Our family group of 10: 2 generations (6 adults ~60 and 4 adults ~30) had a wonderful, special time at Villa Gioianna in late May, 2016. The villa is an older property with its quirks and charms (if you want a slick new place this is probably not for you) but for us, the historic feel of the house was part of its appeal. The house has a very open feel inside. The dining room had delightful painted details, the hobbit door to the ½ bath is a kick, and we loved having a baby grand piano for house music. It can be a bit dark when rain storms come, but they usually pass quickly and we enjoyed the grounds so much. Special experiences at the villa: **Breakfast outside on the terrace gazing across the neighboring vineyards **Sitting by the pool reading, and then ducking under one of the vine covered arbors to read in the rain. **A music night singing around the baby grand piano **Meals at our favorite lovely restaurant in nearby, La Cantina, with its outdoor terrace with flowers, in Casteglione del Lago. **A dinner prepared by the neighborhood nonna; after the first, we arranged a second night as well. **The special dinner in the vineyards Anna told us about and took us to. **For some, a visit to hot springs that, again, Anna told us about. **Wine tasting and horseback riding that, again, Anna told us about. **A visit to Orvieto with its stunning Cathedral frescos. **Hiking from the door of the villa into the lovely countryside. Planning notes: **Ask Anna for directions before coming, especially if you will be arriving after dark. **The four bedrooms on the lower floor have big, high windows with views; the four bedrooms on the top floor have low, sloping ceilings with small low windows. Our older generation used the large rooms and the younger generation stayed upstairs in the low ceiling rooms. All the rooms have charming details. Anna was repeatedly a great help to us and clearly enjoys introducing visitors to the delights of Umbria, especially experiences only the locals know of. She has a very special house in Villa Gioianna.

I've stayed at the villa before and knew what to expect. Stylish, traditional and well equipped Villa Goianna never let's us down. We had a fabulous relaxing holiday in the beautiful Umbrian countryside and can't wait for our next visit. Caio Anna!

We visited Villa Gioianna for the olive harvest but found so much more. The home and grounds were amazing -- nightly fireside dinners in the kitchen (each exquisitely prepared by local chefs, and, of course, copious Italian reds), beautifully decorated rooms, entrancing panoramic views as we stripped the precious harvest from the olive trees. The food, the ambiance, the countryside, all an experience of a lifetime.

I have stayed here before and love it more each time I come back. The house, gardens and pool area are beautiful. Each room has been lovingly restored with antiques and each bedroom has a stunning enough suite bathroom. Anna arranges for a local lady to come in and cook local specialties for us and can make reservations at wonderful local restaurant. The house is secluded and quiet for a really restful break if that's what you want but very close to castglione del Lago for shopping and markets. Corona, nontrivial and sienna are a short drive. I prefer to take a train from the local station to Florence which is a bit too touristy for me. Really excited to go back later in the year with friends.

We rented the Villa for a week in August. Within minutes of arrival, our expectations of this beautiful villa and surrounding area were blown out of the water. The photos do not do the villa or the gardens justice; they just do not capture the beauty and ambiance. The gardens are lovely and well kept. And inside . . . well, Anna should be an interior decorator; her taste in furniture, linens and décor in general is exquisite. Plus she has an eye for the unusual piece that keeps the house from being too stuffy or museum-like. I want her to redecorate my house! Our planning began a year before our trip. We asked Anna to help us. It was clear from her initial emails that she knows a lot and is generous with her knowledge. Anna was invaluable; we could never, ever have found all the unique things she proposed and arranged for us by ourselves or even with all the "Rick Steves" of the world. Travel agents and so-called Italian experts Stateside just do not have the inside information that Anna has collected from doing what she calls her “selfless research” into wineries, restaurants, sights, etc. Anna was always helpful and patient with our questions and concerns. Thanks to her, we had the most amazing experiences, from winetasting overlooking Orvieto to a private lunch at the home of a chef on a terrace overlooking a spectacular view, to a spa visit for the ladies and outdoor thermal springs for the men to one of the most amazing meals I have ever had at the Michelin-starred restaurant, again overlooking stupendous scenery. And we did was just a fraction of the many things Anna had suggested . . . it was hard to choose and I desperately want to go back to explore more. We asked the little “ Nonna” chef to cook for us. Those meals were delicious, made with the kind of love and care and authenticity that I guess Italian families get to enjoy every night. Initially, we had some high maintenance diet wannabes who claimed they couldn’t eat this or that or whatever. Their dietary quirks were accommodated with aplomb. But they changed their tune almost immediately and were soon happily slurping pasta and fighting over the last tiramisu, carbs and diets apparently forgotten. This is a magnificent 19th century villa renovated into a high-quality residence with warm and caring hospitality. The pool is first class, the location for visiting Umbria and Tuscany is perfect, the welcome and service and food are all superb. Just magical. Well done! We will be back!

