Villa Santa Croce, Tenuta di Murlo

Perched at the summit of Monte Santa Croce, Villa Santa Croce occupies a former church overlooking the valleys of Tenuta di Murlo. With just three bedrooms, gardens, an infinity pool and almost uninterrupted views of the Umbrian hills, it feels wonderfully removed from the world below.

Story

Santa Croce began life as a historic church, taking its name from a centuries-old wooden cross discovered here in the 16th century. Its position at the very top of Monte Santa Croce gives it an extraordinary relationship with the surrounding landscape, with views extending in every direction across Murlo and the Umbrian countryside.

Today, the restored building is one of nine private villas scattered across Tenuta di Murlo, the vast family estate stewarded for generations by the Carabba Tettamanti Radziwill family. The old church has become an intimate three-bedroom house, but its sense of solitude, elevation and history remains central to the experience.

Why we selected Santa Croce

A former church with centuries of history

Santa Croce's origins give the villa a character entirely its own. It occupies a building that has formed part of this landscape for centuries.

The highest point becomes the experience

Perched at the summit of Monte Santa Croce, the villa has 360-degree views across Murlo and beyond. Its infinity pool, gardens and terraces have been positioned to preserve that extraordinary relationship with the landscape.

Small enough to remain intimate

With only three en-suite bedrooms and space for six, Santa Croce combines the privacy of a standalone estate villa with a much more intimate scale than Murlo's larger houses.

Part of a living Umbrian estate

Beyond the villa lie thousands of hectares of woodland, olive groves, fields, lakes and streams, still stewarded by the family and carrying traces of Murlo's long agricultural and cultural history.

Local life & traditions

The hills around Perugia have long been shaped by olive cultivation, woodland, farming and seasonal food. Rural life follows the harvests: olive picking and pressing, truffle hunting in the woods, local wine production and cooking rooted in ingredients from the surrounding land.

Santa Croce allows guests to experience those traditions from within a working historic estate. Breakfast uses fresh local ingredients, many from Murlo's own farm, while the wider estate connects guests with Umbrian cooking, wine and countryside.

Authentic experiences in the area

Search for Umbrian truffles

Head into Murlo’s woods with a local expert and truffle dog, learning about one of Umbria’s most enduring relationships between food, woodland and season.

Cook with the flavours of Umbria

Arrange a private cooking experience or chef in the villa, using regional and estate ingredients to explore the dishes of central Italy.

Watch sunset from Monte Santa Croce

Stay outside as evening falls across the estate, taking in the 360-degree panorama from a hilltop that has overlooked these valleys for centuries.

Discover the wines and food of Umbria

Explore regional producers through tastings and the wider estate, or dine at Il Caldaro, where Murlo’s hospitality is rooted in the flavours and ingredients of the surrounding countryside.

Protecting culture & land

Santa Croce's restoration has given a historic religious building a new purpose without severing it from its past. Its name, original identity and hilltop position remain fundamental to the villa rather than being treated simply as decorative heritage.

The same approach extends across Murlo. Historic buildings scattered through the estate have been restored while thousands of hectares of woodland, olive groves, fields and waterways remain around them, preserving the relationship between architecture and the Umbrian landscape.

Location & surroundings

Villa Santa Croce occupies the summit of Monte Santa Croce within Tenuta di Murlo, north of Perugia. Its elevated setting provides some of the widest views of any villa on the estate

The villa feels deeply secluded, but guests remain connected to the wider estate and its restaurant, experiences and walking routes. Perugia, Assisi and Gubbio provide easy cultural excursions beyond Murlo.

Key details

Address

Villa Santa Croce, Tenuta di Murlo
Strada Antognolla – Ascagnano SNC
06133 Perugia (PG)
Umbria, Italy

Getting here

By plane: Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi Airport is the closest airport. Rome Fiumicino offers considerably more international connections.

By train: Perugia is the nearest major rail destination, followed by a private transfer to the estate.

By car: The estate lies in the countryside north of Perugia; a car is useful if you plan to explore Umbria beyond Murlo.

Facilities

Villa Torre accommodates four adults and four children, with two king-size bedrooms and one double bunk room, all with en-suite bathrooms

Private pool & heated outdoor jacuzzi

Panoramic roof terrace at the top of the medieval tower

Fully equipped kitchen

Barbecue and terraces for outdoor dining

Private breakfast, a chef and butler, or meals and aperitivi can be arranged to be delivered directly to the villa

Every stay booked direct keeps value with the people of this place, so they can reinvest in culture, community and land

We believe travel should give back more than it takes; that it can protect cultures, not erode them.

That is why we connect you directly with each hotel’s own website. By booking direct, value remains in the hands of those who shape these places, enabling reinvestment into local culture, community, and land.