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Sleeps 20
10 double or twin bedrooms, 9 bath or shower roooms
Location: South of Siena
This property rents from Saturday to Saturday though shorter stays are possible in low and mid season - October to June.
Villa Goga is a beautiful and ancient villa set just south of Siena, in one of the most picturesque areas of Tuscany. Approached by an impressive, cypress-lined avenue, the villa itself dates from the 16th. Century and the estate was once one of the most important in the whole district of Siena, dating back more than 1,000 years.
The villa has luminous rooms recalling a splendid past, some with beautiful frescoes or wall paintings. There are formal gardens, with tall shady trees on one side, while at the front is a wide lawn with long box and laurel hedges on either side. Beyond these lawns, the large swimming pool has beautiful views through olive groves and gardens across to Siena and the rolling cornfields of the Crete. These views have been a continual source of inspiration for artists over the centuries, and they appear today much as they did when used as a backdrop by painters in the early renaissance; a number of versions of "Madonna with child" and the "Annunciation" are set in these rolling hills, standing in for Bethlehem.
The villa today has been used on many occasions by artists, photographers, historians and cooks for specialist courses, and is the subject of prestigious coffee table books; its caring, professional owners and staff are internationally renowned.
There are two entrances, one through french doors from the parkland at the rear, into a delightful painted reception hall, the other at the front.
The enormous dining room comfortably seats 25/30 people and has reputedly the largest fireplace in Tuscany - it is practically a room unto itself. The kitchen, nearby, has first class professional equipment, including a food processor, dishwasher, washing machine and microwave. It is a kitchen to match the number of people that may stay in the house, so is seriously efficient looking, in stainless steel.
Also on the ground floor there is an elegant drawing room with a vaulted ceiling and walls entirely covered with "Trompe l'oeil" paintings of exotic flowers and plants, birds and oriental tents. French windows from this room open onto the parkland to the rear of the villa, which has rare trees, grottoes and remains of a 19th. C. aviary; the whole property is a delight, with panoramic views as far as Siena.
There is also an additional sitting room on the ground floor, and a shower room. From the front entrance there is access to the colonnaded courtyard of the villa, part of which may be used by guests, and which provides a delightful place for meals in spring and autumn. On the first floor, the former ballroom is now an enormous double bedroom with frescoed ceiling, tall windows, and a huge Murano chandelier. It has its own shower room. Another double bedroom, with its own bathroom, is frescoed by Dario Neri, a famous 20th century Sienese painter.
A twin bedroom with a bathtub and a wash basin in the room, a bedroom with a fireplace, three single four-poster beds and a shower room en suite, and another double bedroom with a shower room and very simple kitchen equipment complete the accommodation on this floor. On the top floor, there are further rooms; three double and two twin bedrooms, a bathroom, 4 shower rooms and an extra, small kitchen.
Back outside, the pool is at the end of a wide lawn. The former poultry houses near the pool have become charming changing rooms, a barbecue, shower room and sun furniture store, while pergolas provide shade on the patio and pool surround. Around and beyond the pool an extensive olive grove forms a lovely setting for walks and games. A brother and sister share the estate (but not the pool), and you will be renting one half of the villa - but the split is perfect and harmonious; the only point of contact is in the interior courtyard, on photo number 13.
A holiday here is a very special treat; a chance to live in an historic villa in extraordinarily beautiful and peaceful surroundings, at a very short distance from the wonderful city of Siena. Villa Goga lends itself as well to a very special family holiday as for a film setting or business convention.
The aristocratic owner is a charming and hospitable hostess. Occasionally she stays in a small, independent apartment, with access from another staircase. Her son runs the Corsano Agency, able to arrange cooks, baby sitters, photographers and extra staff to suit the most exacting requisites. He will personally organise guides, shopping trips and courses. His knowledge of this wonderful part of the world and its personalities allows him to arrange personal tours for guests around public and private homes, museums and collections, to create a unique and memorable holiday.
