STAYCATION SERIES || Romantic Boutique Hotel Villa La Madonna in Asti Piedmont Far From The Cliché of Luxury
The desire to travel and escape the city is being compounded by travel restrictions triggered by the global pandemic. With travel confined to destinations accessible by car, we are launching a Staycation Series, to provide you with unique staycation options around the world, spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and beyond. Join us as we explore the luxurious yet unpretentious Villa la Madonna in Asti Piedmont, Italy.
Piedmont is a fantastically interesting wine and food destination, famous for its exclusive white truffle, full-bodied Barolo wines, effervescent Spumante Brut and Moscato dessert wines.
It is here on the gentle rolling hills of Piedmont where you will find the romantic boutique hotel Villa la Madonna, a labour of love that has been restored by Swedish sisters Annica and Marie Ecklund. The sisters invest every moment of their free time from running their family company, Bolon, which manufactures and exports exclusive design flooring all over the world, into shaping and refining the boutique hotel in Piedmont.
The story began when Marie Ecklund met her husband on a South African train in 1995. The pair had married 4 years later at her husband Björn’s family estate, Villa la Madonna, with the beautiful Bormida Valley as the backdrop. The vineyard flourished for the next decade, with enthusiastic guests filling every room. When the pair parted ways in 2008, the vineyard went through tough economic times same as the rest of the world and fell into disrepair. It wasn’t until Björn passed away that Marie found herself back again at Villa la Madonna as the estate was once again searching for a new owner. Returning to Piedmont, Italy, with her sister Annica by her side, the sisters decided to refine and restore the vineyard.
The sisters have since revitalized Villa La Madonna into a luxury bohemian dream and fully-fledged boutique hotel. A mammoth venture that has proved to be both exhilarating and challenging in equal measures. In spring 2016, chests bursting with pride, they welcomed their first guests to the new jewel of the family.
The villa’s 18 rooms breathe history without compromising on modern refinements and finesse. Vintage bargains from the surrounding area are blended with carefully selected design elements, and the floors are – of course – clad with specially produced Bolon rugs in an earthy colour scheme. Personal and harmonic are the key concepts, and every room has an elegant balcony or terrace boasting a magnificent view of the vineyards.
When you enter Villa La Madonna you enter a house, furnished with ultimate care, made pleasant by a family atmosphere.
Sweeping views of the rolling hills surrounding the estate
Villa La Madonna’s culinary offerings utilize fresh local ingredients and embrace Italian tradition. Indoors, guests can settle into the marble tables and red velvet chairs, or soak up the Italian sunshine on a sunny day on the rustic wicker chairs on the beautiful outdoor terrace.
Located in a region that has made food and wine fundamental to its identity, food has a central role in the experience of the Villa. If slow food is born in Piedmont it is precisely here that the national organization has the largest number of protected plant and animal species and traditions that guarantee the uniqueness: the Cardo Gobbo of Nizza Monferrato with its unusual cultivation process, from the Canale peaches to the now world-famous Fassona meat and of course the most celebrated of all, the white Alba truffle.
Annica and Marie Eklund have fully embraced the ‘’Slow Food’’ philosophy guaranteeing a cuisine that has seasonally unique characteristics. The Piedmont hills, situated between the mountains and the sea and ancestrally covered by it, have mineral saline soils, partly sandy and very special weather conditions that provide the luxuriance of the most delicious ingredients.
The region is famous for its White Alba Truffle
In addition to the opportunity to enjoy some of the region’s freshest ingredients, guests can also request for special dinners organized to take place in the family’s estate vineyard, where one can savour an outdoor lunch in the embrace of grapevines stretching up and down the surrounding hills.
Open for just a little over 3 years, the young restaurant is known for its tasty menu featuring local ingredients, but even more notable is its stunning repertoire of over 500 wine labels from the Piedmont region, from Gaja to Bruno Giacosa. This spectacular collection has been curated by the restaurant’s passionate sommelier, Josh Eisenhauer, who hails from America and is passionate about every facet of Italian culture.
In addition to wines from around the region, Villa La Madonna has two hectares of vines surrounding the hotel from which their own wine is produced. Here the native Barbera grape is the star of their Barbera d’Asti. Additionally, the hotel works with small local winemakers to produce a limited amount of Barolo and Nebbiolo wine.
Villa La Madonna is the perfect staycation getaway to enjoy a slice of paradise in Italy, where time seems to stand still as you sip on a delicious glass of wine and take in the misty autumn air.
Special lunches can organized in the vineyard by request
Visit
Villa la Madonna, Regione Madonna 21, 14058 Monastero Bormida (AT)
Asti Piedmont, Italy
Phone +39 348 836 61 41
Photos courtesy of Villa La Madonna
