Fact Sheets & Video - Legends, Wine and High Country

Villa Gusto is a brand new five-star Italian villa that knows all about la dolce vita - the sweet life.

It's nestled at the foothills of Mount Buffalo in Victoria among green rolling hills, vineyards and snow capped mountains. The similarities between Northern Italy and this area are remarkable, which is why many Italian immigrants chose to settle here in the 1950s.

Deep in the heart of this region is Villa Gusto, perhaps Australia's most genuine Italian retreat. Everything about this place oozes Italian charm. The signs are in Italian, the food is Italian, the dcor and furnishings are Italian and even the complimentary hair products are Italian. Everything from the Tivoli marble to the cast-iron fountain and Milano artwork reflects the owners' deep appreciation of Italian culture.

Villa Gusto is set apart from other accommodation not only by its link with Italian culture, but also because of its emphasis on luxury. The villa features an in house cinema where guests can watch movies like the classic La Dolce Vita. There's also a double-sided fireplace, leather lounges, plus a cafe and bar in the entertaining area of the villa. And there's a Jacuzzi spa in the Tuscan garden where guests can enjoy the magnificent scenery by day and clear starry skies by night. There are six suites, each uniquely Italian, right down to their dcor, furnishings and names. Arancia and Verde are the standard suites for the budget traveller. Bianco, Limone and Rosso are all deluxe suites, each with a kitchen, private patio overlooking Mount Buffalo and spa bath/shower. Then there's Cioccolato, the most extravagant of the suites. This room exudes Italian luxury in every way imaginable.

Every couple of months Villa Gusto puts on different food and wine festivals to celebrate its strong Italian theme. The festivals usually take place in the Tuscan gardens, with guests sampling delicious Italian food from master chef Patrizia Simone and drinking Italian wine, while being entertained by local Italian musicians.

The facts:

Qantas and QantasLink fly to Albury daily from all capital cities. Prices start at $345 from Sydney and $752 from Perth.

Qantas

Tel: 13 13 13

A standard overnighter at Villa Gusto costs $220 per couple, a deluxe room costs $275, and the Grand suite is $325. All these prices include gourmet breakfast and welcome wines.

Villa Gusto

Tel: 03 5756 2000

You can hire a luxury car from Classic Sports Car Rentals starting at $99 a day.

Classic Sports Car Rentals

Tel: 03 9796 6000