CLOSE TO 6 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES - Siena, San Gimignano, Val d'Orcia &Pienza, Florence and Pisa, inside the first certified CO2 “zero emission” province in Europe!
This fabulous home is nestled in the heart of the wonderful Chianti Classico wine hills, between Siena (20 minutes) and Florence (45 minutes). Set in a large private estate with its lawns, an olive grove and forest (377,000 square feet/almost 9 acres/3.5 hectares), villa I Quercioli is perched at 1800 feet/550 meters above sea level and enjoys a mountain top view of the horizon. The exceptionally beautiful ample valley below the villa extends from Siena to San Gimignano and its green hills stretch away as far as the eye can see, encompassing vineyards, cultivated fields, woods and hilltop medieval villages.
The panoramic saline swimming pool - when compared to chlorine systems, water quality in a salt pool is superior in feel, smell and taste - dominates all such valley and is open from May to September, heated upon request at an extra cost, see house rules.
The villa sports the outside appearance of a rural home, while its inside architecture is modern and elegant. I Quercioli has 3 double bedrooms, 1 twin bedroom and 1 single bedroom, and sleeps 9 adults comfortably, +2 toddlers.
If you dream of spectacular sunsets while sipping a glass of wine near the pool after a day of sightseeing, this is your place.
You are welcome to check my other home in Venice https://www.vrbo.com/708997 - Live like a Venetian, and my daughter's - San Gimignano - https://www.vrbo.com/814311 Fabulous 3br Designer Barn With All Comforts & Stunning Views.
LOCATION DETAILS
The best itineraries are provided to fully enjoy and appreciate the Province of Siena, the first administrative system in Europe to certify the total abatement of polluting gases gross emissions.
Villa i Quercioli is located 6,2 mi. (10 km) from Castellina in Chianti and 12 mi. (20 km) from Siena. Vagliagli (where “Letters to Juliet” was filmed), half a mile (1.7 km) away, offers an excellent restaurant,
The nearest grocery is in Castellina 15 minutes/6 miles away, is well-provided with cafes, restaurants and excellent stores selling some of the best local products: great wine, fresh pasta and cheeses, a first-rate butcher, excellent ice cream and bakeries (though door-to door freshly baked bread delivery is available upon request) – plus a chemist’s, a petrol station, banks, a post office, and an assortment of small shops highlighting local artisans. Quercegrossa, 3.5 mi. (5.6 km) also has a small supermarket. Siena has several options.
Rural Tuscany’s best bits – scenic landscapes, farm-to-table products, renown wineries and picturesque hill towns – make this lovely home a perfect country retreat from which to explore many wonderful destinations: Castellina in Chianti 6, 2 mi. (10 km) Radda 7 mi. (11 km) Panzano 13 mi. (22 km), Monteriggioni 13 mi. (22 km), Badia a Passignano 17 mi. (28 km), Colle val d'Elsa 20 mi. ( 32 km), San Gimignano 28 mi. (45km), Florence 31 mi. (50 km), Volterra 36 mi. (58 km), Pisa 68 mi. ( 110 km), Lucca 75 mi. ( 120 km), the scenic Val d’Orcia : Montalcino 34 mi. (55 km), Pienza 49 mi. (80 km), Cortona 52 mi. (84 km) and of course Siena.
The area of Vagliagli features first-rate restaurants (more in Siena, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano and Florence being also worth the trip) as well as really great wineries, where it is possible to visit to the cellars for fabulous wine tastings.
It is also ideal for walks, bikes and horse-rides (a riding school is a stone's throw away) on the preserved dirt/” white” roads through the breath-taking countryside.
In the summer you can listen to classical music concerts in Siena and its surroundings organized by the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, an international conservatory. The Palio di Siena, a horse race preceded by a pageant in medieval costumes, the Corteo Storico, attracts visitors and spectators from around the world. It is held on July 2 and August 16, and circles the scenic Piazza del Campo for no more than 90 seconds: ten horses and riders, bareback and dressed in medieval outfits, represent ten of the seventeen contrade, or city wards. Attendance is free for viewers standing in the middle of Piazza del Campo (but children must be older than 10!), while seats ranging from simple bleachers to box seats may be had for a price, but sell out long before the day of the race. We shall be glad to provide assistance.
EXTERIORS
A cypresses-lined driveway leads to the property, where areas of lawn shaded by large oaks, strawberry trees, junipers, and cypresses are combined with lavender, rosemary and rose bushes, and paved brick spaces.
