Fully Serviced Luxury Villas in Italy
Our finest homes, fully staffed and attended throughout, so the days are entirely yours.
The Privacy of a Home, the Service of a Boutique Hotel
Our Fully Serviced Villas are the most complete way to stay with Essenza Escapes. Each home comes fully staffed, with a private chef, daily housekeeping, and a dedicated team who run the household throughout your stay. Meals are prepared, the home is kept, and the days are arranged around you, so your time is spent enjoying Italy. It is a way of traveling in which everything is in place and everyone is looked after, from the moment you arrive to the day you leave.
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Fully Serviced Villas across Italy’s most beautiful regions
Explore all Fully Staffed Properties
Why Travel to Italy with Essenza Escapes?
A team devoted entirely to Italy, and to the travelers who come to discover it.
The Art of Being Looked After
The finest service is the kind you never have to think about. That is what a stay of this kind offers.
Overview
Service and Planning
What to Consider
The difference a fully serviced villa makes is in the depth of the team behind it. Beyond the chef and daily housekeeping, a stay of this kind can extend to a butler, a house manager, an on-site concierge, a porter, and drivers. These are staff who serve your villa alone, a private household assembled around your party for the length of the stay. It is a level of attention closer to a fine hotel than a rental, delivered with the discretion of a home that is yours entirely. Homes at this level tend to be exceptional in their own right, often with facilities such as an indoor pool, a spa, a tennis court, or a helipad.
Running this well is a matter of experience, and it is where Essenza Escapes is essential. We know these homes and the teams already in place at them, and we hold the relationships that keep the service to a single, consistent standard. A private chef is briefed on how your family likes to eat, the household is prepared to your preferences before you arrive, and throughout the stay our team oversees the staff and suppliers on your behalf.
Each villa comes with a professional team of its own, often hotel-trained, who look after the household throughout your stay. Before you arrive, menus, dietary preferences, and dining times are agreed, so the kitchen is ready to your tastes from the first evening. During the stay, the team works to your schedule rather than a fixed one: waiters serve drinks in the villa or by the pool, porters carry the bags on arrival, the beds are turned down at night, and the cellar and bar can be stocked to your preferences in advance.
While the household staff take care of the villa, Essenza Escapes takes care of everything beyond it. Our team plans and arranges the days around your stay, the experiences, the guides, the reservations, the transfers, and stays in close contact with the villa staff throughout, so the two sides move as one. You arrive to a house that runs itself, and a stay already shaped around how you want to spend it.
A fully serviced villa runs a little differently from a home you look after yourself, and a few points are worth understanding before you book.
The staff are employed by the villa's owner, each with defined roles and set hours, usually around eight a day, and they may live on site or come in daily. We will tell you which applies at any villa, along with what each team covers. Longer hours can often be arranged as a supplement, but because roles are set by the owner, the existing team cannot simply take on tasks outside them; where you would like something beyond their remit, we will arrange the right people to provide it. Staffing does not ordinarily include childcare, so a babysitter is best requested in advance rather than assumed.
A few practical details vary by home. In some villas the chef service covers the cost of groceries; in others a food and beverage allowance applies, topped up through the stay, and we set this out clearly in the booking terms. Some kitchens are professional spaces intended for the chef, though a guest kitchen with smaller appliances is often provided. Certain homes do not permit you to bring your own wine, but the cellar can be stocked to your preferences before you arrive. Lead staff generally speak excellent English, while others, housekeeping among them, may speak less.
Many of these villas make exceptional settings for a celebration. Where you are hosting guests who are not staying at the house, additional staff are usually needed, and further costs apply; we will advise on what an event requires and arrange it in full.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the staff present around the clock?
Generally not. The team works fixed hours, usually around eight a day, though additional hours can be arranged for a supplement. They are also trained to be discreet, present when needed and unobtrusive the rest of the time, so the house never feels anything but your own.
Can I take one of these villas without the staff?
The staff are contracted to the villa, so a fully serviced home comes with its team as one. If you would prefer a villa without staff, we have many others to suggest, and are glad to point you toward them.
Can I bring my own staff?
It depends on the villa, and on who and how many you would like to bring. Tell us what you have in mind and we will confirm what is possible at the home you are considering.
Is the menu set, or can I choose?
The chef will often suggest menus, but these are always yours to shape around your tastes. The kitchens specialize in Italian cooking, so there can be limits to how far a menu extends beyond it, and we will make any such limits clear in advance. Where the cost of groceries is included, premium ingredients such as lobster or caviar may carry an additional charge.
How should we tip the staff?
Gratuities are handled simply, and we will give you clear guidance on what is customary for the team at your villa, so there is nothing to work out on your own.
Do the villas have air conditioning?
The great majority of our villas have air conditioning, though in some it is provided in the bedrooms rather than throughout. It is also worth noting that air conditioning in Italy typically reaches a minimum of around 19 to 20 degrees Celsius.
Are external suppliers allowed?
It depends on the property. Some ask that certain services, such as catering, transfers, or entertainment, are arranged through their own approved suppliers, while others leave the choice open to you. We will always tell you where this applies so you can plan accordingly.
Can I host a party at the villa?
It depends on the property and the scale of what you have in mind. Some homes welcome events, others do not, and many set conditions on numbers or noise. Tell us what you are planning and we will let you know what a particular villa allows.
Can you help organize a celebration?
Yes, where the villa is suited to hosting one. Tell us the occasion and the numbers, and we will arrange what the celebration calls for, from the catering and staff to the finer details of the day.
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