|
Il Maggio is a typical 18th century
Tuscan hill house. It sleeps 5 people in the main house
in three bedrooms with two bathrooms and an additional
two people in an attached but independent mini apartment.
The villa offers all modern conveniences and some very
particular details including a carefully designed and
comfortably furnished solarium with large heated spa
bath, a few steps from the house. This feature makes
Il Maggio a comfortable and luxurious home for every
season.
 The house has been very carefully and lovingly restored
with a passion and dedication above and beyond the normal.
She has been very particular in choosing every last
detail from the handmade taps to the pure linen curtains
that have been hand dyed to ensure just the right delicate
shade.
Most pieces in the house are either
antique or found treasures, all lovingly selected for
their original feel and rustic characteristics. It is
very important that tenants at Il Maggio appreciate
this characteristic of the house and respect it.
The restoration has taken years of
constant attention on behalf of the owner who is a whimsical,
generous and energetic person surrounded by an aura
of well being and creativity. Before embarking on any
work at all she insisted on living in the house for
two years as it was, with out electricity or running
water to get the feel for it in it's original state.
Her instructions to the carpenter
included 'You must work with your left hand'.  He soon
got the hang of what she wanted and when he really produced
some thing really exquisite and unusual he joked 'this
time I have held the tools with my feet.'
The emphasis is on natural materials, salvaged woodwork
but with all the comfort of modern conveniences cleverly
hidden but immediately accessible.
ACCOMODATION: On the ground
floor is a commodious eat in kitchen. The kitchen has
a large and handsome open fireplace as well as a comfy
sofa covered with luxurious throws and pillows. The
floors are made from beautiful pre used Pietra Serena
that was bought form the Siena council and hand cut
to create the flagstones (this some times means the
kitchen chairs might wobble a bit).
The ceiling has massive chestnut beams
that support the upper floor and glow gently against
the hand finished white washed plaster. The kitchen
comes equipped with a large sink, convection oven, a
small fridge  (there is a larger on in the summer house), a
small dishwasher, espresso machine and is well equipped
for serious cooks.
Through out the house the heating runs under the floors
and is independently controlled for every room. This
is a very comforting luxury that makes bare feet in
winter a pleasure and does not clutter the rooms with
radiators.
Through an 18th century door one finds
an elegant formal dining room that is open to the garden
via a massive archway. In the other direction through
a service room is the pergola-covered terrace.
From the terrace one can access a
mini apartment that was once the pigsty and comprises
a kitchenette, eating area, sleeping area on a split-level
with double bed. The en-suite bathroom is in the old
dove coat and has lights and fans cunningly hidden in
small arches near the ceiling that once served as entrances
for the birds. The mini apartment is considered a part
of the villa and cannot be rented separately.
All downstairs rooms are open to the
garden or terrace via French doors.
Upstairs one crosses through a loggia
reached by a graceful and rustic staircase.  The loggia
is furnished with a table and comfortable chairs for
reading or playing cards and has stunning views of the
surrounding hills and dales with Città della
Pieve in the middle ground. It would be the perfect
place to watch the sunset or take your breakfast with
the most stunning even light flooding in through the
cleverly designed, vaguely modern wrought iron windows.
From the loggia one enters a spacious sitting room/study
with large fireplace, comfy sofas and armchairs, a desk
well lit for reading and writing. The terracotta floors
are strewn with precious kilims and the bookshelves
stuffed with art books, novels in three languages and
design magazines.
To the right is the master bedroom,
which is a large and elegant room with beautiful views
of Lago Trasimeno and a sunny en suite bathroom with
bath.
 In the other direction are two bedrooms,
one with a double bed and en suite bathroom with shower
and antique sink.The other has a french bed and is
better suited for a child as access to the bathroom
is through another bedroom. These two rooms are communicating
and can also be accessed separately.
The house contains a C.D. stereo player
with a selection of music (classical and jazz), There
is also Satellite Television and video as well as hairdryers
in every bathroom. There is a telephone that accepts
all incoming calls but only allows local out going or
emergency calls. People wishing to call long distance
or plug in their laptops are advised to bring a calling
card or mobile telephone.
The garden has been carefully considered and provides
several comfortably furnished intimate places for a
drink under a Bay Laurel tree or outdoor dining under
a wine covered pergola.
Only a few steps from the house, but
carefully hidden from the sight, there is the beautifully
designed spacious solarium with wooden floor, generously
furnished with sun beds and easy chairs, and a pergola
for relaxing during the day.  At night, a candlelight
dinner close to the Jacuzzi pool could be a very romantic
experience: Refreshing in summer and steaming in winter.
The property is surrounded by 2 acres
of land including olive trees and an organic vegetable
garden. Homemade olive oil and fresh vegetables every
day give the taste of a real Tuscan vacation.
HISTORY: The villa was built at the end of the 18th Century and
displays an architectural style typical of its period.
The lower floors would have consisted of stables, hen
houses, pigpens and agricultural storage rooms. The
upper floor, accessed by a staircase enclosed beneath
a loggia would have housed the family with the kitchen
located where the present living room is and the open
fire being used for most of the cooking. The original
inhabitants would have lived there under the protection
of the local nobility paying them a large share of their
produce in return for the right to live on and farm
the property.
LOCATION: Il Maggio is set
in 2 hectares of woods, arable land and olive groves. Protected from the local road by a thick hedge, it very
well located only five minutes by car or 15 minutes
on foot from Sarteano. Sarteano is a large Tuscan village
with a charming medieval centre and many shops, restaurants
and banks.
Behind the
house and immediately accessible are beautiful woods
offering a variety of interesting nature walks and the
remains of Etruscan roads. It is 17 Kilometres from
the fashionable and health giving thermal baths of San
Casciano, 20 minutes to Montepulciano and 30 minutes
to Montalcino.
Chiusi
station which is a major stop on the main train line
that runs down the spine of the Italian peninsular is
only 20 minutes drive form the house. The A1 or Auto
Strada del Sole is only 10 minutes away also at Chiusi
putting Il Maggio mid way between Florence (1 ½
hours by car) and Rome (1 1/4 hour on the train, private
cars are not allowed into the city centre).
Whilst it is
definitely in Tuscany, the borders of Umbria and Lazio
are not faraway, allowing for forays into these fascinating
and little discovered provinces as well as access to
the well known and loved hills of Tuscany.
 Nearby as well
as tennis courts, horseback riding, hot air ballooning,
wine tasting, Etruscan and Roman ruins, one can find
an Olympic size natural thermal swimming pool. The waters
are said to be beneficial for the skin and the eyes.
Near San Casciano is a prehistoric excavation site that
was later also inhabited by Etruscans. The surrounding
countryside is littered with fabulous renaissance and
medieval art and award winning restaurants.
The closest
airport is Florence (1 ½ hours) and Rome airport
is about 2 hours by car.
|
