Agriturismo Villanova

Villanova's ideal location offers our guest a broad spectrum of activities.
Away from the crowds, situated in the open countryside, Villanova is a paradise for nature lovers and hikers. A hiking path connects Villanova directly to the famous and unique Cinque Terre National Park, listed in 1998 as a world heritage under the protection of UNESCO. The five villages of Cinque Terre, built on a sheer-drop coastline, can also be reached from Levanto by a short train ride or a scenic ferry boat ride.

Villanova is a paradise for children who find its open space the ideal place for fun and adventure; and our sweet Golden Retriever "Giro" loves to entertain the little guests.

• Tours and excursions to nearby attractions
• Hiking and walking paths
• Cooking and watercolour classes (see our programs below)
• Wine and olive oil tasting in the old cellar
• Conference room for approximately 15/20 people
• Internet service
• Family chapel for weddings, meetings, classes, workshops
• Bike rentals
• Playground (swings, spring rocker, inflatable splash pool for small children, sand box, ping pong)
• Equipment for babies (high chairs, baby cots, baby buthtub, children tableware, bibs, toilet seat insert)
• Agricultural activities (harvest of grapes and olives) and a visit to the local Co-operative to see how wine and olive oil are made

At our reception desk we will be more than happy to give you further details and information about activities and excursions.

The nearest town to Villanova is Levanto (5 minutes by car e 30 by walking), a place for fun and entertainment. Sport facilities have boat, canoe, and windsurf rentals. Two diving centers offer scuba diving excursions and certificate courses. Levanto is also famous for having one of the best coast lines in Italy for surfing. The long sandy beach has several public and private beach areas, the latter with access to a large outdoor swimming pool. In town are also two new tennis courts.

Levanto has a beautiful historical heart with many good restaurants, bars and cafés, elegant shops, and a bustling wednesday market.

One of the most important attractions, however, is the wide choice of paths that lead from Levanto to Cinque Terre. Walkers can choose many different ways to enjoy the beautiful coastline. From Levanto to Riomaggiore, the last town of the Cinque Terre , each village along the way may become a stop or a resting point giving one an option to continue walking or to return via train or the daily ferry boat. The ferries run from April to October; on weekends the ferries extend to Portofino and to the largest Aquarium of Europe in the harbor of Genova.

From Villanova, other famous attractions that can easily be reached by train, ferry or car are the coastal towns Portovenere, Lerici and Tellaro of the Golf of the Poets in La Spezia, Portofino and Santa Margherita north of Levanto, and the village of Varese Ligure in the Vara Valley.
Spend a relaxing day at the Montecatini thermes, explore the marble quarries of Carrara, or visit the Lunigiana Valley with its 100 castles. The historic cities of Pisa, Genova, Lucca, and Florence can be reached within one or two hours.

Cooking Class

Villanova offers 1 day cooking classes in traditional Ligurian cuisine. Classes take place in the charming “cantina” of the 18th century villa followed by a candlelight dinner with wine on our panoramic terrace.

The Ligurian Kitchen

…is traditionally known for its natural and pure ingredients composed of fresh products from the garden, the sea, and the woods. Most characteristic is the abundant use of wild herbs, such as the aromatic rosmarin, thyme, sage and borage. Fresh basil is not only used for the famous Genovese pesto sauce but adds flavor to many Italian dishes.

Class

Lesson start at 3:30 pm with an introduction to the menu and hand- out of the recipes and continues with the preparation of the dishes together with the chef Alberto Villa. Participants will have hands-on experience creating a delicious 3 course meal.

Around 6:30 pm an aperitivo will be served on the terrace. The lesson ends with  “your” candlelight dinner accompanied by our local wines.

Price

The price per person includes lesson and recipe cards, an aperitivo and a 3 course meal with wine.

• Euro 100 per person for a minimum of 6 people                                                           
• Euro 150 per person for a small group of 4/5 people
• Euro 180 per person for 2/3 people

We also welcome participants who are not guests at Villanova.

     Workshop in water colour painting

Villanova is offering classes in water colour painting in its beautiful and inspiring surroundings.

Water Colours

Painting with water colours is quite easy, even for people who never had a paint brush in their hand. It’s the transparency of water colours which lends itself to creating beautiful scenes in the most simple way.  The technique of creating beautiful scenes in this medium lies within the arrangement of colours.

Class Description

The course is for beginners as well as for those who want to deepen their understanding of the fundamental techniques that are used with water colours. The demonstrations and exercises of the workshop have essentially three goals; to increase one’s ability to observe, to foster creativity, and to apply techniques that enable you to realize an image. Through informal and relaxing practises in the picturesque setting of Villanova and its surrounding, the participants will learn the fundamental principles of painting with water colours and gain confidence in expressing their personal artistic skills.

Each lesson is 2 hours long. The number of lessons is flexible.. Days of the classes will be determined by students and teacher. Minimum 2 and maximum 6 participants.

The Teacher

Emanuella Scardovelli lives and works in Levanto. She studied painting and drawing at the academy of Brera  in the school of  “La Libera Scuola di Nudo” and deepened her understanding of water colour painting by studying with renowned teachers. She has been a member of  “Associazione Italiana Acquerellisti” (A.I.A.) the Italian Water colour society for 15 years; for the last 30 years, A.I.A. has organized national and international exhibitions in which Signora Scardovelli has been involved.

Price

The cost for each lesson/person (2 hours) is Euro 25 (material not included) or Euro 40 (material included). Please let us know in advance if you need to purchase the material from us.

Class Material

Pencil B2 - Eraser - Aquarelle tablet or about 10 individual pages of 200/300 gram aquarelle paper, fine grain 25x35 -One box of good quality aquarelle colours. The recommended basic colours are: cadmium yellow, cadmium red, crimson alizarin, ochre yellow, natural sienna, cobalt blue and ultramarine blue - Two brushes of marten hair or synthetic paint brushes of good quality, number 6 and number 12 - Black ink - Penholder and some ink pens