Villa Paola

Only 13 km south of Florence and 1.5 km from the nearest town is a narrow road that winds between rows of cypress trees and the high walls of several magnificent Renaissance estates. Of these, Villa Paola is perhaps the most spectacular. The property is comprised of an impeccably maintained mansion surrounded by a large, perfectly-manicured Italian garden, where our guests have the exclusive use of a private gazebo equipped with table, chairs and grill, for outdoor dining. Also on the grounds is a discretely placed 21 X 42-foot swimming pool shared with the guests of I Cipressi, a typical Tuscan cottage for four that is located just across the driveway.

The ground floor of the villa is occupied by your hostess, the ever affable and helpful Paola, and her family. Although she is not a professional in the trade, Signora Paola is a world-class interior designer and decorator who turned her efforts to restoring the upstairs floor of her mansion in 2002. The result, a 2100-square-foot guest apartment, is worthy of a front-page spread in any magazine, and far outdistances the settings we have seen in any other Tuscan accommodation. Not only is the apartment roomy and comfortable, it is exceedingly pleasing to the eye. Walls are painted in warm pastel hues that are complemented by the bright floral and soft earth tones of the upholstery and drapery. All the furnishings are antiques of the highest quality, and personal touches abound - such as the handmade dolls and stuffed animals on the dresser in the children's room. There is wi-fi throughout, each bedroom is air-conditioned, and larger than usual windows let plenty of light stream in, and offer the chance to gaze at views which simply epitomize our dream of what Tuscany should be.

You enter your casa toscana via a stairway to the first floor. Here you will find a sitting room with a couch and armchair. Next door is the master bedroom, all decorated in soothing tones of raspberry. It has a Murano chandelier, a dresser, armchair, desk and pink tile en suite bathroom with stall shower. At the end of a short hall, you come to the children's bedroom, which has twin canopy beds. This room's white marble bathroom is next door and has a stall shower plus a washing machine and dryer.

Further along the hall is the eat-in kitchen, which features a couch, armchairs, satellite TV, telephone with ISDN line for fast Internet access, dining table for six, full refrigerator/freezer, oven and range, dishwasher and microwave oven. Signora Paola has stocked it with plenty of colorful Tuscan dishes, as well as pots, pans and utensils.

One of the nice things about this apartment is that the remaining portion can offer extra privacy for up to four guests. Here you will find a small sitting room with a sofa and kitchenette, a yellow bedroom with a queen-sized four-poster bed and en suite bathroom with stall shower, and a fourth bedroom with twin beds and en suite bathroom with stall shower.

Groups of 12 + 2 can consider renting Villa Paola in conjunction with I Cipressi, located just across the driveway. Click here for information.

Your hosts, Paola and Fabrizio

Mountain bikes are available on the property, which also has a barbecue and private parking.
Golfers are welcome to use Signora Paola's membership at the prestigious Le Pavoniere and Ugolino Golf Clubs, which are nearby.
There is a restaurant 350 yards from the house (closed on Wednesdays). A bank, drug store, food shops, supermarket and post office are all 1.5 km from the property.

Check-in: 4-7pm
Check-out: 9:30am
Refundable security deposit: 250 Euro in travelers checks or cash

Click here for information about private transfers to the property.

Please note that you need a car to stay here.

Please note that it is not possible to guarantee Internet access at any property, because the property does not generate the service, it merely provides access from a server. If the server experiences any kind of problem at all, the property regrets it cannot be responsible for any inconvenience caused by subsequent lack of service.

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