The Villa Lina Estate Villa Lina is a location in the heart of ancient Etruscan Tuscia where Energy, Nature, and Art have coexisted for centuries in a state of creative grace. An intact, centuries-old natural environment protected for five centuries, a living natural and cultural landscape shaped by Renaissance families, in continuous energetic exchange with contemporary poets, artists, and visionaries.
Paola Igliori, writer and filmmaker, is now its owner and curator: she is the granddaughter of Lina Igliori, to whom her husband Ulisse gifted the estate for her 29th birthday on July 18, 1929, during the grand inauguration of the garden redesign commissioned to the architect Raffaele de Vico, after having purchased it in 1922 from the Leali counts. The Leali counts had owned it since the 17th century, when they arrived from Brescia to assist the Farnese princes with their ironworks.
Curiously, the estate was already part of ancestral lands on the side of Paola Igliori’s mother, Angela Lante Montefeltro della Rovere, whose ancestors (the future Pope Julius II) acquired the lordship of Ronciglione in 1477 on behalf of Pope Sixtus IV (also della Rovere)—later resold in 1526 to the Farnese family. Here, Paola continues her investigation into the boundary between the visible and the invisible, the mirroring of the microcosm and macrocosm, and the alchemy of daily life. Perhaps this is also an inheritance from her ancestors, who helped shape the Renaissance ethos of curiosity and interconnectedness.
Perhaps also an inheritance from ancestors who helped shape the Renaissance ethos of curiosity and interconnectedness. Her research—spanning books and films (see Wikipedia) between art, the roots of creativity, and the cosmology of nature—crosses cultures to pass down the knowledge of extraordinary contemporary visionaries, aiming to reach the living essence of the power of connecting with Nature in balance at the core of the eternal message of regeneration.
Frequented by poets from d’Annunzio to Trilussa in the 1930s, art historians like Federico Zeri and Mina Gregori in the 60s and 70s, cultural figures such as Giulio Bollati (co-founder of Einaudi and Bollati & Boringhieri), and visionaries like Harald Szeemann, who compared Villa Lina to Monte Verità.
From artists—including Alighiero Boetti, Mario Merz, Sandro Chia (Paola Igliori’s first husband), Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Alessandro Twombly—to scientists, such as theoretical physicists Jeff Tollaksen (two-time Nobel nominee) and Andrew Jordan (co-directors of the Institute for Quantum Studies at Chapman University) and many others, the energetic exchange between multidisciplinary creative minds and its Genius Loci remains uninterrupted.
The Villa Lina Estate Just a step away from the center of Ronciglione, a pristine Medieval and Renaissance town, and 10 minutes from the wild shores of the Lake Vico natural reserve, set within a forty-hectare organic landscape park, lies Villa Lina Natural Relais, described by The Financial Times as “Italy’s best-kept secret.” We are a complex of Historic Residences centered around the 17th-Century Botanical and Symbolic Garden, filled with the song of its fountains. Its century-old trees offer an innovative Plant Therapy experience. The 1929 Olympic-sized pool with mineral water, daily harvested organic food from synergistic vegetable gardens, and Reflexology, Kneipp, and Shiatsu treatments provide dedicated attention to relaxation, well-being, and regeneration.
The First Garden In 1920, architect Raffaele de Vico—a classicist and visionary who also restored Villa Borghese in Rome—created a Symbolic Garden in continuity with the Renaissance tradition of Tuscia (see the Sacred Grove of Bomarzo created by Vicino Orsini in 1547).
If Bomarzo is a “Theater of Memory,” Villa Lina is a “Temple to the Essence of Universal Knowledge,” a Metaphysical Temple. At the entrance stand two Egyptian columns (3,500 years old, made of pink Aswan granite), rounded in the Roman era. Then comes the labyrinth where our personal Minotaur awaits us, and opposite it, the green wall—the hedge shielding the center of the initiatory path.
