I Portici is an old friend: an artist's unpretentious, comfy country villa with spectacular views - and we are delighted to have it back on our books. This villa is just over half a mile from the busy little town of Città della Pieve if you want to walk into town. The villa's name, I Portici (pronounced Ee Port-ee-chee) comes from the three covered porticos (shady terraces) at this pretty villa. These porticos make it the perfect place for friends and family - with heaps of space to be together and heaps of space to be alone!

I Portici is beautifully light and airy, spread over three floors. Double doors open from the side portico into the sitting room and from the front portico into the dining room. The homely kitchen, a tad rubbed around the edges, is very well equipped - there's a dishwasher, an oversize oven, 5 gas hobs, a fridge-freezer and even a small deep freezer, plus a host of little things like a toaster, food mixer, microwave and endless pots, pans and dishes. There's also a bathroom with shower on this floor. Cotto stairs lead up to the middle floor with one double bedroom, a second double bedroom that can convert to two single beds as required and a second bathroom with shower. The top floor offers a single bedroom with its own little terrace leading directly to the garden, a double bedroom and another bathroom with shower.

We've always felt the best feature of this cute villa was its splendid porticos - but there are those who insist it's the views, while others feel the location is by far its best feature. Let us know your own preference after your holiday! The porticos wrap around two sides of the house and offer plenty of scope private space or together-ness. The garden is neatly tended and your own olive grove of 7 acres surrounds the house. It's the ideal scene for painters, writers or those who simply wish to soak up the peace of the olive grove - not to mention stock up with home produced olive oil. There are gloriously huge views, sweeping down the valley of the Valdichiana and across to the Tuscan hills beyond which will take your breath away.

The villa is located only a little over half a mile's walk from the centre of Città della Pieve, with its interesting medieval architecture, Perugino's beautiful painting of the "Adoration of the Magi" and lots of bars, banks, shops and supermarkets. The truly ancient city of Chiusi is only 11 km away, where you'll find a fascinating museum full of Etruscan artifacts, the excellent restaurant "La Solita Zuppa" and a handy main-line train station just below the old town. You can park and hop on a train for easy day trips directly into the heart of Rome or Florence. Lake Trasimeno is 25 km from I Portici, with charming little ferry boats to the medieval towns dotted around the edge of the lake. The sights of beautiful Orvieto and atmospheric Perugia are close by too. The villa is more or less on the regional borders of Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria, so you are superbly located for explorations in all three regions. Città della Pieve is also host to the Palio of the Terzieri every August: Renaissance acrobats, jugglers, and flag twirlers accompany around 500 parading citizens in fabulous full costume as the town indulges in its colourful crossbow competition.

This is a great value villa in a great location and we think you'll love it. We do!