Podere Graziella

Do you dream of renting a farmhouse in Tuscan? well look no further, this is the quintessential Tuscan farmhouse, beautifully restored,retaining original features, combining them with one of a kind modern pieces of furniture; featuring the owner's trademark colors.
A very private house, set on a hillside with amazing views, with over 300 acres of private woodlands, cypress, oak and chestnut begin just up the hill from here.
The many terraces which comprise the property have been restored, combining beds of fruit trees, ,and open, sloping lawns for running and playing ball.
The primary terrace faces due south and the exceptional view -- it is furnished with a variety of wicker and wood couches, armchairs and low tables for relaxing.

Summary:

• * Sleeps 10 in 3 double and two twin
• * All en suite accommodations
• * Small but very well-equipped country
• *Kitchen, with large stone counter top, American fridge and separate freezer, ice maker, dishwasher
• * Dining room for 10 seated, opening to outdoor dining area
• * Living room open to the terrace, handsome stone fireplace
• * Very extended vine pergola on stone paved terrace facing the valley (south-west)
• * Al fresco dining area under vine pergola for 16 seated. Built in barbecue
• * Heated swimming pool (12x6 meters) overlooking the “Val d’Orcia”. Cotta pavement, straw changing room, covered picnic area, second pergola, small fridge
• * Laundry (washing machine and tumble dryer) * Satellite TV, VCR, DVD, CD player, * Broadband through WI-FI in most of the house
• * Vegetable and flower garden
• * Orchard and vine groves
• * 30 acres of private woodland surrounding the house

  GROUND FLOOR Entrance with staircase leading to first floor Lobby opens to:cloakroom (previously stables, white brick barrel vault ceilings)
  There is a twin bedroom, ensuite bathroom with shower
  Living room with fireplace, double door opens to pergola terrace, Dining room, which also opens to an outdoor dining area
  The kitchen is extremely well designed, small and very effecient, fully equipped:electric oven, 5 fires stove, dishwasher;
  There is a wonderful vine covered pergola on terrace facing the valley (south-west)

  FIRST FLOOR
  Small double bedroom up the stairs (uses cloakroom in the lobby)
  Double bedroom (queen) with en suite bathroom (tub and wall-mounted shower with curtain)
  Twin bedroom, en suite bathroom with walk in shower

  Master bedroom (king) with huge hearth dominating the wall, private balcony, en suite bathroom with tub wall mounted shower) and double sink
  
  
  SummaryMAIN HOUSE 5 double bedrooms (of which 2 twins) all with en-suite bathrooms 1 living room (with stone fireplace), open to the terrace 1 Small but very well-equipped country kitchen, with large stone counter top, large fridge with separate freezer, ice and cold water dispenser, dishwasher 1 dining room seating 10, opening to terraces Laundry (washing machine and tumble dryer) Satellite TV, VCR, DVD, CD player WI-FI everywhere in the house
  
  OUTDOORS
  Very extended vine pergola on stone paved terrace facing the valley (south-west) Al fresco dining area for 16 seated. Built in barbecue Boiler heated swimming pool (12x6 meters) with straw changing hut and covered picnic area (with small fridge, pergola and cotta pavement). Vegetable and flower garden Orchard and olive groves 30 acres of private woodland surrounding the house Parking for up to 8 cars

  Wonderful housekeeper on location - cooks great Tuscan meals! Everyone wants to take her home when the leave this villa in Tuscany;
  The housekeeper can provide grocery shopping, meals prepared, babysitting, see below under "included" paragraph. Fee.

  POOL Amazing views!, Heated (unusual in Italy) swimming pool (12x6 meters) overlooking the “Val d’Orcia”. ( cost to heat not included in price - based on usage)
  Cotta pavement around the pool, straw changing room, sheltered picnic area, second pergola, small fridge.
  
  
  Hand-hewn stones form rough staircases leading from the terrace,through a scented rosemary hedge to the lower lawn. The vegetable garden, tended by the owners' gardener, furnishes fresh produce to supplement your meal.
  
  A second rough staircase brings to the fruit orchard and a third staircase brings you to the pool (12 x 6 meters).
  At one end, a simple changing area is provided, along with a small fridge for cold drinks and a shower - cold water only.
  
  A straw pergola offers shade for lounging or dining al fresco. There are sun beds and sling chairs you can position to see the fabulous view.

