Villa
Wanna
Where the art of Italian living meets Chef Olha's table
Meet Chef Olha
"I did not discover Italy. Italy shaped me. It is in my hands when I cook, in my legs when I ride, in my soul when I sit in this garden."
Born in Ukraine and raised in Italy during her formative years, Chef Olha carries two worlds within her — the fierce resilience of the East and the profound beauty of the Italian table. She came of age among Lombard markets, Piemontese vineyards, and the endless cycling roads of Northern Italy. Italy did not adopt her. She grew into it.
After more than a decade as a private chef to the most discerning households in San Francisco's Bay Area and Aspen, Colorado, Chef Olha has returned to her Italian roots — transforming her family property near Milan into Villa Wanna, a private residence and retreat unlike anything else in Lombardy. Pictured here cooking with family in Aspen — the warmth in that kitchen is the same warmth guests find at Villa Wanna.
An avid biathlete, alpine and cross-country skier, road cyclist and runner, she offers her guests something no luxury hotel can replicate: herself.
A Villa of Character
A double-height living room with floating staircase. A writer's mezzanine study. A chef's kitchen. A large pool in a mature private garden. Twenty minutes from Milan.
Curated Experiences
Every stay at Villa Wanna is entirely yours — shaped around who you are, what you love, and what you came to Italy to feel.
Market mornings, hands-on masterclasses, and every meal by Chef Olha. A week lived entirely around Italian food.
Cycle Lake Como. Ski the Alps. Run Lombard dawn roads. Recover at the pool. Dine magnificently every evening.
Exclusive whole-property buyout for intimate leadership groups. Exceptional food, outdoor mornings, and the privacy great thinking requires.
Dawn practice in the garden, guided by a guest instructor. Combine with Chef Olha's nourishing cuisine for a restorative week unlike any other.
What They Say
"Chef Olha cooked for us every evening under the pergola. By day three I was genuinely considering never going home. A week at Villa Wanna is a complete recalibration of what a good life looks like."
"I've hired private chefs for twenty years. Olha is in a different category entirely. The food, yes — but also the warmth, the knowledge, the way she talks about Italy. She makes you fall in love with it all over again."
"We brought eight of our senior partners here for a leadership offsite. The combination of the villa, the rides with Olha at dawn, and the evenings around her table created something no conference facility ever could. We're already planning next year."
Ready to Arrive?
Villa Wanna accepts a limited number of guests each season. Enquire early to secure your preferred dates.
Villa Wanna
A private estate near Milan — garden, pool, and a life lived beautifully
The Spaces
Double-height ceilings, dark timber beams, deep red Brazilian parquet, a stone fireplace, original artworks on every wall, floor-to-ceiling green bookshelves — and above it all, the mezzanine floating on a green steel rail.
Where It Begins
Where We Gather
The Interlude
Above the living room, reached by the floating staircase: skylights flooding with northern light, two vintage typewriters, or your own medium. The rosewood desk, hand-crafted without nails. Time to yourself.
Three Personalities
Stone & Water
The Pool
A large private pool, set within the estate garden — Lombard sky overhead, the pergola for shade, summer afternoons unhurried.
The Garden
Mature trees to settle under, open lawns to fill, lawn corridors to stroll, azaleas and roses to gather for the table.
From Gate to Piazza
Out the gate, a quiet lane, then fields — to roam, cycle, or wander. A leisurely ten-minute walk, the village. Piazza, cappuccino, history. Bar Centrale has been pouring since 1900.
Wanna conceived Villa Wanna — garden, architecture, furniture, art, every detail. Today it is a home for guests.
The Amenities
The Experiences
Each one designed around you — your pace, your passions, your people
Private Chef Residency
Chef Olha cooks exclusively for you and your guests. Each morning begins at the market — Pavia on Tuesday and Friday, or the Mercato Centrale in Milan. Afternoons bring hands-on classes in her professional kitchen. Evenings: the long table set, candlelight, courses that will be remembered for years.
Her cuisine is rooted in Northern Italy — Lombard risotti, hand-rolled pasta, lake fish, the truffles and wines of Piedmont — with nuances drawn from her Ukrainian heritage and the global palate refined in Aspen and San Francisco.
Train Italian
A five-day athletic retreat hosted by an avid biathlete who also happens to be one of Italy's finest private chefs. In summer: cycling to Lake Como, road running the Lombard countryside at dawn, recovery at the pool. In winter: day excursions to the Italian Alps for alpine or cross-country skiing, led by a skier who knows the mountains intimately.