A scenic salt water heated pool (15 x 44 feet /4.5 x 13.5 meters) is set on an embankment a few steps down from the living room. The chlorine produced by this electrolytic process is less harsh than the traditional “tri-chlor” pools’ one. It is purer and therefore healthier, does not have a bleach smell, plus is very gentle to skin, hair and swim suits. The water has a softer feel. There is an outdoor rock floor open shower on the pool’s edge, to rinse off before and after swimming, with warm groundwater (non-potable, unlike the indoor tap one).
A fence + 2 self-latching gates prevents use of the pool to unaccompanied children.
A shaded veranda is equipped for outdoor meals next to a patio with a shaded living room. A second meal space on the opposite side, with a porch for al fresco dining has a striking table for 16 with a gigantic olive tree root as its base, and a long table seating 8 persons shaded by an adjacent pergola covered by American vines, where a large hammock is suspended for a relaxing afternoon.
There’s outdoor table tennis, a foosball and a kids’ hut and a small playground with a slide and swings, a few steps down in the olive grove – where excellent olive oil is produced.
INTERIORS
The villa has been lovingly renovated to a very high standard with a brand new kitchen and appliances, air conditioning in every bedroom and lavish fabrics. Large windows flood the rooms with light. The multi-levelled architecture, where antique furniture blends with custom design pieces, creates a cosy, charming and welcoming space- much more of a 'home' than a rental property.
The entrance door leads to an open space with beamed ceilings and terracotta floors. The living room and dining room with adjacent kitchen are on slightly split-levels. There is a half-bath near the entrance.
MAIN FLOOR
Dining room with table that seats 10, two French windows and a kitchen pass-through.
Adjoining kitchen fully equipped to cater for large groups (dishwasher, freezer, fridge, kettle, toaster, coffee machine, microwave, etc.)
Spacious living room with a fireplace, a TV and beautiful views of the Siena skyline and the neighbouring villages.
On the upper and lower floors are 5 bedrooms – 4 double (Istrice, Civetta, Giraffa, Chiocciola) and a single (Cavalli), with 4 adjoining bathrooms. A cot can be added in Civetta and Chiocciola.
GROUND FLOOR
- Chiocciola ("snail") – A large double bedroom (queen bed) with 4 windows overlooking the garden above the swimming pool and the porch, with adjoining bathroom (shower) three steps below.
At the bottom of the staircase is a laundry room (also accessible from outside) with a washing machine and an additional fridge and large freezer.
FIRST FLOOR
The upper staircase leads to four bedrooms, with Istrice and Civetta (double beds) on the left, and Giraffa and Cavalli (single beds) on the right.
- Istrice ("porcupine") – A large double bedroom (queen bed) with a French window overlooking the garden and the swimming pool, with adjoining bathroom (walk-in shower).
- Civetta ("owl") – A large double corner bedroom (king bed) with wonderful wooden exposed beams, 2 French windows, one overlooking the garden with the swimming pool and the landscape below, the other the lawn and the hedge above the olive grove, with adjoining bathroom (bathtub).
- Giraffa (“giraffe”) – A small but comfortable double bedroom with 2 single beds (convertible to queen size bed), with wonderful wooden exposed beams, floral wallpaper, a built-in cupboard, and a French window overlooking the lawn and the hedge above the olive grove, with adjoining bathroom (shower).
- Cavalli ("horses") – A single, cosy bedroom, ideal for a teenager, with a French window overlooking the terrace and the olive grove with adjoining bathroom (shower) shared with the Giraffe bedroom.
The villa's attic is reserved for the owner's storage. Proprietors do not live on the premises.
CHECK-IN/OUT TIME AND FORMALITIES
Check-in is from 4 to 7 pm. Any check-in after 9 pm is subject to the payment of a late check-in flat fee of 50€ in cash. No arrival will be possible after 10 pm. Check out is at 9 am, see details in App & Cottage book.
The price listed is inclusive of Wi-Fi internet connection, smart TV, tap water, heating oil and cooking gas use. An electricity fee per day will show up in the reservation amount, should you prefer to refund it upon meter measurement please contact the owner before booking.
Please note that, as reminded in the House rules, a final cleaning fee (per week/stay) must be paid at check-in, together with the Castelnuovo Berardenga township tourist tax (2,00 € per day p/guest older than 13).
A photocopy of the passport of every guest is also required, alternatively a form can be filled in with the relevant info.
Please be advised 4 pairs of outside CCTV cameras are placed on top of the exterior corners of the house. They film the area outside the villa for security purposes. Please note that part of the pool area falls within the coverage of the devices, but privacy is protected by the distance and vegetation.
