Villa Paterno

Description

Villa Paterno is a former monastery of the monks of the Vallombrosa abbey. The one time farm complex has undergone considerable expansion over the centuries. The most notable enlargements and restorations took place in 1520, 1735 and 1840. During the last two of the major expansions, a private chapel was created inside the villa and survives intact today. Antique prints dating to 1782 and 1803 show the villa at the height of its splendour . Badly damaged during the Second World War, the surviving third of the building has been restored with the same opulence and charm of the original structure.

Having undergone various enlargements and restorations throughout the centuries the recently refurbished villa is now a splendid residence. The villa is surrounded by 5,000 sq metres of private landscaped grounds incorporating vine covered pergolas (the owners also make their own wine), olive groves and a wonderfully productive fruit and vegetable garden. The villa is built into the hillside, being two stories high on the side of the entrance and five stories high on the other. This provides spectacular views of the beautiful Tuscan countryside from almost every window of every room. Rolling hills, olive groves, orchids, vineyards and the Arno Valley in the distance make up the amazing vista.

The holiday accommodation at Villa Paterno makes up the entire top floor of this magnificent building. It is accessed via a private entrance and utilises the original grand staircase of the monastery. This stone staircase itself is truly impressive and somewhat appropriately has been adorned with a red carpet. An indicator of the holiday one can expect at Villa Paterno.

The accommodation comprises four double bedrooms. Two have queen sized double beds and two have twin single beds. There are three large bathrooms. There is a massive sitting room with a traditional Italian Billiard table, a grand dining room with a banqueting table capable of seating 14, a large, state of the art kitchen (enlarged and re-modelled in May 2006) and a massive terrace with spectacular views over the surrounding valleys and hills. The terrace is bathed in Tuscan sunshine for most of the day and looks over the swimming pool. Both the kitchen and the dining room open out onto the terrace.

All four bedrooms have been elegantly furnished using local antiques and the sitting room and dining room furniture are also elegant and impressive. Many antique prints and original works of art adorn the walls. Every room has been decorated with taste and style and encourage relaxation and enjoyment.

The pool is set in manicured lawns and surrounded by modern and comfortable pool furniture. It is accessed by descending through several landscaped terraces and is quiet and private. The use of the pool is exclusively for the guests of the villa and the owners of Villa Paterno. There is a changing room and small kitchenette as well as bathroom facilities by the pool. It is an enormous swimming pool by any standards measuring 20m x 10m, It is 3.0m deep at the deep end and 1.5m at the shallow end. It is a perfect spot to soak up the sun.

Villa Paterno has a majestic and panoramic location overlooking the Arno Valley and the hills of Chianti and is surrounded by a stunning Tuscan landscape of vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees. Whilst enjoying complete seclusion, the villa is only 24km south east of Florence. It is only a few km from the Autostrada and is within easy driving distance from Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo, Pisa and Lucca.

Quite close to the villa (three minutes walk), there is an excellent bakery and delicatessen for daily shopping requirements. Pontassieve (a major local town) is 10 minutes drive away and has a large variety of shops including banks, supermarkets, petrol stations, hairdressers, pharmacies etc.

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