Castello Gran Duca is a wonderful 16th Century castle in a perfect position enjoying a lovely panorama over the countryside with views to the Elba Island and the sea beyond.

Description

Castello Gran Duca is a wonderful 16th Century castle in a perfect position enjoying a lovely panorama over the countryside with views to the Elba Island and the sea beyond.

This unique ancient castle, once the abode of Leopold II Grand Duke of Tuscany, is in a peaceful and private location in the countryside yet just 1 km from the nearest town Venturina Terme and only ten minutes driving to the lovely Tuscan coast and nearest sandy beaches. A private avenue of cypresses and pines leads to the private automatic gate of the castle through the grounds for the first glimpse of this imposing property that has a romantic facade of ivy. The interior of the villa is just as amazing with characteristic high ceilings and furnished with antiques, oil paintings and family heirlooms.

The villa has its own exclusive grounds complete with a rose garden and an entrance garden with private parking, outside living space for relaxing, dining al fresco and a private outside swimming pool 6 mt x 12 mt and a private outside Jacuzzi hot tub. This romantically beautiful historic residence retains all the original characteristics and period furnishings yet has all modern comforts and offers a wide range of facilities and services to enhance your stay.

GARDEN & SWIMMING POOL: the mature grounds sweep all around the castle and the main entrance hall also opens out onto the lovely rear rose garden where there is a pretty al fresco dining area with a marble rectangular table for all the guests, as well as an outside living area with comfortable settees and umbrellas perfect for relaxing whilst enjoying the view towards the rose garden. Original stone steps lead down from the garden to the villa’s private swimming pool (12m x 6m, maximum depth 3 m) situated in a secluded position below. The pool area, shaded by pines and overlooking the olive grove, has a Jacuzzi.

The owners of Castello Gran Duca are very hospitable and they and the villa staff take pride in the services they offer. A whole manner of arrangements can be made (on request payable locally) ranging from catering services including lunches and dinners, laundry, extra housekeeping and even day trips and excursions are options available.

ACCOMODATION: the villa is 1500 square meters and it sleeps 20 persons in 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.

The ground level of the villa is composed of various lounge rooms with period furnishings in keeping with the style of the castle. There is a large entrance hall hung with ancient paintings and coats of arms, off which there are three lovely living rooms, two of these living rooms with fireplace and settees, one of these with Sky television and DVD player and hi-fi music. The third one is a reading living room with a computer desk with antique wooden desk. On the same level there is a professional fully equipped kitchen and another small room next to the kitchen with a fridge and all the necessary staff for the meals service. There is a lovely dining room with fire place decorated with frescoes and majolica tiles with a big rectangular table for all the guests.

From the main entrance hall staircases to the left and/or to the right lead to the middle and upper floors of the castle and the ten characteristic bedrooms (4 double bedrooms, 5 suites, and the special Grand Duke Master suite) with their ensuite bathrooms with shower or bathtub and hairdryer each individually decorated with different colour schemes, and many featuring hand painted ceilings, frescoes and numerous antique pieces. The bedrooms are equipped with the modern comforts such as air conditioning, digital tv and an illimited fast wifi connection 20 Mbps download and 6 Mbps upload. The Wi-Fi internet connection cover also the whole inside villa, the rose garden and the pool area.

PLEASE NOTE: on request, the villa can be rented with the solution of 8 bedrooms (16 pax) or 14 bedrooms (24 pax). In this case some rooms can be closed/open and guarantee total privacy. Please contact us to have the price for these two solutions.

HISTORY: Documents dating back to the 1529, demonstrate the existence of a former palace that was renovated to become the administrative headquarters of the Campiglia Marittima Railways. The Castello Gran Duca as we know it, was built at the beginning of the XVI century and, later on, it became the residence of Leopold II, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, during the reclamation of the Maremma. Leopold II was born on October the 3rd, 1797 in Florence and died in Rome on January 29, 1870. He was the last Grand Duke of Tuscany and reigned from 1824 until his abdication in 1859. The Castle has been the residence of many Grand Dukes of Tuscany, but Leopold II lived there for longer than all the others.

In 1860 the Castle passed into the hands of the Merciai family, whose heirs are the current owners. They have maintained the castle to the highest standards and all the restoration works have been supervised by the Italian Institute of Fine Arts. Nowadays the castle represents one of the most important monuments of the Tuscan Maremma and the owners transformed it into a "Historical Residence" open to all those who wish to enjoy an unforgettable holiday and to discover this beautiful land rich in history and art.

LOCATION: Castello Gran Duca is located approximately 1 km from Venturina which offers all kinds of shops and supermarket. This beautiful part of the Tuscan coast called Etruscan coast, with its lovely beaches, is just few minutes away, and there are many pretty towns to explore : Piombino (with ferries for Elba) 10 km, Livorno 60 km, Pisa 75 km. Florence and Siena are within 120 km. Nice beaches are just a short drive away in the Baratti Gulf.

This area has many tourist attractions thanks to its history, art, culture and cuisine. With its splendid medieval towns and landscape, the Etruscan Riviera embraces many different aspects to discover and many festivals take place in the various villages during the summer time. Other attractions are the thermal spas, natural reserves and lovely countryside. A little further are other famous Tuscan towns such as Florence, Siena and Pisa all well worth a visit. Even the island of Elba is accessible via nearby ferry connections.

This part of Tuscany is also renowned all over the world for its celebrated wines such as Sassicaia and Ornellaia. We highly recommend a tour of the local wine producing farms where wine experts will guide and assist you throughout the itinerary.

Castello Gran Duca is really a unique property in a great location for a truly unforgettable experience.

Availability

• Available

Cancellation policy

In case of cancellation of a booking, the clients are entitled to a refund based on the days in advance of arrival day, as follows:

• If the cancellation is made 60 days or more prior arrival day: 0% of the amount paid.
• If the cancellation is made between 59 and 30 days prior arrival day: 0% of the amount paid.
• If the cancellation is made between 29 and 7 days prior arrival day: 0% of the amount paid.
• If the cancellation is made between 6 and 1 days prior arrival day: 0% of the amount paid.