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Special Offer: 10% for the week from 16 August to 23 August 2008!
Villa Il Palazzetto is
an elegant 17th century villa built on the remains of
the ancient castle of Monterchi, It is a perfect Tuscan
holiday destination, situated in the small town of Monterchi
but totally private due to the thick walls of the old
castle.
 Villa
Il Palazzetto is the ideal place for people who would
like to experience the elegance of life in another époque;
who would like to know how it might feel to be part
of a noble and ancient Tuscan family and who wish to
be immersed in a sensory environment of culture and
refinement. This villa is not suitable for children
over 1 and under 8.
ACCOMODATION: Guests
enter the Villa Il Palazzetto through the main entrance
way from the shady piazza in Monterchi. They encounter
an anti hall and then pass through double glass doors
to a wide foyer furnished with comfortable armchairs
and sofas, Persian rugs and antique chandeliers. From
the windows are green views of the surrounding woods
and peeks through to the never-ending panorama of the
countryside beyond. At the far end of the Foyer is a
sweeping red carpeted stair case and to either side,
two doorways that lead to two immaculate, elegant and
spacious double bedroom suites with private bathrooms.
One bedroom has a separate dressing
room, a  sitting area with a fabulous ladies vanity table
and mirror and in a curtained alcove a big, 18th century,
brass double bed. The other bedroom suite has pale green
taffeta bedspreads and is furnished with elegant and
valuable antiques. It is spacious and comfortable. Ascending
the red-carpeted staircase is the formal dining room
of the palazzo. The dining room has a large baronial
table; an original carved chestnut ceiling, an enormous
stone fireplace, and cabinets of the family china and
a painting of the family ancestor, amongst other treasures.
On
this level one finds the imperial bedroom with a canopy
bed, beautifully made, this was Simone Marzocchi’s
Bedroom who had this house in the time of Napoleon Bonaparte,
with whom he was also a sympathizer. The fourth bedroom
is The Blue room. It is characterized by this color
that dominates the lacquered furniture as well as two
twin beds in wrought iron, also from the mid 1800’s.
Lastly the fifth bedroom which was Donatella's mother
room.
Each bedroom has it’s own bathroom
and each is similarly decorated with luxurious antiques
and the finest quality bed linens. There is a very large
traditional kitchen well equipped with all that is need
for preparing Italian food including a dishwasher. There
are also laundry facilities.
The kitchen has been recently redone
and modernized with restrained good taste so as not
to loose the original feel.  Please note that the villa
does not have a telephone and so guests to whom this
might be important should bring their own cell phones
equipped with roaming.
Due to the high altitude and thick
walls of the palazzo air conditioning is never necessary.
THE GARDEN: The garden
is in classic Italian style on a terrace framed by the
10th century medieval walls. Accessed directly from
the kitchen hallway there is a convenient spot under
a centuries old oak tree perfect for taking summer meals.
There
are numerous rose bushes and fruit trees. Two majestic
oak trees centuries old have their roots in the history
of the antique walls surrounding the villa, enclosing
the whole structure in superb isolation from the rest
of the village.
In a corner of the garden, a harmonious
pool with Jacuzzi corner completes the ideal holiday
dream. It floats right at the foot of the town hall
clock. Cooling off in the hot summer months, guests
can enjoy wonderful sunsets from the water and listen
to the church bells when they ring.
 Next to it a comfortable and ample
gazebo made for pleasant conversation around the table
in wrought iron, where it is possible to organize a
BBQ.
In the centre of the garden is a delightful
fountain with gold fish, it joins it’s musical
babble with the many birds that live undisturbed in
this paradise.
LOCATION: Villa Il
Palazzetto is set in the heart of the wonderful Tuscan
countryside, bordering on Umbria. It offers total relaxation
to guests in an historic situation within views of the
magnificent Cerfone valley. With in the village, a few
steps from the villa one can find an excellent award
winning restaurant, a coffee bar and various small shops.
There is also the famous "Madonna del Parto"
by Piero della Francesca in the church.
Near
to the medieval village (but not in the view) is a larger
town with supermarket, bank and hairdresser. One can
also find Horse riding, bike riding, fishing, tennis
and golf. Monterchi is half an hour from Arezzo and
an hour and a half from both Florence and Siena.  The
nearest airport is Florence (about 1 ½ hours
by car). Rome and Pisa are equidistant (about 2 /1/2
hours).
HISTORY: Villa Il
Palazzetto has been built on the foundations of a 10th
century castle, which was with in the extensive estate
belonging to Anfonsa Tarlati during the fourteenth century,
where she lived until 1440 when the battle of Anghiari
was fought. A fresco of the battle, painted by Leonardo
da Vinci, is in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The
Villa was built on the old walls of the original castle
in the middle of the 16th century by the Grande Duke
Cosimo Medici I.
During this period the nuns from the
near by Convento S. Benedetto, frightened of being victims
of wandering mercenaries fighting for the Pope against
Monterchi, asked to be transferred inside the walls
of the castle in order to feel more secure and Cosimo
himself allowed the nuns to take refuge in “his
palace”.
The part that was the palace is easy
to recognize, you will not see another façade
in all the village made as nobly. Its construction follows
that of the castle that had been destroyed. The construction
of this villa with it’s imposing façade
and solid walls symbolizes the Renaissance and the new
power of the Medici family.
 Ample rooms open themselves before the eyes of the guests
who can re live all the magnificence of that glorious
period, as it was a little corner of the Medici territory.
Monterchi might not be as important
if it wasn’t for its proximity to the Vatican
estates therefore it was a strategic outpost to defend
the Medici territory against the papal states.
Inside the palace the pavements are
all still the original terracotta. Also you can see
many architectural elements from the Renaissance era,
like the spacious drawing room in pietra serena, typical
of this period and the arches and architraves also in
stone, according to the traditions and tastes of the
Tuscan people.
In the main drawing room, one finds
the best example of the magnificence and majesty of
the villa, a fire place of notable proportions elegantly
made and carved with the noble family crest. It probably
belonging to the vicar of Cosimo, representing him in
the village.
Although not open to guests for safety
reasons the villa also boasts enormous cantinas with
a suggestive secret passage way that finishes in the
open country side. Upon request you can also visit the
old chemistry laboratory that belonged to the owners
grandfather.  Characteristic because all of the stills
and instruments of the late 19th century have been carefully
preserved leaving an atmosphere of times gone by, magical
and interesting, together with his study full of antique
books, letters and curiosities.
In
the first years of the 19th century the property was
owned by the Brizzi family and then the Marzocchi, when
Simone Marzocchi, a surgeon to the grand Duke of Tuscany
married the daughter of the family Amelia Brizzi. The
house was their country residence where the family passed
the summer, looking after their landed properties, as
was traditional at that time. Today Donatella Marzocchi,
her Mother and son are the last remaining members of
this historic family.
Donatella is a vibrant dynamic and
flamboyant person, who carries with her a deep love
and intimate knowledge of her forbearers and their cultural
heritage. All the furniture and furnishings are original
and have always been in the family.
Please note: This property does not
have air conditioning. Air conditioning is rarely necessary
in Tuscany due to the lack of humidity and the temperate
climate. Almost all of our properties at InTuscany are
in remodeled medieval or renaissance buildings. They
generally have very thick walls and high ceilings, most
are built on the tops of our gently rolling hills where
they catch the breezes that spring up at mid day and
in the evenings.
Generally air conditioning is only
found by the sea side or in the city centers where noise
and/or humidity make it necessary. We do not have air
conditioning in our offices or in any of our own homes.
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