Over the Christmas and New Year period I got to spend some of my own holiday time at Villa degli Armeni and indulge in one of my favourite things to do there: weather watching!
In contrast to the summer, when most days are rather boringly cloudless (although there is the occasional thunderstorm), autumn, winter and spring offer ever-changing panoramas of clouds, mist, light and shade across the Sabine Hills, the Tiber Valley and a large chunk of Lazio laid out below the villa.
Somehow, from nearly 500 metres up, you feel more part of the weather here than in most places: watching the play of light over the landscape, the arrival of a distant storm, the fog clinging to the valley bottom, with the little villages of the Sabina poking out like islands. Sometimes the cloud descends and all sound is muffled, the view is blanked out and you feel remote from everything.
Fascinating to watch, and even more fascinating to photograph. I wish my photography skills were greater, as well as my time available to capture all the moods of the changing landscapes and weather I experienced in just a few days, but here are a few photos taken with my phone which hope to give some idea.
The first few days we were there were very bright and sunny. On days like that in the winter what typically happens is that cold air sinks into the Tiber Valley and forms fog overnight, so you wake to a view like the one above, a sea of fog with higher areas emerging like islands.
Over the course of the morning the fog burns off, but remains as a haze which softens the landscape. Look up and the sky is pure blue.
After some days the weather changed, with showers and quite heavy rain. Heavy clouds race across the view, and where there is a gap the sun bursts through and highlights parts of the landscape.
Villa degli Armeni – private rental villa near Rome
The rector, his villa on the rock, and the tiles from Jerusalem
Or how the villa got its name
People sometimes ask why we chose the name Villa degli Armeni, which means Villa of the Armenians. What have Armenians got to do with an villa in Italy, or with the quiet village of Poggio Catino?
The Armenian connection
The Armenian connection with Poggio Catino was formed when the Armenian Catholic Seminary in Rome decided to make its summer residence in Poggio Catino, away from the heat of Rome. Over time it became a focal point for the Armenian community in Rome generally, and to this day they hold their annual summer picnic here.
In the late 1960s one of the seminary’s Rectors liked Poggio Catino so much he decided to build a villa there, for himself and his 2 sisters. He hired an architect for the site on a rocky outcrop protruding from the mountainside. The design of the house is unique and incorporates a large rock in the stairway up to the porch. I think the many arches featured in the house may reflect a similar proliferation of arches found in Armenian church design.
The tiles
When we were looking for a name for our villa, Villa degli Armeni seemed a good choice as it reflected the unique history of the house. At that time we were living in Jerusalem, a place with a large Armenian community, and its own Armenian Quarter. Many Armenian families in Jerusalem continue the tradition of ceramic making, and we often passed by the shop of George and Dorin Sandrouni in Jerusalem’s Old City. That’s how we got the idea of installing one of their Armenian tile murals at the villa. It was a tough choice but in the end we settled on the peacock design. I really love how it looks on our porch, and I really hope the original owners of the house would approve!
Autumn is my favourite time in the Sabina: the misty mornings, the colours, the smell of woodsmoke! It’s also a great time of year for walking, exploring the woods surrounding the villa, discovering the many medieval villages of the Sabina and some of their local festivals.
We think Villa degli Armeni makes a great base for exploring the Sabine Hills and Lazio, it’s warm enough during the day to enjoy lunch and the view on our porch, and cool enough in the evening for a snuggle in front of the fire. And to make it even more special the wine (and the logs!) are on us:
Make it yours with our autumn offers:
- Weekend offer: 2 nights + all day Sunday €170
- Autumn Week: 7 nights €500
**** Free bottle of wine! ****
Get in touch and book your autumn weekend
