
May 14, 2025
Reviving a Timeless Retreat in Panicale, Umbria
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Located in the green, rolling hills of Umbria, and just a stone’s throw from the shimmering waters of Lago Trasimeno, you’ll find a quiet hilltop town called Panicale. Here, our clients had managed to find and buy a truly remarkable property – a charming villa that had lots of potential, but was in need of some significant updates.
To give you a clear idea of the starting point, we’ve included some pictures of the property before our work began.

The brief: Restoring a tranquil family retreat
When our clients contacted us, they told us that their vision was to bring the property back to life – it had been unoccupied for a considerable amount of time, and parts were in poor condition. The clients’ eventual plan for the property was to turn it into a rented family retreat, where visitors would have everything you’d expect from an Italian dream home; spacious rooms with high ceilings, ornate tiles, and open, airy communal spaces. The purpose of the retreat would be to serve as a place where family and friends could get together, relax and recharge in harmony with the Umbrian landscape.
The brief for the project was to come up with a full home restoration plan, where our team would carefully and lovingly modernise the space, making it both practical and welcoming. We needed to take a considerate approach, given the age of the property. Essentially, our final plan had to fuse the heritage of the property with a selection of modern comforts.

Project scope
The project scope and drawings that our architects and designers collaborated on outlined a mixture of renovating existing spaces within the property, and creating new areas. We included the addition of several new en-suite bedrooms, extending on the first floor to accommodate this. We’d also highlighted how we would revive all of the stunning original features, turning them into focal points of the property. Outdoors, we produced a landscaping plan which would transform the garden into a peaceful ‘sanctuary’ space for al fresco dining and summer gatherings. Our plan also involved the creation of a pool, with sweeping views of the countryside.
How your renovation can be about much more than aesthetics
As you’ll be able to see from the images below, work on this Umbrian villa is well underway, but beyond the bricks and mortar, this project is about more than just architecture. It’s about creating a home away from home, and a place to escape the rush of everyday life. This renovation plan was created on this basis – and that’s exactly what differentiates the approach that we take here at RVA.
Whether it’s a lovingly restored casali in Umbria, a family villa in Dubai, or a Victorian home in London, we’re here to help our clients to add more value to their everyday living experience. To arrange your free design consultation, simply contact us by filling out our online form, or message our team directly via Whatsapp and we will be in touch.
