Villa Abbazia: Luxury And Charm In The Prosecco Hills

Villa Abbazia is a Relais & Chateau property in Follina, in the Prosecco Hills.

Jerome Levine

Nestled in the historic center of Follina in a valley surrounded by green foothills, Villa Abbazia is an idyllic base for exploring the surrounding Prosecco region.

An intimate, 18-room, five-star, family-owned and operated hotel, it is located off the main square in the historic center of Follina. This small town in the Treviso region of northeast Italy is one of 15 municipalities that comprise the Prosecco Hills, an area named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

This area is an international mecca for wine lovers, bicyclists, and hikers who come to explore this extraordinarily beautiful but less traveled destination.

Welcome to Villa Abbazia

The reception area of Villa Abbazia is warm and welcoming.

Jerome Levine

The property features two buildings overlooking a verdant garden courtyard filled with flowering plants; leafy orange, lemon and magnolia trees; and eye-catching topiaries. If you listen closely, you can hear the waters of the nearby Follina River, the shortest river in Italy.

An 18th century palazzo houses the hotel’s reception area as well as 12 guest rooms; a brimming gift shop; La Corte, an elegant fine dining restaurant; and La Cantinetta, a more informal bistro.

Four of the hotel’s six junior suites are located in an adjacent architecturally stunning, Art Nouveau 19th century villa.

Upon arriving, guests are likely to be greeted by one member or another of the Zonan family. Giovanni Zonan multitasks as manager, concierge, valet, engineer and cycling tour guide. His sister, Ivana, is the interior designer and presides over the unconventional gift shop; his other sister, Rosa, is involved in the operation of the restaurants, often wearing a beautiful rose-patterned apron.

Siblings Rosa ad Giovanni Zonan

Jerome Levine

The house was first purchased by the siblings’ mother in 1968 with the dream of restoring the property to its former glory, a goal that seems to have been achieved.

The reception area in this Relais & Chateaux property could easily be mistaken for a movie set. (The hotel was, in fact, featured in the Sandra Bullock movie, In Love and War). Every wall and surface is covered with a dazzling array of historic books, mementos, paintings, statues and antiques.

Just above the reception area is the hotel’s mezzanine tea room where a buffet breakfast is served each morning along with homemade pastries.

A stay in the Writer’s Suite

The Writer’s Suite at Villa Abbazia

Jerome Levine

Each one-of-a-kind, light-filled room in Villa Abbazia has its own ambiance and decor, swathed in a melange of toile textiles and Laura Ashley stripes, ginghams and florals. The furnishings are an eclectic mix of both antique and vintage. Patterned drapes hang from the ceiling to the floor. The tchotkes on the tables and walls hint that you may have mistakenly entered a Nonna’s home.

But the spacious, fully updated and renovated rooms are thoroughly modern with every amenity including automatic window shutters, individually controlled air conditioning and heating, and Jacuzzi tubs.

The terrace overlooking the garden

Villa Abbazia

The name Writer’s Suite on the first floor is derived from the long writing table beneath the window. Flanked by oversize night tables, the focal point of the room is the uber-comfortable plump bed covered with patterned pillows at its foot. The room has a separate sitting area and a gracious terrace with stone columns overlooking the garden.

Evocative surroundings

Sunny day inside the Abbey of Follina – Veneto – Italy

getty

Follina is quite small—even including its surrounding area; the population hovers around 3,800 people. Especially noteworthy is that the town holds the distinction of being named I Borghi più belli d’Italia, one of Italy’s 1000 most beautiful hamlets that promise authentic, slow tourism. A tourist information point is housed diagonally across the street from the hotel.

On the hill high above the information point is the The Abbey of Cistercian Santa Maria of Follina, now the seat of the town parish and a place with rich historical, artistic, and spiritual significance. This structure with a Romanesque-Gothic facade dates back to the 11th to 12th century. Monks built the Cistercian Monastery and adjacent cloister atop an earlier Benedictine building.

Historically and until the present day, Follina has played a seminal role in the production of wool. It was processed by the monks in the monastery as well as at the town’s Paoletti Wool Mill, a tenth-generation Made in Italy company since 1795.

From the hotel’s doors, it is easy to walk to local bars, restaurants and the small shops in town. Local taxi service is virtually nonexistent so to visit some of the other towns of the Prosecco Hills with historic castles and Palladian villas—and the nearby vineyards and wineries where outstanding sparkling wines are produced—it is essential to rent a bicycle or car. Giovanni Zonan, owner of Villa Abbazia and a passionate cyclist, also arranges unique experiences for his guests.

Saying goodbye

An artfully presented salad at Villa Abbazia

Jerome Levine

By the time you leave Villa Abbazia, you are likely to know everyone at the property by name and will appreciate the gracious but non-intrusive service you’ve received. Yet, Giovanni Zonan feels that his family’s life’s work isn’t yet completed. Plans are underway to add a lap pool, gym and spa next year.

In terms of both hospitality and gastronomic excellence, Abbazia lives up to the standards of Relais and Chateaux.Visitors to the Prosecco Hills will surely long to return, whether to hike, cycle or drive through these undulating hills and valleys with stunning landscapes or to taste some of the world’s finest sparkling wines at their source.

.