  Points of interest Grocery store, restaurants, farm shops with local products as pecorino cheese, wine, beer, extra virgin oil, fruit&vegetables: within 10 minutes driving distance Open air markets, supermarkets, wine merchants, and any kind of shop in the surrounding towns at 15 to 30 minutes Railway station (CHIUSI -CHIANCIANO TERME) with trains leading to Rome and Florence: 25 minutes Florence Airport 1 hour and 30; Rome Fiumicino Airport 2 hours, Pisa Airport 2.5 hours. Private jets, also fly into Siena Airport (1 hour) and some airlines to Perugia Airport (1.5 hours). Celebrated Tuscan hill towns as Montalcino, S. Quirico, Pienza, Montepulciano at 15 to 30 minutes driving reach. Perugia, Siena and Assisi: 1 hour. Florence 1.5 hours, Rome 2 hours. Tennis courts at 15 minutes Golf courses: Lamborghini (9 holes) at half an hour, Castiglion del Bosco: 40 minutes, Golf dell’Ugolino, near Florence: 1 hour Horseback riding facilities: 30 minutes Renown spas boasting hot pools with stunning views and any kind of wellness treatments as Bagno Vignoni, at 15 minutes, in a 13th century village, San Casciano dei Bagni, 40 minutes, Bagni San Filippo with thermal water falls at 15 minutes

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Included

• BED LINEN AND TOWELS
• HEAT
• GAS
• ELECTRICITY
• WATER
• WI-FI
• PARKING FACILITIES
• FULLY EQUIPPED KITCHEN AND LAUNDRY
  Not included: The house is fully equipped and no extra costs are expected to be charged over the rent. Propane to warm up the pool, if needed, will have to be reimbursed at its real cost upon the dedicated meters reading

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Distances

• 10 Km from Sarteano,
• Rome, Florence, Argentario: 1 1/2 hours
• Perugia, Siena, Todi, Assisi: , 1 hour
• Arezzo, Lake Bolsena, Orvieto, Lake Trasimeno: 40 minutes
• Cetona, Montepulciano, Pienza: 15 minutes
• 3 Spas with hot spring water swimming pools:
• S. Casciano dei Bagni Km 20; >
  Rent this villa in Italy featured in British House and Gardens
  and October 2002 issue of Food and Wine magazine.
  
  Approx. Location
  
  
  View Larger Map
  
  

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An article from Food & Wine Magazine
Entertaining: Italian Villa Idyll A renovated Tuscan farmhouse has many charms, from ancient orchards to a sleek swimming pool. But its biggest enticement is the splendid food prepared by a marvelous local cook. By Elizabeth Helman Minchilli
When I made my plans to rent the Podere in the central Tuscan town of Sarteano, an hour south of Siena, I couldn't have predicted that it would be the hottest June in one hundred years. The road to the villa wound past fields of sunflowers and wheat baking in the 104-degree heat, then narrowed and turned into a dirt track as it began to climb. I was soon rising into oak woods above the cultivated plains. When I finally stepped out of the car, I was greeted by both a fresh breeze and Graziella, the villa's cook and housekeeper.
"Vieni, vieni...ci penso io," Graziella said. "I'll take care of things." She led me to the shady terrace, where a leafy green canopy with bunches of purple grapes framed a view right out of a Renaissance painting: a patchwork of fields, a stand of cypresses, a crenellated hill town in the distance.
That afternoon, I explored the house and the grounds while waiting for my friends to arrive. There was plenty of room for all of us: the Podere, which seems like a smallish stone building from the outside, has five bedrooms and sleeps 10—the perfect place for a weeklong house party.
After days touring nearby hot springs and the towns of Siena, Montalcino, Pienza and San Casciano, we'd return to the villa to relax. We'd walk through the gardens and orchards below the house, planted on a series of terraces held in place by ancient stone walls, to reach the slate-gray infinity pool. Later, we'd enjoy Graziella's simple, delicious dinners.
I'd rented the villa from Ilaria and Giorgio, who own five properties in Tuscany and who live and work in Rome. Ilaria, looking unbelievably fresh in white linen, stopped by to make sure we were settled in. "We really haven't changed much in terms of the original external structure," she explained, describing her renovation of the house "Like almost all restored farmhouses, the ground floor was originally animal stalls, so we naturally reworked these rooms, opening them up with windows to let in the light.
The upstairs was dedicated to bedrooms, and while we've added bathrooms, we have tried to respect the original room divisions."
Ilaria's sense of style infuses the villa. When she and Giorgio began restoring houses some 20 years ago, she realized she couldn't find the furnishings she envisioned. So she started her own company, based in Rome, for which she designed everything from the massive hand-painted four-poster bed in my room and the marmalade trays in the dining room to the teak-and-canvas lounge chairs by the pool.
The cook at the Podere, like the owner, takes pride in bringing a ruin back to life. During our week, Graziella made us beautiful salads of potatoes with string beans and zucchini that had been picked in the villa garden that morning. Herbs seemed to find their way into most of her dishes; for instance, she stuffed a roasting chicken with fistfuls of thyme, marjoram, parsley and rosemary, then served it with a fresh herb sauce. Because, as she said, "The view is splendid and the table beautiful, but without the perfect meal life would be pretty poor, no?" Yes, I agreed.
This article originally appeared in Food and Wine October 2002.

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