— What is the idea behind Villa Metato?
This area, which is called the Upper Tiber Valley is still unspoiled. When we bought the property in 2004, someone said that it was basically like living in the ‘70s. I think that really is true. It’s an area where one can come and sit in a restaurant where the only voices you hear are Italian. In Florence nowadays, you’re just swamped with tourists.”

— Villa Metato pool
— Please tell us a little bit about Villa Metato.
It has beautiful, almost Norman rather than Roman arches, and all original flooring. There are no dates on most of the buildings here in this part of Umbria and nobody really has an exact date of when all the buildings were built, but there’s a stone on the wall of the guest house which says 1855.”

— Living area
— What was your inspiration to buy the property and convert it into vacation rental?
We have this life nowadays where we rarely see our partners. We end up sleeping with them, but the amount of time we see them Monday through Friday is maybe three to four hours a day. I thought it would be nice to have an area where one can go relax and enjoy each other’s company.”
—
— The interior looks really beautiful. Why did you choose a mid-century style over a something more traditional?
I don’t think it’s to everybody’s taste, but what you’re really buying into is a personal house. It’s not the idea that you’re staying in some anonymous hotel room. First and foremost, you’re staying in our home. I think that’s what people like about it. It’s an extension of ourselves, our lives, what we’ve collected throughout our lives which we hope other people will enjoy.”

— Swimming pool
— Please tell us a bit about the facilities at Villa Metato.
There’s a private swimming pool and five hectares of land to walk around in. We have three gigantic fig trees and all our fruits and vegetables can be enjoyed when they’re in season. You can just pluck them off the trees and eat them.
We have a bocce court up in the woods — it’s the Italian equivalent of boules — barbecue areas, bicycles and a scooter. Last but not least the service my wife gives is second to none. It’s fantastic.”

— Sleeping area
— What would you describe to be the essence of Villa Metato?
We would like to welcome people to stay in our home. We all know when we go to hotels that things don’t always turn out to be exactly the way you expect them to be. What we are trying to do is make sure that people get an opportunity to spend some time on their own to relax. We are there to help them for whatever they would like to do and to give them an opportunity to see what the real Italy is all about.”
—