Maximum 6 guests. Available year-round — the Alps are 90 minutes from the villa. Every evening ends at Chef Olha's table.
Executive Retreat
Villa Wanna is available for exclusive whole-property buyouts for small leadership groups — 6 to 12 people. No conference rooms, no hotel corridors. Instead: the villa and gardens entirely yours, Chef Olha cooking every meal, structured outdoor mornings, and the evenings designed for the conversations that only happen when the setting is genuinely special.
Past clients have included technology executives from the Bay Area, private equity partnerships from London, and creative leadership teams from Europe and North America. Hosting available in seven languages.
Culinary Masterclass
A single-day or half-day cooking class in Chef Olha's professional kitchen — fresh pasta, risotto alla Milanese, Lombard braised meats, or the seasonal specialties of the Italian north. Classes are intimate, hands-on, and conducted in any of Chef Olha's seven languages. Available to villa guests and as a standalone day experience for visitors from Milan.
Yoga Garden Retreat
Villa Wanna's garden — mature trees, morning stillness, birdsong, the pool glinting beyond the pergola — is one of the most naturally serene settings imaginable for a yoga practice. Each morning, a carefully selected guest instructor leads a session on the lawn as the Lombard light rises over the garden. The practice is open to all levels, from first-timers to experienced practitioners.
The retreat pairs beautifully with Chef Olha's nourishing, plant-forward Italian cuisine — market-fresh breakfasts, light seasonal lunches, and restorative evening meals that honour both the body and the Italian table. Afternoons are yours: pool, garden, the library, a bicycle ride, or simply nothing at all.
Available as a dedicated 5–7 night retreat or as a daily add-on to any villa stay. Instructor and style vary by season — Chef Olha personally curates each practitioner for their warmth, skill, and compatibility with the Villa Wanna ethos. Maximum 8 guests.
Milan: Fashion Day
Twenty minutes from Villa Wanna sits one of the world's great fashion capitals. This experience offers two ways in — both exceptional.
For the serious collector or discerning buyer: a full day with a professional Milanese private shopper. Visits to ateliers and appointments with boutiques, tailors, and leather artisans whose work the guidebooks rarely reach — and the kind of insider knowledge that takes decades to accumulate.
For more casual shopping and exploring: a morning or afternoon with Chef Olha in the city she knows like a native — the vintage stores of Navigli, the design quarter of Brera, the hidden corners of the Quadrilatero della Moda. Less about acquisition, more about understanding what makes Milanese style unlike anywhere else on earth.
Both experiences end, naturally, at the table.
Villa Wanna: Your Event
Villa Wanna is available for private celebrations of every kind — weddings, milestone birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, and gatherings that deserve a setting genuinely worthy of the occasion.
The villa, the garden, and the pool become entirely yours. Chef Olha designs the menu around you — from a long, unhurried wedding dinner to a festive lunch for three generations around the same table. Every detail is tailored to your guests.
Intimate by design. Maximum 30 guests for seated dining; larger for garden events. Available year-round.
Activities & Adventures
For the body, the mind, and the palate — all four seasons
What We Do Together
Chef Olha is a serious competitive cyclist who knows these roads in every season. Routes range from a gentle morning spin through the rice paddies to a full Lake Como climb. Curated for your level, with equipment hire available.
The Italian Alps are 90 minutes from Villa Wanna. An avid biathlete and alpine skier, Chef Olha leads day excursions to the finest Lombard and Piemontese ski resorts — including Livigno, Madesimo, and the Cervinia area.
A biathlete's discipline — precise, meditative, demanding. Chef Olha leads cross-country ski experiences in the Alpine foothills for guests seeking a more immersive winter encounter with the Italian mountains.
The roads and trails around Casorate Primo are made for running at any pace — flat agricultural lanes at dawn, canal towpaths, and quiet country roads through the Lombard plain. Chef Olha runs regularly and is happy to join guests for a morning run or a day hike. For those who prefer to explore on foot at their own pace, the area rewards hiking too — and the first gentle hills of Oltrepò Pavese are just a short drive south.
Pavia's covered market on Tuesday and Friday mornings; the Mercato Centrale in Milan; seasonal truffle markets in Piedmont. Every visit becomes a cooking class in miniature.
Fashion, art, food, and architecture — Chef Olha knows Milan's hidden quarters, the restaurants not in guidebooks, the private showrooms — and the expertise to show you a Milan most visitors never slow down enough to find. For serious shoppers, a professional Milanese private shopper who knows exactly where to go.
