Mediterranean Hills

Amanzoe, Greece. In the Peloponnese, Amanzoe crowns a hill above the Argolic Gulf near Porto Heli, where stone pavilions with their own pools, olive shade and classical lines meet a spa and a beach club below.

Amanruya, Turkey. Above Bodrum, Amanruya is a hillside of freestanding stone cottages with private pools in olive shade, the Aegean for the hours you want it and privacy for the hours you do not.

Borgo Pignano, Tuscany. In the hills near Volterra, Borgo Pignano is a hamlet documented since 1139, within a 750-acre organic estate of woods, olive groves and vineyard, with nine private villas for families who want their own house.

Villa Gran Sogno, Chianti. Just outside Castellina in Chianti, Villa Gran Sogno is an adults-only house of five king rooms among vineyards, with a private pool and its owners in residence through the season.

Argentario Golf Villas, Tuscany. On Monte Argentario, Argentario Golf Villas sit on a car-free hillside above the course, with terraces that look over the fairways to the Orbetello lagoon.

Villa Giada, Capri. High in Anacapri among olive trees and umbrella pines, Villa Giada is a white house of four suites above the Tyrrhenian, with a chef cooking from the garden. See Capri.

Villa Le Cannicelle, Cilento. On a hillside of olive and cork oak 56 metres above the Gulf of Policastro, Villa Le Cannicelle is a family villa of five bedrooms with an infinity pool and a wood-fired oven in the taverna. See Cilento Coast.

Maslina Resort Villas, Croatia. On Hvar, Maslina Resort Villas keeps private houses among the pines and olives of Maslinica Bay, each with a heated pool and a kitchen built for a private chef, with Stari Grad a short walk along the coast.

Days in the hills. The rhythm is similar from one shore to the next: a walk or a ride while it is cool, a boat or a beach before lunch, a long table in the shade, and an evening in a village square. The cellars of Chianti and Volterra, the ancient theatre at Epidaurus, a day on the Bodrum peninsula by boat and the sea caves of Capri are all within reach.

Choosing is a matter of company and season. For two, Villa Gran Sogno or a pavilion at Amanzoe; for a family, a villa at Borgo Pignano, Maslina or Argentario. May, June and September give the best balance of warm sea and quiet roads, July and August are hot and lively, and October is for walking and the harvest. Several of these houses keep a seasonal calendar, so dates are confirmed early.

For Tuscany as a journey, follow our Florence and Tuscany itinerary, or see our Tuscany and Italy guides. Families who want one house for everyone can continue to Houses for Generations.

Couples planning a celebration in the hills can continue to Weddings & Celebrations, and those who want the fairway as well as the view to Fairways & Sea.