A fully staffed villa runs on a small, fixed company. The standard line-up is a villa manager, housekeepers, a private chef, and grounds or pool staff.
Depending on the property, the team can add a butler, a chauffeur, or security personnel.
The industry's own role list is longer: estate managers, house managers, butlers, private chefs, housekeepers, assistants, nannies, and gardeners.
A Sardinian vacancy for a ten-bedroom villa shows the model in practice. It listed a team of chef, waiting staff, villa management, and housekeeping, with an active managing director above them.
Much of this work is seasonal. Specialist agencies place household staff for the villa season, then place them again the next year.
The model is old and the appeal is simple: a private house that runs like a small hotel, without the other guests.