I have visited the Villa 6 times over the last 10 years. I love, love, LOVE Villa Gioianna! I’d go every year if I could. I’ve visited in the Spring and the Fall. The Villa is set in a glorious garden with woods. In the Spring, antique roses with a really strong, old-fashioned fragrance bloom profusely and their scent wafts over the entire garden. The Tuscan irises explode with color. And the wisteria! It covers the front fence and you can smell the flowers from about a quarter mile away. Heavenly. All the rooms have ensuite baths. There’s plenty of hot water and pressure, even when all the bathrooms are in use at the same time. And being eco-aware, I was glad to see the solar panels; apparently most of the hot water comes from them. I've stayed in 3 of the 8 rooms and each time felt like a princess. The mattresses are custom-made and super comfortable. I slept like a babe. The food is fabulous! The continental breakfast could almost last you until aperitivo time: home-made lemon curd & jams, fruits from the Villa's orchard or a local farm, ah-mazing local yoghurt, fresh bread & pastries from a local bakery or - sometimes – homemade coffee cake (made with olive oil; you won't believe how delicious it is and better for you than butter). I’ve eaten many a delicious dinner prepared by a the Villa’s “chef,” a cute little Italian grandmother. I walked to the winery next door to buy really good wines at great prices: the bulk red wine is about 1.80/liter and the bottled wines start at 3.50. That is much less than we are used to in the US for that quality. This historical villa has 21st century luxuries yet is environmentally friendly. I love that. Frogs and bats (so shy; they emerge only at night) help control bugs instead of toxic sprays; the fountain and pond are not chemically treated so the frogs are not poisoned. The swimming pool is crystal clear, but the other water features are as nature intended: pond-green and healthy. If you’re squeamish about that (green and algae are not bad things – what do you think baby fish and frogs eat for heavens’ sakes) and think everything has to be fake clear by chemicals, think again. There is great concern globally about the disappearance of bees, but here you see butterflies and bees and little hummingbird look-alike bugs happily sucking nectar from the lavender. Because there are no pesticides and no chemicals polluting the plants and water. You can breathe easy here. HIGHLY recommend; will go again!

We found this villa online and thought it was the perfect place for ourselves and family to celebrate our wedding. We paid in advance and had written out agreements. Anna - the owner was promising all of these things when we were booking with her. We paid the funds in full, and then Anna went MIA for weeks at a time and never answered our questions. When she finally did get back to us she just kept making us feel like it was our problem, and everything was fine.. We went to Italy got to the Villa and she was no where to be found. The drivers felt so bad that they waited with us for 1 hour because we were in the middle of no where. They tried to call Anna because she told them that she would be there. Finally Anna got there, the place was not ready and there were dishes piled that she told us she would do but took off and one of our family members had to do the dishes piled in the sink. This vacation was for our wedding and it was a disaster. 6 months prior to Italy I had sent Anna pictures and a list of the flowers cake, place setting, location of the ceremony ( by the fountain ) I was thinking ( all this service was in the money we gave her that was in writing ) and we got there .. nothing was done. The fountain wasn't working, it was green and full of bacteria, bugs, remains of trees. The lights going up to the villa never worked. she said she had bought new pool lights and there were no pool lights ( we could not see the pool by dark ( it was so dark and so far away from the house it as not safe ) We found out that she threatened her staff because they were helping us because they felt so bad. We had a local take us to get flowers and a cake because the day before we found out Anna had lied and nothing was arranged. Thank god for the local Italians and their kindness to help us out or we would not of had flowers, cake, wedding dinner. We were to have vintage dishes arranged when we got there and for the wedding dinner and Anna locked them in her basement and we could not see them until the evening before the wedding. ( that was a lot of dishes to bring up, wash and then Anna said we could not use 1/2 of them and took them back downstairs and locked them up ) As I was getting on the plane to travel 9 hours to Italy I received an email stating that we could not use the basement where the bar and pool table were because of water .. When we checked there was no water just her personal stuff from wall to wall covered.

Villa Gioianna was everything we hoped it would be. Wonderful antiques everywhere and lovely views from the extensive grounds but no sense of it being over precious and a museum exhibit it. This house has the most wonderful sense of comfort and home. I particularly liked the fact that each of the bedrooms has different decor and has its own personality. There is none of the homogeneous anonymity of some of the grander hotels. But don't go there if you're on a diet! Some of the best food I've ever eaten comes from this area.