Villa Pace is located in the small rural village of Tapogliano, just a few kilometres away from three cities which are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Aquileia, the historic Roman city, Palmanova, a Venetian fortress shaped in the form of a star and Cividale, the medieval capital of Friuli. Tapogliano is also a short distance away from Grado, a beach steeped in the history of the Habsburg Empire.

The residence is situated in the middle of a large park, enclosed to the east and west by two renovated ‘barchesse’ buildings, one of which is now used as a wine cellar for the Perusini winery and the other as a guesthouse welcoming guests in holiday homes.

Villa Pace is a member of the Italian Historical Residences Association (“Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane”) and is one of the thousands of private residences in Italy that attract almost as many visitors each year as public museums, helping to make our country even more invaluable and unique.

Cubical in shape, flanked by corner towers that are characteristic of many of the noble residences to be found on the eastern border, the Villa was built in the mid 17th century at the behest of Carlo Maria Pace v. Friedensberg, Field Marshal to Emperor Leopold I, and restored in the mid 18th century by a descendant bearing the same name.

Villa Pace has been in the ownership of the family that constructed it and has managed to retain a significant portion of its original furnishings, despite experiencing partial looting during both World Wars when the frontlines passed through the area.

Restoration works on the Villa over the last ten years have focused on reinstating the original spaces and restoring the extraordinary 18th-century murals, which are the oldest known depictions in Italy of Captain James Cook's voyages.

“Friuli is a small compendium of the universe," wrote Ippolito Nievo in the 19th century, and in fact in little more than an hour it is possible to travel from the mountains to the sea, passing through spectacular hilly areas sprinkled with castles and abbeys.

The hybridisation of three cultures, namely those from Italy, Germany and Slovenia, has produced extraordinary results in this area in terms of food and wine, art and craftsmanship. This diverse heritage is displayed not only in the variety of food offered (in particular the typical dishes to be found in the host houses (“osmize”) of the Karst, the agritourism farmhouses of the Collio, as well as the fishermen huts (“casoni”) of the lagoon and the Michelin-starred restaurants), but also in the numerous cultural festivals, such as the medieval celebration called the “Mittelfest” in Cividale, the Festival dell'Operetta in Trieste, the Far East Film in Udine and Pordenone legge.

Sporting events like the “Barcolana” sailing competition in Trieste and the cycling race up Monte Zoncolan, as well as the hiking trails in the Friulian Dolomites among “malge” or shepherds’ huts and parish churches named ‘pievi’, together with the splendid Alpe Adria cycle path, all contribute to Friuli deservedly being described as a “hidden paradise" in the renowned Lonely Planet guide.