6 bedrooms villa, 957 m²

Spoleto, Perugia (province)

Fascinating estate with restored 16th century historic villa, ancient dovecote tower, private chapel, agricultural outbuildings with the possibility of change of use to residential use and approximately 100 hectares of land with arable land, woodland and small olive grove. Possibility of building a swimming pool. Ideal both as an exclusive private residence and as a location for events.

Geographic position
Villa Galileo is located in the heart ofUmbria, one of Italy's most fascinating regions, famous for its hilly landscapes, medieval villages and artistic and cultural heritage.
Situated on the edge of a small town, a reference point for daily shopping, the villa is only 8 km from Spoleto, one of the region's best-loved historic centres, famous for the Festival of the Two Worlds,

From the villa, it is possible to reach Todi (37 km) and Assisi (52 km) in about 40 minutes by car, Perugia (69 km) in less than an hour and Orvieto (74 km), in about 1 hour and a quarter.

The nearest airport is Perugia, 60 km away (45 minutes by car), while the airports of Rome Ciampino (138 km) and Rome Fiumicino (154 km) can be reached in about 1 hour three quarters.

Description of buildings
Villa Galileo has a centuries-old history: around 1580, the nobleman Benedetto Gelosi decided to build a hunting lodge around two pre-existing dovecote towers.
Later, Gelosi's needs changed and, over time, other rooms were built, incorporating one of the two towers, and transforming the building into an elegant noble country villa, with a private chapel and two buildings for agricultural use.

Among the events that took place over the centuries inside the villa, the most important one is certainly the stay of Galileo Galilei who, on his way to Rome, stopped at the property at the invitation of the owner.
On the occasion of this important event, Gelosi commissioned valuable frescoes, which we can still admire today.

The property consists of the main villa with tower, a separate dovecote tower, an annexe with private chapel and a further annexe for agricultural use, for a total gross area of 951 sqm.

Manor Villa - 759 sqm on 3 levels + balcony
15 rooms - 6+2 bedrooms - 10 bathrooms
The villa is on three levels and has been recently restored. Thanks to the ample space available, it lends itself to both private and tourist accommodation use as a location for events.

Ground floor
- large double-height entrance hall
- large living room with cross-vaulted ceiling, fireplace, a fountain with traces of frescoes and, on the ground floor, a gutter feeding water from the private spring;
- large room (approx. 50 sqm) currently used as a warehouse, with the possibility of changing its use to a kitchen, with water and gas connections already in place
- large double room (approx. 100 sqm) currently used as a warehouse, but with the possibility of changing its use into a living/living/dining room;
- hallway;
- 3 bathrooms;
- 3 storage rooms;
- column prepared for the installation of a lift to connect with the 2 upper floors.

First Floor
- Large living room with adjacent small room with water connection already prepared, for the installation of a kitchen;
- room in which Galileo Galilei stayed, with frescoes, used as a study;
- large room (approx. 27 sq m) with en-suite space already prepared for the installation of a bathroom;
- room with mezzanine (usable as an additional room) and en-suite bathroom;
- large room (approx. 50 sqm) with fireplace, en-suite room already prepared for the installation of a bathroom for the disabled and direct access to the rear garden;
- column prepared for the installation of a lift.

Second floor
- large living room with frescoes, fireplace (approx. 33 sqm) and balcony of approx. 13 sqm
- bedroom with hallway and en-suite bathroom;
- bedroom with adjacent room (in correspondence of the ancient dovecote tower incorporated in the villa) already prepared for the installation of a kitchen or convertible into an additional bedroom or study.
- bathroom on the upper floor of the tower (accessible by a steel staircase from the compartment below);
- further bedroom with mezzanine, which can be used as an additional bedroom and en-suite bathroom;
- utility room with provision for service bathroom;
- column prepared for the installation of a lift.

From the hallway of the room in the left wing of the villa, a small bridge leads to the second dovecote tower, not incorporated in the villa.

Torre Colombaia - 58 sqm gross + 23 sqm terrace - To be internally renovated
2 rooms
The dovecote tower, which is in excellent structural condition, has a basement with tall, slender arches that once served as the entrance to the property.
The building still retains its original finishings and houses a room with large arched windows on all four sides, measuring approximately 30 sqm gross, a further room measuring approximately 28 sqm gross on the upper floor and, on the top level, a terrace measuring 23 sqm.

Annexe with chapel - 90 sqm gross - To be restored
8 rooms
In front of the villa is a small chapel, built in 1623 and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. The church is still consecrated and for private use.
To the rear of the church we find a storeroom and a wood-burning oven, followed by 6 further rooms, also for storeroom use.
This building, in need of restoration, can be subject to change of use, with the possibility of creating further rooms or a spa.

Additional agricultural annexe - 44 sqm gross - to be renovated
1 room
At the rear of the villa we find a further building, also for agricultural use, with a gross area of 44 sqm on one level.
Also for this building, to be restored, a change of use is possible in order to create living space.

State and finishing
The villa has recently undergone renovation, with particular care taken to preserve its original architectural features, and is in excellent condition.
The rooms and other spaces on the first and second floors have not yet been used.
The only work to be completed is the choice and laying of the floors in the two large storerooms on the ground floor (for which a change of use is possible) and the choice and laying of some sanitary ware in the bathrooms.

