, or sport of all kinds. The owners are happy to make reservations for restaurants, theatre, opera, museums, excursions, and so on.

The rental includes utilities, daily housekeeping, and twice-weekly linen change. Available extras include breakfast; other meal preparation (including the possibility of service at table); extra housekeeping; personal laundry and ironing; internet access; childcare; pickup service from train station or airport; and tours with lecturers and guides. Central heating in the off-season is charged on a daily basis.