Villa à Rivalto, Chianni

Elegant newly-restored home; a real gem where Tuscan rustic style combines with every modern comfort.

Totally private but not remote: there is easy access with just a 3 minute drive to the village.

This charming farmhouse has been exquisitely restored using the traditional skills and craftsmanship of the best Tuscan architecture. There is a warm atmosphere offering comfortable, spacious accommodation for a holiday home or permanent residency, close to amenities and with easy car access. The materials used for the construction are absolutely of the best quality: natural stone, cotto, wooden beams. Modern systems, air conditioning, heating, solar panels and fly screens.

Podere Reale is located near Chianni, a pretty well-kept and perfectly Tuscan town, coated in pots of red geraniums and full of cobbled narrow lanes which open onto intimate little piazzas: stunning churches around every corner. The ancient little town rises above the rolling Tuscan hills, so there are open views in all directions. There are good services including shops, banks, restaurants, post office, friendly cafes and interesting events throughout the year. The most important of these are the oil festival and the wild boar festival. Pontedera, at 20 km drive, is an interesting town and has the main train station on the line Pisa- Firenze. The house is ideally located and transport links are good.

The house covers two floors, 400 sqm in total, and it can be used as one wonderful home of seven bedrooms, five bathrooms and several large living rooms with fireplace. It could also be divided into three units, each with private entrance and communicating doors; two units are located on the ground floor, each with two bedrooms, a bathroom, living room with fireplace, kitchen and private outdoor space for al fresco dining. On the first floor there is a stupendous unit with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, large living room with fireplace, kitchen and large windows which frame the breathtaking view.

The property enjoys absolute privacy with a swimming pool in the middle of the garden; there are two hectares of land (around five acres), and gardens all around the house, olive trees, woodland.

The property is located just outside Chianni, a picturesque little town where the houses are huddled together and the narrow stone streets are flanked with shops, bars, cafes and restaurants, and are all within walking distance. Surrounded by chestnut woods and olive groves, Chianni has splendid views over the valley below. There is a sense of timelessness and calm, yet it is only 40 minutes from Pisa airport. Ideally located, as Castiglioncello and Cecina on the coast, the golf courses of Pisa and Castelfalfi, and the remains of Etruscan and historic towns, such as Volterra and San Gimignano, are all within a 30 minutes drive.

Chianni sits within the area of Valdera in Central Tuscany between Pisa and Florence. This colourful landscape of rolling hills dotted with medieval villages, castles and lanes flanked with tall dark green cypress trees epitomise the Tuscan landscape. The area is scattered with historical towns and medieval villages, castles and country churches and a landscape with golden meadows of wheat dancing in the breeze, vineyards, olive groves and fields of sunflowers. Meandering through the countryside of Valdera you feel the vestiges of the mysterious Etruscan civilisation. Here Andrea Boccelli , renowned tenor, was born and it is in the heart of Valdera, in Lajatico, that he created the famous Teatro del Silenzio (the Theatre of Silence) where a natural amphitheatre creates a breathtaking outdoor setting. In the summer months he performs a concert which attracts a global audience, alongside internationally renowned musicians.

Nearby is also Casciana Terme, which has revived thermal waters and spa facilities with indoor and outdoor pools, massages and treatments and is a pretty town with a busy central piazza and cafès serving the local wine. The città d’arte (cities of art) include Volterra, San Gimignano, Palaia and Florence with all the art and architectural treasures to discover and are all are within easy reach. Pisa airport in 30-40 mins.

Distances: Chianni 2 km, Palaia 25 km, Volterra 30 km, San Gimignano 45 km, Pisa (airport) 40 km, Lucca 75 km, Siena 85 km, Florence 90 km.