Villa della Marchesa

A delightful residence of times past

So you`d like to go on a trip with your friends? And you're looking for a house with a garden and a pool? You want infinite space and privacy as well? You're looking for a house with great flair and authentic atmosphere? You want to walk to a village? The famous Campanian cities such as Naples and the ancient Pompei worth seeing for their history and art should be within easy reach? And, above all, an excursion to the seaside and the scenic Amalfi coast should be possible too? Villa della Marchesa offers you all of this and much more.

The imposing villa sits on a fenced property in the centre of the historical village of Lauro. Lauro, 34 km from Naples, is located in an area renowned for its archeological and historic heritage. Lauro was in the Middle Ages an important fief belonging to prominent Italian families such as the Sanseverino, del Balzo, Orsini, Pignatelli ending with the Lancellotti, princes of Lauro. The villa surrounded by a garden is located in a dominant position just underneath the castle belonging to the Princes Lancellotti.

The exceptionally big house, whose halls echo the decadence of times past, was originally a convent transformed in the XVIII century into a residential country house and enlarged in the XIX century. If not rented to holiday guests it is the summer residence of the present owners, two countesses, belonging to the highest Italian aristocracy and having a family past with an important role in the historic events of the Italian history.

The interiour of Villa della Marchesa has been completely renovated down to the last detail while maintaining its original charm and character. Every stone was picked up, dusted off and put back where it belonged. The original furniture was restored. The villa and its garden are classified by the Italian Ministry of Fine Arts.

Ground floor: a marble floored reception hall is the first thing you see when stepping into the villa. There are two large drawing rooms, a small private chapel, a large fully-equipped old country style kitchen (with dishwasher) plus three powder rooms (with WC, washbasin, bidet), a laundry with washing and drying machine.

First floor: there are two living rooms, a music room, a formal dining room, a library and five bedrooms (three doubles and two twin-bedded rooms) each one with writing desk by the window and each one with bathroom (four of which en suite, two with bathtub and three with shower), a fully equipped kitchen (with dishwasher), a powder room and a large panoramic terrace. The terrace is equipped with two tables and chairs to seat 16 people. It is a wonderful place to enjoy al fresco dining in the morning or after sunset.

The garden is not large but botanically interesting with palms, yuccas and lemon trees. On the rear of the villa it has a swimming pool in the shape of a fountain, a small changing cubicle, an outdoor shower and a sun resting area with some sunloungers, tables and chairs for the exclusive use of guests.

This is a place to start a voyage back to past epochs, into other worlds. You will find a shimmering century-old marble floor in the reception hall, ancient (handmade!) maiolica tile floors or traditional Neapolitan "cotto" in the living rooms, one spacious room leads to the next..., halls and drawings rooms follow each other..., fine round arches decorate the ceilings, vases decorate the marble fireplaces, Murrina glass shines above the long table in the dining room, paintings adorn many a room and a concert grand piano awaits gifted hands in the large drawing room... The villa is completely and consistently furnished with antiques, and relaxing in one of the many sofas you wish to drift back to the past...

You may know that comparable houses have, almost without exception, all been converted into residences or hotels, which are now presented in an anonymous style; the flair of the old palaces has often vanished in the course of modernisation. Unlike this trend, the property offered here has always been owned by the family, it is privately run and has retained its authentic atmosphere: Villa della Marchesa remains unchanged, from tip to toe (on nearly 1000 sqm floor area!) the furnishing is original, a place where you can experience how life might have been in the 18th century.

Here you´ll enjoy the friendly atmosphere of a private family residence and all the comforts which make it agreeable for a larger group to stay together in one house. The villa is equipped well (central heating on the first floor, in addition to several marble fireplaces; telephone, fax facilities, TV sets with satellite, microwave oven, elevator for wheelchair on request when booking, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, ironing area). Altthough there are two Cappuccino bars just below the house (approx. 100 m distant) where you can have breakfast as the locals do, you can request breakfast service at extra charge when booking the villa.

On special request upon booking a 6th bedroom with ensuite bathroom belonging to the owner might be opened at an extra charge. A housekeeper couple lives on the premises (seperate living area with seperate entrance) and is available to give you assistance in case of need.

What to do in the region?

The location of the villa in the centre of Lauro allows easy day trips to many well-known destinations such as the city of Naples (34 km) and surroundings, the Vesuvio volcan (20 km), the Royal Palace of Caserta (31 km), the archeological sites of Pompei (30 km) and Herculaneum (38 km), the ancient Roman monuments of Santa Maria Capua Vetere (39 km), the Abbey of SantAngelo in Formis (42 km), or celebratd holiday resorts like Ischia, Capri, Positano, Amalfi. In the proximity of Lauro, other less known or recently discovered sites can attract the specific cultural interest of our guests, such as the Romanic Churches of Cimitile (13 km), the Roman amphitheatre, tombs and the medioeval castle in Avella (15 km), the longobardic frescos in Pernosano (3 km), not to mention the numerous churches and monasteries of the area.

Lauro itself still shows important traces of its past: the remains of a Roman Villa (I-II century a.C.), the church of S. Maria della Pietà with a IV century crypt decorated with frescoes, the Pignatelli palace housing the Umberto Nobile Museum, named after the North Pole explorer born in Lauro. Last but not least we cannot omit to mention the celebrations in honour of the patron Saints of Lauro, during the last week of August and the well known celebration of S. Paolino, or "Gigli" (lilies) festival, which takes place in Nola on the first Sunday after the 22th of June. The village festivals in Lauro or nearby during the summer month are celebrated with sparkling fireworks. Lauro is also celebrated for its naïf paintings decorating the town.

The small town of Lauro (approx. 3500 inhabitants) has three Cappuccino bars, a bank, a grocery shop, a small supermarket, a butcher, two pizzerias, two restaurants, and a few agritouristic restaurants just outside the town, a hairdresser (also available a hairdressing service at home), a chemistry and a post office. There is a fruit, vegetable and houseware market once a week.

Although a car is necessary in the region there are some public transports: a bus stop is at walking distance, and the bus will take you to the centre of Naples (approx. 4 times per day during July and August, approx. 10 times per day during other months/no bus service on Sundays). From there you get the ferry to the islands of Ischia and Capri. The most beautiful beaches can be found at the Amalfi coast which can be reached by car in less than one hour. Several beach resorts can be reached also by train: take the bus to Nola (11 km), and from there get the Circumvesuviana train with several stops at the Sorrento peninsula and the celebrated Costa Amalfitana. The Circumvesuviana train connects Nola also to the railway station of Naples. The train leaves every 30 minutes from Nola, and it takes 30 minutes to reach Naples. And last but not least from Salerno (which can easily be reached by highway from Nola), there are ferry boats connecting Salerno with Positano, Capri, Amalfi and more south with Agropoli.