Hello, my name is Jane Black and I am the director of a Melbourne-based villa company called Italian Villa Vacations. I work with Luisa Castiglione who lives at Lake Maggiore, in Italy.
Luisa is a contessa and comes from the royal Italian family (the Castiglione's). This renowned family name dates back to the 10th century and includes two popes amongst its ancestors. Luisa's Great Great Grandfather, Baldassarre, was painted by Raphael, the famous Italian Renaissance artist, and his portrait is now displayed in the Louvre in Paris, positioned in one of the most highly viewed wings, next to the Mona Lisa no less.
Luisa, with her inherent passion and knowledge for Italy, and I, with my understanding of the Australian clientele, love facilitating Italian holidays and we do it well. We can grant you access to very exclusive villas and apartments in the best parts of the country, making for a very memorable holiday.
Our product is top end and perfect for the discerning traveller, such as the Travel Associates client. Most of our properties are situated around Tuscany and the Northern Lake district: Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Lake Garda and Lake Orta.
However, our unique collection of villas and castles extend to other regions of Italy including Veneto, Liguria, Umbria, Apulia, Campania, Emigila Romagna, and Sicily. The properties are private homes which mostly belong to important and well-renowned Italian families and staying in these places is a rare privilege.
I have personally inspected all of the villas we represent; I am dedicated to travelling to Italy and this only increases as our collection of properties continues to grow. Here are some photographs of our most exquisite rentals:
So why a villa? Italy is a popular tourist destination but renting a villa allows you to experience the region authentically and through the eyes of a local. You can complete with self-contained facilities so you can enjoy cooking with the local, delicious produce.
Italian Villa Vacations also offers guests a range of extra services such as cooking classes at the villa, a private chef to come and cook for you and your guests at the villa, wine tours and boat tours. We also have a range of properties which we recommend for 60th birthday parties, weddings and honeymoons.
Ciao,
Jane Black
Director
Italian Villa Vacations