The garden as a body: to the right lies the grotto—the receptive, intuitive, feminine principle, birth, the spouting water, the stream leading to the Waterfall Fountain, featuring 3 shells like the one from which Botticelli’s Venus is born. The shape: DNA.
To the left lies the rational, manifestative, masculine principle in the Amphora Fountain, enclosed by a circle of 8 cypresses—like Stonehenge, a calendar marking the 8 key points of the cycle’s transformative energy. Only when these two energies finally dance in balance within the ellipse of the 12 solar months does the Ouroboros serpent at the center convey the garden’s secret message of total regeneration.
The Second Garden In 2005, Paola Igliori, curator of Villa Lina, commissioned researcher Marco Nieri—author of the book Bioenergetic Landscape—to create a Bioenergetic Therapeutic Garden within the 18th-Century Botanical Park.
In this vibrant natural context, Marco Nieri used the Lecher antenna—a bioenergetic measurement system—to detect and measure the beneficial emanations of ancient trees. Amplified by volcanic rocks and abundant underground water present in the garden, these trees generate high-intensity electromagnetic fields.
These fields resonate with all living systems, recharging them. All living beings—including local herbs and flowers—benefit from these intense energetic charges.
Based on these discoveries, Nieri mapped out a 10-point Plant Therapy Path in the garden that recharges and rebalances the physiological systems and organs of the human body, tuning into the specific electromagnetic fields of the trees.
In addition to Villa Lina, Marco Nieri has created therapeutic gardens at Borgo Seghetti Panichi in Recanati and in the Ermenegildo Zegna garden (Oasi Zegna) in Trivero (BI), among others.
The Third Garden Conceived in 2024 by Emilia Scarpone with contributions from Paola Igliori, in continuity with the Symbolic Garden—following the receptive and creative principles from which all Creation springs—here their attributes manifest: the Archetypes.
Myth meets Botany, and Ritual is heralded by powerful works by Alessandro Twombly for “The Journey of Ulysses.”
At the end of the section, the path of the Ouroboros offers associations and occasionally disorienting revelations shared by Paola Igliori.
5 sectors are dedicated to the plants of the Gods:
1st sector: The laurel – Apollo, Artemis, the Pythian Sybil, Daphne.
2nd sector: Mercurial plants – Hestia, guardian of the sacred fire; Hermes, protector and swift transformer.
3rd sector: Raspberry, wheat ear – Demeter, Persephone, Hades.
4th sector: Athena, the olive tree, the city – weave your destiny – the birth of strategy.
5th sector: The 5 Elements = Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Aether. Aphrodite and her plants.
At our historic estate, Relais Villa Lina, we organize exclusive celebrations to discover a prestigious venue with vast gardens and unique, elegant spaces.
The property is granted exclusively for events that can also include overnight stays, with a duration completely tailored to your choice.
We offer packages ranging from 1 to 5 nights based on your needs, recommending a “total immersion” experience to fully enjoy the estate, its diverse settings, and offered activities.
We specialize in unforgettable, creative, and bespoke weddings, where every single aspect of the celebration can be customized according to your vision.
Our Historic Residences—immersed in four hectares of 18th-century bio-energetic gardens among monumental plants—reveal a sequence of magical vistas for breathtaking celebrations surrounded by exuberant and mysterious nature: from the grotto with a waterfall fountain for cutting the cake, to the Amphitheater in the Ellipse or the Metaphysical Temple for the ceremony; from the long tunnel of holm oaks for an imperial table of up to 200 guests, to the 1890 Greenhouse and the Winter Garden Room.
With every step, you will discover a new setting ideal for your special day.
We create international and eclectic celebrations, custom designed to welcome family and closest friends, even for a full week filled with lunches, dinners, and surprise parties in constantly changing scenarios.
Casa Portale – Up to 14/15 guests | 6 bedrooms
The villa closest to the town, just 5 minutes from the main square. A prominent 19th-century historic home with eclectic, brightly colored interiors decorated by Ricky Clifton (featured in World of Interiors). Features a large living room with an imposing 16th-century fireplace. A professional kitchen with a large 1920s marble table for cooking workshops; on the patio, a long marble dining table under the pergola for al fresco dining; a circular pool; and a spectacular hydrangea garden shaded by ancient trees.
