To grant oneself a holiday in one of the lodgings managed by the Landmark Trust in FAI’s properties is also a generous gesture towards protecting the landscape’s beauty.
The Landmark Trust breathes new life into buildings that for centuries have witnessed events and hosted guests that have formed the building’s history, but which now lie forgotten or in ruin. It renders them available as inspirational places to stay and helps fund their maintenance, guaranteeing their survival for future generations. This is the philosophy that for fifty years has motivated the British non-profit organisation, founded in 1965 by John and Christian Smith. It shares this philosophy with FAI (the National Trust for Italy), with which it is partnered in the management of the lodgings in Villa dei Vescovi (Luvigliano di Torreglia near Padova) and at the Abbey of San Fruttuoso (Camogli, in the Portofino Park).
Over these fifty years, the Trust has accumulated nearly two hundred properties: castles, fortresses, cottages, villas, and more. Most of these are based in Great Britain, but others can be found in the United States, France, Belgium, and Italy – where in particular it has established its valuable partnership with FAI over many years.
Like the other Landmark properties, Villa dei Vescovi and the Abbey of San Fruttuoso are valued for their historical, architectural and cultural worth, and are embedded in landscapes of notable beauty and prestige. Settings that, thanks to the offer of accommodation proposed by the Landmark Trust, lend themselves to a full experience for visitors who can find the time to deepen the value of these places and support them through their stay.
Surrounded by the green tranquillity of the Euganean Hills, Villa dei Vescovi is immersed in a stunning landscape that is echoed in the wonderful frescoes inside by the Flemish artist Lambert Sustris. The Villa is an important pre-Palladian residence of the Renaissance, built in the sixteenth century as a summer residence for the bishop of Padua and visited for centuries by artists and intellectuals who found peace and inspiration there. Two apartments are available to guests, each accommodating up to four people.
Casa de Mar rises above the rooftops of an old monastery immersed in the olive trees of the Portofino peninsula. Guests arrive at this gorgeous hamlet, where time seems to stand still, by boat. The fisherman’s cottage offers two bedrooms and a lovely terrace with views overlooking the Benedictine Monastery of San Fruttuoso, constructed in the tenth century, and takes in the entire bay. The lodging sleeps up to four people.
FAI UK members can benefit from a preferential rate when they book to stay in one of the lodgings, valid all year round.
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