Villa Saraceno, Italy
Reviews:
- Sexton Blake: Saraceno is unbelievably spacious - huge, well proportioned rooms and
some
massive upstairs galleries that are completely empty. The strange
thing is
that you don't feel like you are rattling around inside like peas -
during
the day the rooms are big and cool; at night, by lamp and candle
light, the
big ceilings disappear into darkness and the rooms by firelight are
very
cosy and plenty warm enough. An impressive, powerful building on the
outside and a cozy home in the inside - truly successful
architecture. Logs
are provided on site for the dining room and living room fires; there
is a
telephone for cheap international calls if you need it; games like
triv and
Pictionary; a radio CD player (the CD works intermittently - take
one
with you); and a food processor. The most extraordinary luxury was
bar ice
maker; infinite ice all week! There is also a table tennis table. If
you go
between the beginning of May to the end of September you also get a
pool (4
foot deep, above ground, unheated). Bedrooms are nicely furnished,
some
exceptionally so. The showers/baths are plentiful, state of the art,
hot
and modern. In short, this is the most luxurious and stylish landmark
you
can think of. During the day everyone seemed to congregate around the
outside table in the 'loggia'. I resisted the temptation to tour
nearby
cities - art? architecture? It all seemed to be there at home. The
villa is
on a flat plain, within sight of foot hills and on a clear day
mountains.
There is an industrial estate and a busy road within distant sight of
the
villa, but you will hardly notice because you can't hear either and
the
villa is surrounded by fields. Supermarkets are 2km away which is
handy,
because cooking for 16 will mean shopping daily. I couldn't fault
this one
- 10/10. The only regret is that I didn't book it for two weeks.
Seriously
consider it. Saraceno might seem impossibly expensive, but if you can
get
enough people together at the right time it works out very
affordable. In
March it worked out at £90 a head for a week; £50 a head for a week
of
unlimited food and drink; £50 return (book 6 months early) for a
Ryanair
flight to Treviso; and £35 each to share a hire car for the week.
£225 all
in for a Palladian experience. Cheap as chips. March was a very nice
time
to go - sunny and not too hot.
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