Il Giardino

Il Giardino, a beautiful privately-owned home, nestled in the hills beside Porto Ercole, feels like the familiar and inviting country house of a well-travelled bohemian friend.  Indeed, this beloved family home has been tastefully and eclectically decorated with art, rugs, and textiles that reflect the eye of a globetrotter, though the effect is completely Italian. Like something out of the notable, Villa e Giardini magazine, it is no surprise that the property, sleeping 10, is so elegant and aesthetically pleasing, given that it was designed by the famous architect Canali, responsible for the glamorous 5* Hotel Il Pellicano, built in the 60s.

As well as the design, the interior of Il Giardino is distinctly luminous, airy and comfortable, a villa in which one can live as well indoors as outdoors throughout the seasons - in the grounds lounging by the pool, or retreating under one of the many pretty pergolas. Within the main house there are three delightful double bedrooms all with ensuite and two single rooms thus accommodating 8 guests comfortably. There is also a stunning separate master bedroom which can be found in the pool house cottage, set at the bottom of the garden, thus offering some extra privacy and tranquillity and also independence for larger groups of guests. The annexe has its own sitting room and ensuite bathroom.

Notably this villa is not overlooked by any other property and indeed when you walk barefoot in the beautiful 3½ hectares of garden surrounding the estate, carefully tended to by the wonderful Giovanni, you feel total calm, encompassed by herbaceous borders, endless banks of lavender, lemon and olive trees and a myriad of many terraces from which to dine. By nightfall or sundowners there is a subtle garden lighting which provides a romantic and entirely enchanting atmosphere for evening entertaining, and the backdrop to many memorable evenings.

Il Giardino is one of few houses in the area of Lo Sbarcatello, to have its own swimming pool, which means the options are endless in terms of whether one decides to spend an afternoon lazing by the pool or hop in the car (3-5 minutes),  grab a rented motorino and venture down to a small private beach of Lo Sbarcatello beach, which is shared exclusively by only a handful of villas in the area. The 12 x 5 meters swimming pool is set on a lower terrace in the garden and offers wonderful views of the Mediterranean in the distance.

The chic and fashionable nearby village of Porto Ercole, with its wonderful choice of fashionable boutiques and excellent restaurants, is just a short drive away, where one can enjoy a morning coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice reading the papers, as well as a fantastic dinner en famille or rent a boat down towards the end of the port to explore rock pools and find the clearest blue waters around the peninsula.

Il Giardino is looked after by Giovanni and his wife Anna, who are the most warm and charming couple one could hope to meet – Giovanni often found pootling guests down to the beach in his buggy and Anna preparing fabulous meals with local produce and savoir faire. Giovanni and Anna are a key ingredient in one’s stay and undoubtedly the reason why so many faithful clients return year after year as if returning to their own home.

• Entrance Hall with a French window to a terrace

• Small sitting room with Bridge table

• Gents

• Master double bedroom suite with king size bed, en suite bathroom with bath, sitting room with sofa bed and access to a terrace with sea views

• Double bedroom with ensuite bathroom

• Separate bathroom with bath

• 2 single bedrooms

• Twin bedroom with en suite bathroom with bath

• Upstairs Sitting room with sea views: with flat screen TV, DVD player, working fireplace

• Sitting room with working fireplace, flat screen TV

• Living room

• Dining room

• Kitchen

• Laundry

Guest cottage in garden:

• Double bedroom with King size bed with en suite bathroom with shower + bath

• Sitting room with flat screen TV