Villa Battisole

Villa Battisole sits on the hill above Monte del Lago, with Lake Trasimeno, its three islands and the village in view. Eight bedrooms across a main house and a three-storey guest house, 820 square metres, an 18-metre infinity pool and a tennis court. Cortona is 32 km away, so it works for Tuscany as much as Umbria.

Eight double bedrooms sleep sixteen, with eleven bathrooms and two sofa beds for the overflow, and the housekeeper lays breakfast every morning. We’d put it forward for two or three families who want a court to play on and a lake to look at, or a big birthday with the grandparents in the guest house. Of the villas in Italy we place, it’s the one for a group that wants tennis before breakfast.

THE HOUSES

The main house holds five bedrooms: one on the ground floor with an en-suite shower and a double sofa bed, two upstairs with private shower rooms, and two on the far side of the house with their own ground-level entrance, one also with a sofa bed. The guest house has external access on each of its three floors: a cigar lounge with a bar counter and a living room with a fireplace and a smart TV at the bottom, one double with a private bathroom on the first floor, and on the second a small lounge, a double with en-suite shower and a further double whose attic bathroom is a few steps up. An entertainment lounge with a fireplace and a former hayloft turned gym, with treadmill, bike, weights and a massage bed, complete the estate.

THE POOL AND THE COURT

The infinity pool measures 6 by 18 metres, 140 cm deep, with the water held at about 20 degrees; it opens from 1 May to 30 September, weather permitting. The tennis court comes with equipment, there’s a bocce court too, and jogging paths cross the grounds.

THE GROUNDS

Rose gardens, lawns, old olive trees and fruit trees fill the park, and guests may pick the fruit in season; an olive grove borders the estate. Meals move between the covered dining areas, the outdoor kitchen with barbecue and the pizza oven. Covered parking, with an EV charging point.

THE HOUSE INSIDE

Air-conditioning throughout, underfloor heating and fireplaces for the shoulder months, a hi-fi system, satellite TV and a safe. The kitchen has espresso, moka and American coffee machines, a wine fridge, an ice maker and a juicer; there’s a cot and a high chair. Mosquito screens on the windows, which matters by a lake in August.

THE SERVICE

A housekeeper cleans for two hours every day, sets up a breakfast buffet each morning and will cook eggs and brew fresh coffee. Linen is changed on Saturdays and towels midweek on weekly stays; final cleaning and a guided olive-mill tour with tasting are included. Laundry is at extra cost. Pets are accepted on request, at EUR 140 per pet per week. Check-in runs from 4 pm to 7 pm, check-out by 10 am.

THE LOCATION

A restaurant, a bar and a supermarket are 700 metres away. Passignano sul Trasimeno is 8 km, Cortona 32, Perugia Airport 35, Montepulciano 48, Assisi 51 and Pienza 67; golf is 26 km and the spa town of Chianciano Terme 58. For the Tuscan towns within an hour, our guide to the most beautiful towns in Tuscany starts with Cortona and the lake view from its walls.

To check dates or request a quote for Villa Battisole, write to [email protected].