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Villa Goga is a truly beautiful house and a wonderful location. We all fell in love with Tuscany. The owners Jacopo and Rosa were lovely people and excellent hosts. It was the perfect location for a large group of friends to come together. We enjoyed the home cooking of two the lovely local ladies. They cooked the most amazing meals for us. I would recommend Villa Goga to anyone wishing to go to Tuscany. We all want to go back.
Thanks for your good wishes – I can confirm all my party are now back in the UK following a memorable stay at Corsano. We had an absolutely fantastic stay, everyone loved the villa and the owners were extremely friendly/helpful. We have nothing but praise for the whole experience and the organisation that went into it.
We spent 1 week at Villa Goga from 24 May to 30 May, a family party of 12 to celebrate my parents joint 80th birthdays. We had a splendid time/experience – it is really difficult to fault any of the arrangements. The location was spectacular, the landscape stunning and the villa itself almost a work of art in its own right. We would score the holiday 9 out of 10 on almost every level.
Two very minor observations:
• We could not access the internet on the personal computer (PC) and this was a minor drawback – particularly so when trying to print off boarding passes etc. for the flight home;
• The washing machine in the kitchen was not totally effective and some of the crockery was (as a result) a bit stained – as I say not a big deal, we reverted to washing by hand as it was much more effective;
I think one further point could be made, we were disappointed that the pool wasn’t open/available. We did not know this when we booked but we were informed prior to departure so we have no complaints on that score. Nevertheless we never quite understood why the pool was not open – if it was a matter of running costs etc. we would have been more than happy to pay extra to cover this.
The highlights for us were:
• Spacious/comfortable/historic accommodation
• Solitude/privacy
• The 2 in-house dinners cooked by Francesca and Vanna
• Murlo, Montalcino (which we preferred to Pienza) and Sienna
• Jakapo/Jan (?) were very helpful at all times
One perfect week in Tuscany - We were a group of 17 - 9 kids under the age of 10 and 8 adults. The pool is far enough away from the house, that it holds no danger for the small kids. We asked if they could help with meals and they suggested 2 ladies who came in to cook the most wonderful 3 course meals of Tuscan specialities every evening. This meant we could sit and relax, watch the sun go down, go for walks, play with the kids. We also rented a couple of bicycles, but walking is just a much recommended.
Everything is going swimmingly. Everyone is very happy here. The villa itself, physical building, decor, grounds, location, and the staff, from the great cooking of Vanna to the knowledgeable assistance of Jacopo, and Rosa's oversight are all pleasantly beyond our expectations. Now entering our fourth day, it’s a winner.
Fortunately, the weather cooperated, not only to not require heat, but to provide warmth and sunshine to the glistening green hills covered in bright yellow colza and vines that are just beginning to waken from their winter vacation. It’s absolutely lovely.
(Post visit) Not much time now. but can tell you that we all (14 of us) enjoyed our stay. The cooks, Vanna and Francesca are wonderful. Jacopo and Rosa were always available and most helpful. The villa is as charming as ever.
There were only 2 complaints ...one the spotty intermittent and extremely slow internet service, and the other the heat. Unfortunately, it was colder this year, later in the spring that the stay we had in 2013. ...... Anyway, were it not for the cold weather, this group would have been as unqualifiedly happy as last year's. The property is great, the location superb, the family present and gracious.
We were at Villa Goga for a family reunion and my mother's 80th Birthday. Perfect for family reunions, it is a beatiful villa with loads of character dating back to the 9th century or so. Giacopo was great help, giving advice on what to do or where to go. And he also gave us a fascinating tour of the cellars and a rundown of the 11 centuries of history. Although we self catered, we had one evening dinner organised through him and the meal and service was fantastic..great food! Good size 'industrial style' kitchen needs a little orientation but we managed to turn out some great meals for all 24 of us. Lovely swimming pool, well maintained. Location is great, 10 minutes from the Coop supermarket and about 15 minutes to Siena. You can strike out from here to pretty much everything. Go ahead and book it, you'll love it. We did and have a thousand photographs to prove it!
