A charming villa and private garden in a stylishly renovated farming estate

Accommodation

One of the first houses encountered upon entering the Borgo, Balconata is also one of the most popular, perhaps because of its private garden, buffered from life in the central piazza by greenery and an attractive stone wall that rises to the level of the balcony. Entrance to the house is via a door near the hamlet well that opens to a small entryway with sliding doors to two double bedrooms, each with garden access and an ensuite bathroom. Both bedrooms are beautifully finished off with stylish fabrics and country antiques, while bathrooms feature twin sinks and travertine stonework.

A stairway from the entry hall leads up to the kitchen, whose clean lines and modern appliances blend well with the beams and original flooring which frame it. An open doorway leads on to the spacious sitting/dining room that spans the width of the house. At one end there is a round marble-topped dining table for four near French doors that open to a balcony overlooking the garden; at the other end, two sofas are bathed in light from two French doors leading to a generous wrap-around balcony overlooking the estate’s central piazza. The balcony extends and gently follows the path leading down to the garden.

Local area

Borgo Rinnovato is perfectly located to discover why Tuscany has been and remains a destination of choice. Being in the Valdarno, the wide valley through which the Arno River meanders, Florence, the famed city that straddles it immediately comes to mind. Leaving your car at the Figline or San Giovanni Valdarno free station lots, hourly direct trains will easily bring you to the heart of this Renaissance treasure chest where world-famous museums, frescoed churches, graceful bridges and historic piazzas are all accessible on foot, with sustaining gelato stops along the way of course.

The road south arrives at another major Tuscan city, Arezzo. Believed to have been one of the 12 most important Etruscan cities and always a center of commerce, still today Arezzo’s artisans and merchants enliven its medieval center, especially on the first Sunday of the month and the previous Saturday when its Antiquarian Fairs fill the streets with ‘treasures’. June and September visitors delight in Piazza Grande’s costumed Saracen Joust, while visitors the year round seek out the splendid frescoes of Piero della Francesca.

If bustling historic cities and a church too many begin to fatigue, there are other options. Designer outlets are half an hour away for those whose preferences lean to Italian styling and a good bargain. And in less than an hour winding cypress-lined roads through the Chianti region lead to small towns such as Gaiole-, Greve- or Radda in Chianti, known world-wide for what fills a wine glass and the delicious food that accompanies it.

Should small-scale exploration suit you best, head to nearby Loro Ciuffenna, a delightful medieval town built around a Romanesque bridge spanning the mountain torrent that powered the many water mills producing chestnut flour. Though the mills have ceased to flow, there are charming restaurants, an art museum dedicated to a native son Venturino Venturi and only 1 km out of town in Gropina the impressive Pieve di San Pietro, the oldest (774 A.D.), best preserved Romanesque parish church in Tuscany.

Yet even before hopping into the car to go exploring, the estate’s wooded panorama, reaching as high as the Pratomagno mountains, may well inspire guests to follow paths through their 800 hectares. Or perhaps join a guided hike and wine tasting tour through the nearby village of Castelfranco whose dramatic landscape and colourful eroded shapes, the ‘Balze’, featured in the background of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’. Certainly, with stables nearby and bikes easily arranged, life in the slow lane is a wonderful way to discover your surroundings, and with a beautiful house as your base and a restorative pool at hand, a Tuscan holiday will soon find its rightful rhythm.

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