Casa Vostra – Up to 12 guests | 5 bedrooms
An elegant 19th-century residence in the heart of our Historic Botanical Garden that awakens to the sound of fountains. Two splendid living rooms with dining areas and a wonderful Winter Garden (Serra d’Inverno). Outside, two enchanting pavilions with Moroccan sofas and furnishings for relaxation, and tables for dining under linden trees in front of the Amphitheater and baroque fountains. At night, guests can request torches to fully experience the magic of the gardens.
Casa Vostra Cottage & Yellow Spa Room – Up to 12 guests | 5 bedrooms
A delightful, quaint, and intimate cottage near the breathtaking 1890 Greenhouse (where guests can request private dinners); every view feels like a scene from a 1930s Donghi painting.
Torre del Falco – Up to 12 guests | 6 bedrooms
Torre del Falco is our crown jewel. It features a large living room with a “stube” fireplace, 3 large arched French doors opening onto the panoramic terrace, a sunroom lounge in a glass greenhouse (which can serve as an additional bedroom), a frescoed library, and five gorgeous bedrooms with unique bathrooms adorned with rare vintage Neapolitan majolica tiles. The tower’s iconic bathroom—the Stargazer’s Bathroom—features a circular bathtub beneath a glass dome for stargazing; the adjacent suite opens onto a large terrace with a 360-degree view.
Padiglione Torre del Falco – Up to 4 guests | Splendid 4.5-meter-high open space
The grandest suite at Villa Lina, inspired by the Loggia of the Renaissance Villa Lante (home to the ancestors of our curator Paola Igliori). Equipped with a king-size double bed, two single beds, and five arched French doors facing a private terrace exposed to sunrises and sunsets. On the lower level lies a small Spa: a spacious marble bathroom inspired by ancient Rome, including a Jacuzzi tub, sauna, double marble showers, massage beds, Murano glass mirrors, and refined 17th-century marble inlays.
Our 3 “Ancestral Houses,” much more rustic, offer a dive into the past:
Casa Pastore – A poetic and rustic shepherd’s house with 4 bedrooms and two small bathrooms – accommodates 4 to 8 guests at full capacity. On the ground floor, an old-fashioned kitchen with a fireplace and wood stove, plus a large, beautiful marble table for foraging and wild herb cooking classes (amaranth gnocchi, ancient grain bread with nettles, wild carrot flower sauce, etc.). Outdoor space designed to reconnect with ancestral time and self-presence, nature, and the elements. Features a circle of massive tree trunks around a fire pit, a gas-heated outdoor bathtub under the stars for herbal baths, a small organic garden with edible flowers, an old brick oven for wild herb baking workshops, and a beautiful handmade Yurt for sound baths and various workshops!
Fienile (Barn) – A poetic artist’s studio set up in an old barn, which in the late 1970s served as the first art studio of artist Sandro Chia – accommodates 3 to 5 guests.
Casa Betti – 5 guests. A charming 18th-century house with 2 double bedrooms, a beautiful living room with a fireplace, and 4 windows exposed to sunrise and sunset. Downstairs features a large old-fashioned kitchen/dining room with a fireplace capable of seating 12 people. Outside, a fire pit on one side and an outdoor dining area on the other. Spacious underground rooms with excellent acoustics and a pre-Christian era stone relief depicting fertility.
Studio Betti – A delightful independent apartment with a fireplace – Up to 3 guests.
Retreats & Tailored Offers Set in the ancient landscape of Etruscan Tuscia, Villa Lina offers immersive retreats combining ancestral practices, total immersion in nature, and living between yurtes and historic homes.
Customized programs featuring individual or couples’ Core Offers—Returning to the essence, activating inner knowledge, and connecting with Creative Intelligence through the purifying power of a deep connection with Nature and the reactivation of ancestral rhythms and memories. You can customize it according to your needs, creating your ideal combination of Core Offers.
