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Tuscan villas - A large, converted farmhouse with holiday accommodation for 8-10 in the countryside outside Siena. With wonderful views of the countryside, a swimming pool, and easy access to Siena, Chianti and Florence, this makes for a marvellous Italian holiday.
In a beautiful position, Colletalli is a large converted farmhouse down a good (though unmade) track between Radicondoli and Belforte (Siena). The views are framed by the old oaks and cypresses which protect the house on its hillside.
There is a large, arched furnished portico entrance, with an old wood oven. The front door opens into a big sitting room with a splendid Tuscan fireplace and comfortable furniture. An open doorway leads to the well-lit kitchen/dining room where, if you like, you can taste meals prepared by the owner, a famous chef in the area. You can even ask her to teach you how to prepare typical Italian and Tuscan foods such as homemade fresh pasta, bread, biscuits and much more.
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The house can sleep up to 10 people. There is a passage room with a desk and a double sofa bed, a shower room with washing machine and a large double bedroom with an extra single bed. At the other end of the sitting room are two double bedrooms. An open tread, wooden staircase leads up to a large double bedroom and a bathroom with Jacuzzi and separate shower stall. There is a second bathroom with shower, a kitchen and a living room.
Outside, the hilly countryside provides many places for sunbathing and eating, with a young, developing garden terraced on the steeper parts of the land. An above-ground, round swimming pool (6m) has been installed halfway into the ground, with a stone patio.
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Touring Tuscany and the Maremma from here is easy, on good country roads, with stupendous countryside, good restaurants to try and wonderful towns to visit. Nearer home, Belforte has basic shops, while Radicondoli has ample shops and restaurants. This typical mediaeval hill village holds an important classical music and theatre festival and frequent outside disco sessions during the summer.
This area west of Siena is a fascinating slice of Tuscany. Firstly there is Siena itself of course. With its pretty, pedestrianised streets spiralling towards the town's hub, the scallop-shaped 'square' of the Campo, venue of the spectacular Palio horse race, Siena is a mediaeval gem. With an extraordinary cathedral (the black-and white marble layers of the Duomo house an astonishing array of important art works, including a fresco cycle by Pinturicchio), and countless other galleries and museums, Siena is a terrific place to explore.
[ local map | map of Tuscany ];)
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Out into this countryside west of the Chianti capital, and you are in the domain of the Sienese hill towns. Travel from Radicondoli to Monteriggioni, mentioned by Dante, and still a dramatic sight, with its towers stands imposingly over the surrounding countryside. Colle di Val d'Elsa is, by contrast, a delightfully intimate little town: dating back to pre-Roman times, it has good museums and some marvellous little churches. San Gimignano is famed for its towers thrusting dramatically into the Tuscan sky - an example of mediaeval one-upmanship that makes this former city (now little more than a village) an unmissable visit. Volterra meanwhile is dark and brooding atop its walls. Dating back to pre-Roman Etruscan times this dramatic town feels rather like an island, isolated in its hilltop eyrie.
You can then retreat to your comfortable, country accommodation in Tuscany. Find out more about this farmhouse holiday in Italy by clicking below
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