Villa Il Cardinale
Nearest Town
Rome
Nearest Village
Rome
Region
Lazio
Country
Italy
Continent
Europe
Property type
Villa
Accomodation type
Bed & Breakfast
Bedrooms
5
Sleeps
7
Features
- Air Conditioning
- Barbeque
- CD Player
- Central Heating
- Coffee Maker
- Dining Area
- Disabled Access
- Dishwasher
- DVD / VCR Player
- En Suite Bathroom
- Fridge / Freezer
- Fully Fitted Kitchen
- Games Console
- Hairdryer
- Highchair / Cot
- Internet Access
- Ironing Equipment
- Laundry Room
- Linen Included
- Lockable Safe
- Microwave
- Patio Furniture
- Pets Allowed
- Poolside Furniture
- Satellite / Cable TV
- Shower
- Spa / Jacuzzi
- Swimming Pool
- Tumble Dryer
- Washing Machine
About the property
Villa Il Cardinale is a wonderful home of character with a rich history. A 1st Century AD Roman house used to occupy the current site of Villa Il Cardinale. The Roman Villa had its own private baths in the grounds. Remains of the Roman baths are now visible as archaeological ruins in the upper garden, I Ruderi , where you can spot lovely Roman cats owned by the family.
In the 19th century the Villa became the hunting lodge of a Cardinal (hence its name, Il Cardinale) after having been rebuilt and refurbished substantially since the 16th C. The coat of arms of the Torlonia family can still be seen in the villa.
Inside the property
The house retains its original structure, with decorative floors of hand-made ceramic tiles in the bedrooms and bathrooms, terracotta tiles in the kitchens, and travertine marble floors in the living and dining rooms. The doors are 18th century Venetian, the chandeliers and furniture are antique and fit the style of the home adding charm as well as comfort.
The thick walls keep the house cool in Summer and retain heat in Winter. There are six original marble fireplaces, as well as a bread oven and a barbecue outside.
Outside the property
Villa Il Cardinale is surrounded by a beautiful garden with secular trees and scented plants. The garden is on two levels and is arranged in such a way as to offer varied and secluded areas. There are fruit trees, and vines, and there is a vegetable garden that provides fresh seasonal produce. The garden furniture can seat more than forty people. The temperate Roman climate allows for eating outdoors from March until November.
The upper garden can be accessed from a separate gate in the front of the Villa.
About the local area
illa Il Cardinale is situated on a hill, Bel Poggio, off the Via Salaria, North of Rome, just 8 km away from the city centre. The great advantage of being off the Via Salaria, close to the ring road on the North side of Rome, and near the access of the motorway to Florence is that excursions to sites such as Villa Adriana in Tivoli or to regions such as Umbria and Tuscany are in easy reach of the Villa.
The drive into the centre of Rome is straight forward. Via Salaria leads directly to Villa Borghese, Via Veneto and Piazza del Popolo. A rented car is highly advisable, but we can organise transport with a driver upon request. The most convenient form of public transport near the Villa is a train from Settebagni to Termini railway station in Rome (30 minutes). Settebagni is 8 minutes drive from the Villa. Porta di Roma Shopping Centre (220 shops and 14 cinemas) http://www.portadiroma.com/eng/galleriacom.php and the Salaria Sport Village http://www.salariasportvillage.it are five minutes drive away.
Traveling to the property
The nearest station from Villa Il Cardinale is just a 5 mins drive by car (3.2km), the station is called stazione Settebagni, Via della stazione di Settebagni 27, Rome.Click here for an illustration of how to get here from the nearest train station.
It is only 6 stops from Settebagni to arrive to Roma Ostiense (just 1 metro stop from the Colloseum), trains run every 15 minutes. At Roma Ostiense you have further metro connections.