A private boat day on Lago di Como — arriving at Varenna, Bellagio, or Villa del Balbianello by water. Lunch at a lakeside restaurant the locals love.
Italy's finest sparkling wine — 45 minutes from Villa Wanna. Cellar visits and tastings at small family estates, guided by people who know the region intimately.
Dawn practice on the lawn as the garden wakes — led by a guest instructor personally curated by Chef Olha. All levels welcome. Pairs with nourishing, plant-forward Italian cuisine and long, restorative afternoons by the pool. Available as a dedicated retreat or daily add-on to any stay.
Day Trip Destinations
The Mercati
Every Thursday, the market on Corso Europa in Casorate Primo is a five-minute walk from Villa Wanna. Beyond the village, Lombardy's weekly and daily markets are among Italy's finest — the raw material of everything Chef Olha cooks.
The Art of Chef Olha's Kitchen
Rooted in Northern Italy, shaped by Ukraine, refined across America's most discerning tables. Every dish tells a story.
Chef Olha Comes To You
Chef Olha is available for private chef engagements in the San Francisco Bay Area, Aspen, and Boston. Bring the Villa Wanna experience to your home.
Travel Information
Everything you need to arrive comfortably at Villa Wanna
Casorate Primo
Villa Wanna is located in Casorate Primo, Province of Pavia, approximately 22 kilometres southwest of Milan city centre. Exact address provided upon confirmed booking.
Three international airports serve the Milan area:
- Milan Malpensa (MXP) — 30 min by car · Best for transatlantic flights
- Milan Linate (LIN) — 25 min · City flights, private aviation
- Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY) — 45 min · Budget and charter flights
Airport transfers can be arranged by request.
High-speed trains to Milano Centrale:
- Rome → 3 hours · Frecciarossa
- Florence → 2 hours
- Venice → 2.5 hours
- Paris → 7 hours (overnight available)
- Zurich → 3.5 hours
Local train: Milano Porta Genova → Casorate Primo (30 min)
Via the A7 motorway (Milan–Genova). Private parking on estate.
- Milan city centre: 22 km · 25 min
- Malpensa Airport: 35 km · 30 min
- Linate Airport: 28 km · 25 min
- Pavia: 12 km · 15 min
- Alps (nearest ski resort): approx. 90 min
Villa Wanna is wonderful year-round:
- April–June: Mild, green, cycling season, spring produce
- July–August: Pool season, long golden evenings, harvest
- September–October: Best cycling, truffle season, golden light
- November–March: Skiing day trips to the Alps, fireplace evenings, Milan's cultural season
- Currency: Euro (€). Cards widely accepted
- Electricity: 230V / 50Hz · European Type F sockets · Adaptors at villa
- Language: Your host speaks 7 languages — arrive as you are
- Health: EU: EHIC card · Non-EU: ensure travel insurance covers medical
- US, UK & Canadian citizens: No visa required up to 90 days
- EU citizens: Freedom of movement — no restrictions
- All others: Schengen visa required · Invitation letter available on request
- ETIAS: From 2025, non-EU visitors may require ETIAS pre-authorisation — check current requirements
The Journal
Recipes, essays, travel notes, and life at Villa Wanna
Write a new post, add photos, and share recipes. Everything published here appears on the public journal.
From the Kitchen & Road
The Gallery
Moments from the villa, the kitchen, the road, and the mountains
Moments from Villa Wanna
Enquire
Villa Wanna accepts a limited number of guests each season. Reach out early.
Tell Us More
Talk to us about your group, occasion, food, sport, Italy, anything you're imagining — or anything you'd like us to imagine with you. Whatever helps shape your stay.
* Required
Get in Touch
Lombardia, Italy
Exact address provided on booking
Feel free to write to Chef Olha in English, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Polish, or Czech. She will reply in your language.
Consult our Concierge
Italy goes deeper than the guidebooks. The hidden table. The right climb that turns a Tuesday into the day of the trip. The atelier where the maestro welcomes you as our guest. Tell us or ask us — we'll share our knowledge.
The Concierge
Whatever you have in mind — we know here
You Imagine
You imagine. You bring us the idea, the route, the occasion. An hour, a day, a week — you shape the conversation. Our knowledge of here makes here yours.
A long table for fourteen in May. Four days cycling Lombardia. The atelier where the maestro welcomes you as our guest. A wine route to Piemonte. The bakery in the village with bread better than the city's. Where to be when the bells ring at six.
Are you sure?