Villa Galileo is of particular historical and architectural interest, as it retains its original 16th-century layout substantially unchanged. In the 17th century it was the seat of an important cultural coterie, to which the Dutchman Giovanni van Ekh, one of the promoters of the Accademia dei Lincei, was a guest of Benedetto Gelosi.

The austere and elegant main façade, facing north-west, towards the valley, is adorned by the beautiful portal framed by pilasters and surmounted by the balcony on which a French door framed by 18th-century style mouldings opens.

The entrance hall preserves a beautiful wooden ceiling with decorations and coats of arms of the family and the Municipality of Spoleto.

In the adjoining hall there is a fireplace with, to its right, a fountain with traces of frescoes and, to the left, a gutter on the ground that draws water from a private spring located in the land uphill.

In the room where Galilei slept, during the recent restoration, some paintings representing the cycle of the seasons were brought to light, with a pavilion vault decorated in faux marble, with other bucolic allegories and the signs of the zodiac in the centre. In the window recess, St. Francis receives the stigmata at the top and hunting scenes at the side.

In the hall on the second floor is a beautiful stone fireplace, engraved with the coat of arms of the Gelosi, surrounded by the motto QUID. QUID. AGIS. PRUDER. AGIS. ET. RESPICES. FINEM. and two interesting frescoes depicting the Tower of Babel and the Story of Noah's Ark, by a painter called the Spaniard (a pupil of Spaniard).

The tall and elegant dovecote tower outside the villa,which is in excellent structural condition, once served as the entrance, and is crowned by a cornice and fine 18th-century decorations.
The base of the building consists of slender passage arches surmounted by string-course cornices. In axis with these are the openings of the upper level, which have a triangular tympanum.

Also in the chapel, built in 1623 and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary,.we find valuable frescoes, also attributed to the Spaniard.

The Colombaia Tower is in excellent structural condition and only needs internal rebuilding.

The two agricultural outbuildings are in need of renovation.

External areas
The estate comprises about 100 hectares of private land, of which about 13 hectares are arable land, a small olive grove and the remainder with woodland. Within the property there are no less than 2 natural water springs.

The arable land extends around the villa, one half in a flat area and the other in a slightly steep area. Both areas are easy to farm and in excellent exposure for starting new crops.
The subsoil is rich in water and, since the valley is a compluvium, most of it comes to the surface thanks to one of the two springs, located in the centre of the land.
The water, which flows steadily, is channelled into a pipe that runs all the way into the villa, and then into an ancient 140-metre-long fishpond. From there it ends up underground or in the old municipal ditch until it reaches the Marroggia.
This water was used from 1900 until 2021 by the State Railways, first to power steam trains and then to bring water to Spoleto station. The parcel returned to the owners in 2022 and they are the only ones who are familiar with the water management mechanism designed by FS in 1900.
To date, all agricultural land is served by irrigation pipes. The soils are extremely well drained, preventing waterlogging that is harmful to crops.

In the past, much of the land was used for vines, then, no longer being able to cope with an activity that was not considered the main source of livelihood, the vines were dismantled in favour of simple crops such as field beans, barley and cereals.
Part of the arable land is now cultivated with alfalfa, while the remainder contains a small olive grove of about 150 trees, fruit trees and, in rotation, an area used to grow tulips, pumpkins and sunflowers, since every year, important themed festivals are held on the property, attracting thousands of participants from all over central Italy.

On the mountains visible from the villa to the south, we find approximately 87 hectares of woodland, an integral part of the property.
Of these, about 50 hectares, in a south-westerly direction, are coniferous and there is also an old, now disused rock quarry, while the other 37 hectares, in a south-easterly direction, are coppice woodland. The woods are often requested from the owners for cutting wood, by private individuals and restaurateurs in the area, providing additional income.

The land is analysed every year in order to rotate the various crops and the latest scientific soil analysis report is available.
Around the villa there is an area rich in breccia, which is useful as a sub-base to create small pedestrian paths.

Approximately 4 hectares + 2 hectares of land (including the villa and olive trees) are fenced off with netting and chestnut poles.

The property has as many as 4 potential entrances, offering further versatility depending on its use and ample space for parking.
It is possible to build a swimming pool on the land (by requesting the appropriate authorisation).

Use and potential uses
Villa Galileo is now a tourist destination open to the public during themed events, which in recent years have involved tens of thousands of people discovering this historical jewel.

The estate is in fact a multi-purpose space, with further great potential for development, where it is possible to host cultural events, religious ceremonies (thanks to the presence of the entirely frescoed chapel), concerts in the garden and seasonal agricultural events such as the sunflower park, the pumpkin event in October and the tulip event in spring, or even high-profile international events in different areas of activity: from starred chefs to organise cooking shows and master classes, to leading figures from the national business world, to theorganisation of permanent spaces with the help of universities.

Thanks to its location, in the heart ofUmbria and central Italy, where gastronomy is one of the major levers of tourist attraction, the villa would be ideal as a luxury Relais (thanks to the rooms already available), to be combined with a catering activity (feasible in the large spaces on the ground floor, already prepared), for the use of both guests of the relais and visitors to periodic events.
Also very interesting is the possibility of changing the use of the two annexes to be renovated into living quarters, which would make it possible to increase the number of rooms available.

Naturally, considering its characteristics, Villa Galileo could also be used as a luxurious private residence, ideal for those who are looking for a place to live in contact with nature and at the same time not isolated, with the convenience of having all the services necessary for daily life close at hand.