It’s been a long time coming, but the inauguration of Villa Antico Tabaccaio was finally celebrated on August 30, 2025 with a grand assortment of friends, food, a spectacular sunset, some rain, and a rainbow!
If you’re wondering what this villa is all about and what it has to do with DriverInRome, here’s the backstory.
As some of you may know, DriverInRome is a family business, started by Remo Melaragno during the 1980s when he returned to Rome with his wife and teenage sons after spending many years in Canada. At that time, the cruise business was just taking off in Italy. Remo’s son Daniele (who speaks Italian like a Roman and English like a Canadian) soon became an integral part of the operation, as a driver in the early years and eventually taking over as general manager. Later on, Daniele’s wife Monia joined the team as office manager (a rather minimal title for a lady who wears a great many hats).
After decades in the hustle and bustle of Rome, working hard to build DriverInRome into the successful passenger-transport company it is today, Daniele and Monia started conjuring a new dream, a complementary endeavor to the transportation/tour business. Just last year, they took the first step towards making this dream come true when they purchased a classic farmhouse in Umbria.
The name “Villa Antico Tabaccaio” pays homage to the estate’s history as a place where locally-grown tobacco was cured. Cultivation of tobacco in Umbria dates back to the late 16th Century. The crop was a major source of wealth and employment in the region, especially for women, long before it was typical for women to work outside the home. Today, Umbria remains one of Italy’s principal tobacco-producing regions.
Set in the lush countryside near Lake Trasimeno, Villa Antico Tabaccaio is a little corner of paradise, now open to guests seeking a tranquil holiday in a genuine setting.
A ton of work has been done on the property over the past year, with modern, luxurious elements being added throughout to create a delectable blend of old and new. The balance of rustic and cosmopolitan is a reflection of Monia’s genius for creating unique, welcoming spaces. When I asked her to encapsulate what this new undertaking means to her, she said, “The dream has grown beyond what we ever imagined.”
If you’re not familiar with Umbria, read on for a little history of this relatively unknown but marvelous region, plus a quick sketch of what it holds for visitors to Italy today. And then keep reading for the scoop on the villa itself.
Umbria: A Taste of Genuine Italy
Umbria is the only region in central Italy that does not touch the sea, but don’t let this paint a picture of being closed in. Within The Green Heart of Italy, the landscape undulates like an expansive, verdant ocean under an endless, luminous sky. The fertile terrain is also blessed with beauty, of both the natural and man-made kinds.
The human story in this part of Italy goes back thousands of years, even before Ancient Roman times. In many places in Umbria, time seems to have stood still, leaving us with an impressive assortment of picture-perfect Medieval villages set on hilltops. In these hamlets, you can step into another epoch by literally putting one foot in front of the other.
For those who have come to Italy on a cruise before, Umbria would have been under the radar, seeing as it has no outlet to the sea. If you’re thinking about a trip to Italy and staying on land for a while, consider Umbria. Despite its splendour, it is not so overrun with tourists as neighbouring Tuscany and other popular destinations such as Rome, the Cinque Terre, and the Amalfi Coast. Umbria is an ideal place to get an authentic taste of Italy and a peaceful holiday.
To learn more about Umbria, check out these articles on the DriverInRome blog:
Splendour in The Green Heart of Italy, Part 1
Splendour in The Green Heart of Italy, Part 2
To learn more about our day trips to Umbria from Rome:
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDLp2W_30Zk
Web page: https://www.driverinrome.com/city-tours/rome-to-umbria-day-trips
Villa Antico Tabaccaio: A Celebration of Rural Life
With the arrival of Villa Antico Tabaccaio, Daniele and Monia have begun shaping their dream of sharing the beauty of rural life with others.
Now that the renovations are complete, you can get a glimpse of the splendidness that awaits by watching this new video.
Highlights of Villa Antico Tabaccaio:
7 bedrooms, sleeps 14
8 bathrooms
Private pool
Patio with barbeque
Wood-burning fireplace
Full kitchen with modern appliances
Golf, hiking, and horseback riding nearby
Located just outside the hamlet of Panicale, near Lake Trasimeno
Convenient to Cortona and Perugia (about a 45-minute drive to both)
Come stay with us and settle into the way of life in times gone by, where spending time together, eating good food, drinking good wine, and talking about life are still the things around which everything else revolves.