Foraging & Vibrational Cuisine as a Daily Realignment Practice: This immersive experience invites you to reconnect with the earth, the body, and the inner landscape through simple ancestral practices. Participants live immersed in nature in yurts and traditional houses, rediscovering the elements of fire, water, herbs, and nourishment as pathways to presence and reconnection.
Rediscover the Essential Wisdom of European Nature, Runes, and European Cosmology: Ancient Europe knew how to read the language of nature. This retreat invites you to rediscover it. An immersive experience in Europe’s living landscape, where forests, mountains, and sky become part of an ancient cosmology.
Return to Me. A Retreat of Bodily Wisdom, Touch, and Inner Nourishment: The body is the space that amplifies our life experience on Earth. Through the body, we perceive, feel, and live our human journey. It is the living vessel through which life expresses itself. This retreat invites participants to return to themselves by reconnecting with the wisdom of the body.
Healing the Roots. Systemic, Archetypal, and Phenomenological Constellations in Nature: Every life springs from often invisible roots. Family patterns, ancestral memories, cultural influences, and the places we inhabit shape our inner landscape. This retreat explores systemic and archetypal constellations through a phenomenological approach in direct relationship with nature.
Explore and Heal What Obstructs the Fulfillment of Our Soul’s Purpose on This Earthly Journey: Over 4 days, with compassion and love, we will examine what hinders the realization of our soul’s purpose in relationships, creativity, and spirituality. Linda, an intuitive guide, will support and lead each person in identifying the root cause of unresolved emotional trauma, blockages, and issues to foster the healing process.
GUIDED GARDEN TOUR (History and stories discovering Villa Lina – 1h30) An introductory journey into the Symbolism of the Historic Garden designed by Rosicrucian architect Raffaele de Vico (interpreted by Paola Igliori) and through the fascinating stages of the Garden of Senses and Myths via a Botanical, Mythological, and Ritual path.
COSMETICS OF APHRODITE (From Aphrodite’s Sanctuary to the Herbal Laboratory – 2h) We will explore the qualities of Aphrodite and the Art of Beauty that led to the birth of Natural Cosmetics. You might be surprised to learn what your skin truly needs. We will gather plants and flowers to create our own beauty products to take home.
CELEBRATION OF THE 8 POINTS OF THE COSMIC WHEEL (Ancient outdoor rituals – 1h30) We will explore the themes of Space and Time according to the vision of ancient cultures and peoples, recreating ritual ceremonies: The Medicine Wheel and the 8 power points within the circle of seasons and the 4 directions.
BECOME THE DEITY YOU ARE (Multi-stage experiential journey – 2h30) A celebration of the rituals of “The Journey of Ulysses” and the power of intention, connection, and activation of inner archetypes linked to the five elements: Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and Aether. A unique, transformative experience connecting us with our infinite power.
DINNER WITH THE PLANTS OF THE GODS (Vegetarian dinner in the Historic Greenhouse or Winter Garden – 2h30) An evening with our herbalist: a botanical showcase combining food tasting with storytelling and the symbolic meanings of edible plants.
AT DEMETER’S TABLE (Tasting in the Garden/Temple – 2h30) A practical reflection on natural cycles, guided by the goddesses Demeter and Persephone. We will discover the philosophy of the Edible Garden and practice identifying, harvesting, and preparing plants and flowers to create colorful dishes to enjoy together.
BOTANICAL WALK DISCOVERING THE PLANTS OF THE GODS (Herbal journey – 2h) We will learn to know plants through the five senses, discovering their hidden characteristics and symbolism. Prepare to be amazed by their survival strategies and the incredible richness of the plant kingdom.
THE GREEN PHARMACY (From the Garden to the Herbal Laboratory – 2h) Apollo and his son Asclepius are the guardians of phytotherapy. With them, we will approach medicinal plants, learning secrets to extract their beneficial active principles. We will harvest and transform plants to create natural remedies to take home.
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