Piedmont, Italy
Villa D’Amelia
A country retreat for oenophiles and foodies
In the hills of Piedmont’s Langhe region, close to the historic town of Alba, the Villa d’Amelia is a masterfully renovated 19th century country retreat surrounded by hazelnut groves, vineyards and green woodland.
37 rooms and suites are refined and contemporary in style, complementing the building’s classic flair. The exclusive San Luigi Suite that sits in the estate’s old Chapel, and the two suites overlooking the Alps, are the pick of the bunch.
The Villa d’Amelia’s restaurant, Damiano Nigro, has been awarded a Michelin star with meals a modern celebration of the region’s gastronomic history. The DaMà restaurant is a combination of traditional Italian cuisine and experimentation, with particular attention paid to researching top quality raw ingredients, mostly local and seasonal. There is also a wonderful wine cellar carved out of a deconsecrated chapel in the hotel’s courtyard.
A bar, outdoor swimming pool, wellness centre with a sauna, and blooming gardens round out the hotel’s grounds.
It’s a perfect starting point to discover hundreds of wineries in the region, famed for its Barolo reds amongst other, as well as Langa’s incredible food, home to the Alba White Truffle, a high number of Michelin starred restaurants and the birthplace of the slow food movement. You can also work up an appetite with biking and trekking tours, visits to local historical sites or roam the hills astride a Vespa.
Highlights
Wine tasting
Gastronomic tours
Cycling and trekking
Historical and cultural excursions
Vespa rental
37 rooms and suites
Two restaurants - Michelin-starred Damiano Nigro, and the DaMà
Bar
Outdoor heated swimming pool
Wellness area
Trip inspiration
Plan your trip to Italy
Whatever you want from your adventure in Italy, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.
Places to combine Villa D’Amelia with
Venice
The sumptuous Aman Venice sits within the 16th century Palazzo Padaopoli, right on the Grand Canal moments west of the Rialto Bridge. A work of architect Gian Giacomo dé Grigi, the Aman Venice holds museum-quality treasures including Tiepolo frescoes, gilded ceilings and centuries-old leather wall coverings.
Arriving at the property by boat, step out into the lofty reception hall and ascend a grand stairway to the piano nobile, traditionally the grandest floor of a palazzo, in the Padaopoli’s case designed by renewed 18th century neo-classicist Michelangelo Guggenheim.
Each of the Aman Venice’s 24 rooms are a unique space capturing the opulence of the city’s romantic heyday, featuring original architectural details and the work of a number of Italy’s great artists. Contemporary furnishings complement antique chandeliers, wood panelling, and protected frescos. A selection of the rooms offer incredible Grand Canal views.
Leading from the piano nobile are the Blue Bar and the Yellow and Red Dining Rooms. The former, with a magnificent fireplace and Cesare Rotta ceiling mural, overlooks the canal, while the latter has views of the hotel’s canal side garden – a real rarity in Venice – where alfresco dining is possible in the summer months. Upstairs on the third storey is a spa and its three treatment rooms.
With the canals of Venice quite literally at the doorstep, this city begs to be explored. The Aman Venice also offers its own private box at the nearby Teatro La Fenice for a night at the opera.
Rome
Once hosting aristocratic travellers, Russian royalty and renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau, a half century hiatus as an office building ended with a glorious restoration and re-establishment of this Roman icon.
The Hotel de Russie lies between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo on the Via del Babuino, within easy walking distance of Rome’s main attractions, fashion houses and Via Condotti. Though surrounded by the ceaseless buzz of the city, behind the hotel’s unassuming frontage, is a soothing tranquility – both in design and ambiance – and private 18th century terraced gardens, a rare oasis away from it all.
122 rooms and suites are thoroughly up to date amenity wise, complete with Bisazza mosaic and Carrara marble in the bathrooms. Some feature private terraces and many rooms have views over Rome, Piazza del Popolo or the garden.
The Stravinskij Bar is renowned for its apertivos, while Le Jardin de Russie and its chef, two-Michelin-star chef Fulvio Pierangelini, serve up simple yet refined dishes Mediterranean dishes in one a most romantic of settings. Furthering the Hotel de Russie urban oasis credentials is the De Russie Spa, one of Rome’s best health clubs.
