2 Bedroom Villa in Asti

An 18th-century villa perched high on a hillside in the enchanting Monferrato area of Piedmont. The villa has been lovingly restored, but includes all modern amenities - including a small swimming pool. The Monferrato itself - famous for its world-class fine wines, truffles and wild boar - is a huge area of rolling hills with its slopes covered in acre after acre of vineyards and woods. This unique area holds a vast array of wonders for you to discover - hundreds of ancient hilltop villages, majestic castles, out-of-the way inns, family wineries, historic churches, hidden chapels and soul-calming nature sanctuaries. You can explore via an extensive network of trails for hiking, biking and riding, or experience the area by car, winding along the famous 'wine roads', stopping off for wine tastings and lunch at a village trattoria. The villa is just a few minutes from shops, banks and restaurants. Turin, Genoa and Milan are all a short drive away as are beaches, lakes and mountains.  
 
The villa offers free parking directly across the street in our private lot and a single-car garage with automatic door is available for a small additional fee. The grounds are completely enclosed so very private and secure, but the pool is unfenced and unguarded, so parents must provide property supervision. Pets may be allowed by special agreement, but check with us for limits and policy. Considerate smokers are welcome, but smoking should be kept to terraces, courtyards and other outdoor areas. We also have a small number of bikes to rent and even a bilingual guide at a reasonable rate. The owners of Villa Due Valli also run a language training business and can offer a learning-vacation for English, French, German or Italian, tailor-made as light or intense as you would like. We also have a friend who is an experienced Italian chef who is willing to come to the villa to teach guests how to prepare a number of typical local dishes. 
 
While the ground-level Portico Apartment does have extra wide doors that could accommodate a wheelchair, the bathroom and kitchen facilities have not been adapted to the severely physically challenged. The terrace apartment does require climbing a number of steps to reach so is not suitable for those with mobility problems. If you have any doubts about the suitability of the villa for you or a member of your party, please feel free to contact us. 
 
Each apt. has furnished outdoor living areas for the private use of the occupants, but the gardens have a number of communal amenities. There is a small swimming pool and pool area has a covered gazebo, sundeck, solar-heated shower, deckchairs, tables, et al. The pool is unheated, but due to its all-day southern exposure to the sun, the water temperature is quite comfortable during the summer months. The pool, gazebo and sundeck are all lit at night so night-time swimming is allowed if noise kept down. We also have a communal BBQ patio with food preparation tables, chairs and lighting. The gardens are on several levels and connected by stone steps and paths which are kept lit at night. There are plenty of lawn chairs and benches... even a hammock for when you really want to relax. Guests are welcome to pick any of the fruit and herbs growing in the garden to supplement or enhance their meals. There are also a lot of trees that keep it cool and shady on those blazing summer days.

Additional facilities: The Terrazza Apartment (1 Bedroom, Sleeps 2/5): 4-hob gas stove, electric oven, coffee maker, sink and storage cupboards, single day bed, double hide-a-bed sofa, pellet-burning stove, antique iron bed (with new box springs and mattress), living room area with a piano, couch, armchairs, coffee table, antique wardrobe and desk and chair with internet connection. The Portico Apartment (1 Bedroom, Sleeps 2/6): new wrought-iron double bed, large games table with chairs, ceiling fan, fireplace, satellite TV, DVD player and stereo, 5-hob gas stove, oven, coffee maker, hydro-massage shower, outdoor hub, picnic table w/chairs, sun umbrella, BBQ.

Turin, also known as 'The capital of the Alps', hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics, The resorts all along the borders with France and Switzerland are on average about an hour and a half away by car, so could make a nice day trip during your stay. 
 
Turin offers great shopping along portico-covered Via Roma and boasts a multitude of renowned museums and galleries - including The Egyptian Museum which is second only to Egypt’s national museum in Cairo and The National Museum of Cinema, housed in the ‘Mole’, the city’s signature landmark. The famous “Shroud of Jesus” is also kept here. 
 

• Travel Info: The nearest international airport is the Turin airport in Caselle, about 45-minutes away by car. A higher number of flights come in at Milan's two airports, Linate and Malpensa. Malpensa is a little over an hour away by road and Linate is an hour and a half. We can also be reached by high velocity trains out of France. The nearest high-speed train station is Vercelli which is about a 30-minute drive. As the villa is in a very rural area, a car is virtually a must. The nearest villages are Cerrina and Murisengo, both about five minutes away by car. Both of these small towns offer the basic amenities of shops, supermarkets, banks, gas stations, bars and cafes.

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Villa Due Valli is located in the heart of the Monferrato - one of Italy's pre-eminent wine producing areas - surrounded by mile after mile of hills and vallies of vineyards, cropland, woods and ancient hilltop villages. These hills are dotted with castles, old churches and chapels, sanctuaries and other historic monuments dating back to medieval and Roman times. There are hundreds of wineries open to the public and thousands of family-run restaurants, trattorias and inns serving the authentic dishes for which the Monferrato is renowned worldwide.

The major towns of the Monferrato-Langhe area are Asti, Alba, Casale Monferrato, Alessandria, Vercelli, Novara, Nizza Monferrato and Acqui Terme and the wine producing zones include Barolo, Barberesco, Roero, Cocconato d'Asti; Nizza Monferrato, Gavi and many more.

And while the area is prestine and rural, its central location within Piedmont provides for ready access to three of Italy's principal cities: Turin (45 min.), Genoa (75 min.) and Milan (90 min.)...and makes for easy day-trips (approx. 90 min.) to either the Italian Riviera (Monte Carlo, San Remo, Porto Fine, et al) to the south or the Alps (Mt. Blanc, Mt. Viso, Gran Paradiso, Aosta, etc.) and Lake Region (Lago Maggiore, Lago di Como, Lago d'Orta, et al) to the north.