The ground-level apartment is accessible directly from this forecourt, although its little, private lawn, the perfect spot for al fresco dining, is screened from view by a tall hedge. Stone steps, with handrail, proceed up to the communal garden and the three upper-level apartments grouped round it. The well-tended lawns of this idyllic, sloping garden are set in raised, stone-wall beds and are dotted with a host of shady, native trees, such as mimosa, pine, fir and olive. The grass is crossed by terracotta-tiled pathways, which weave their way among olive trees and sage plants, past typically Tuscan lavender, rosemary and rose-bushes in ceramic pots. An impressive, giant agave plant stands at the far end, against the perimeter wall that encloses this secluded, internal space, where only restful birdsong punctuates the silence!

From here, as from the inviting gazebo encircled by olive trees and furnished with table and chairs, the spectacular scenic backdrop can be savoured at leisure: in one direction, uphill to the extraordinary townscape of Montalcino, silhouetted against the sky; in the other, up a series of sloping olive-grove terraces to a pretty little hilltop church nearby.

Also located in the grounds is a wood-burning pizza-oven for those special, relaxing, open-air dinners, as well as three small interconnected pools, plus adjoining raised sunterrace, accessed via some stone steps, with handrail. One of the upper-level pools is a jacuzzi, while the other spills down decoratively into the lower pool. Further steps, with railings, lead up to two outdoor showers and a small indoor Turkish Bath.