Accommodation

Entrance into the apartment leads directly into the living room and the kitchen. The double bedroom with its four-poster bed is beautifully lit by a large arched window, while just down the hall a smart shower room combines traditional materials with modern Italian design.

Guests share the use of a swimming pool with deck chairs, a jacuzzi large enough for 7 and a small gym set in a single vaulted cellar, equipped with new Technogym machines,a corner bar, TV and Bose systems.

Local area

The nearby village of Baccheretto places fresh bread and the buzz of village festivals within walking distance while a short drive brings one to the beautiful fresco for which Carmignano is famous or to two grand Medici villas - the fortified villa purchased by Lorenzo and finished by his son Pope Leo X in Poggio a Caiano and UNESCO's World Heritage Site La Ferdinanda, 'villa of 100 chimneys' located in Artimino, a hamlet noted also for its fine Etruscan museum. Half an hour away is Prato, the center of the Slow Food Movement and known since the Middle Ages for its textile industry and Vinci, Leonardo's natal town with a small, but enlightening museum.

To the south is Montelupo Fiorentino, one of the most important pottery centers of Italy during the Renaissance and still today a mecca for visitors seeking colorful ceramics and San Miniato, a charming hill town that was once fought over in the Middle Ages and now acclaimed for its precious white truffles. Naturally, a trip to Florence is a must and probably, to avoid the big city parking nightmare, most easily done via train from Prato. The Queen of the Arno and its wealth of palaces, museums, bridges and gardens is eminently walkable, though this does mean that, duly inspired, by the time you return to your quiet hill north of Prato, you will have renewed appreciation for the peace of convent living.

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