DEAR TRAVELER, PLEASE KINDLY NOTE: The rental price includes: final cleaning; linens; towels; continental breakfast; maid service from Monday to Sunday 3 hours each day; electricity up to 300 kWh per week.Available upon request: baby bed. To be paid at the property:electricity over 300 kWh per week according to consumption EUR 0.90/kWh.Available for a fee, if desired:heating (when needed) EUR 5.50/m3;chef/cook. Refundable security deposit paid cash upon arrival: EUR 800 (it is returned to you at check-out).
Villa Castello is a luxurious castle located on top of a small hill. It sleeps 12 people. From Villa Castello you will enjoy a charming view of the Tuscan countryside and of the Chianti valley. Villa Castello is 500 square meters (5380 square feet). It features a private swimming pool, a private terrace, a private garden, air conditioning (please read description below to check in which rooms the units are installed) and winter heating.
You will be roughly 3 km (1.8 miles) from Castelfiorentino, where you will find restaurants, shops and public transportation. You will reach Villa Castello from the parking area without having to climb any steps.
To stay at Villa Castello you will need a car. You will be able to park it on the premises, free of charge in a parking lot.
Villa Castello is a magnificient castle of the 13th Century. It is a veritable testimony to luxury, beauty, and absolute privacy.
The castle stands in the heart of the world-famous Chianti Valley, just thirty minutes from Florence. This graceful country residence is located near the ancient town of Castelfiorentino and is steeped in history. Its origins date back to the early years of the 13th century when a powerful Longobard clan from the Elsa Valley chose this site for their castle, later converted into the elegant villa you can see today. The family owned the property until the 17th century. One can still see vestiges of its ancient origins in the square brick tower, with its compelling merlons jutting against the sky, and in the walls still standing erect, as if providing protection for a treasure of inestimable worth.
The castle was built on the Via Francigena, ancient via maestra, or main route, which joined Canterbury to Rome. The beginning of the second millennium saw this route travelled by thousands of pilgrims on their voyage to the Holy City, as Europe was crossed by a multitude of souls in search of the perduta Patria Celeste, or lost Heavenly Fatherland. This route, not only bearing testimony to the importance of medieval pilgrimages, was also a road of intense commercial exchanges, used also by armies for their movements.
Today the castle is a marvellously exclusive villa, where one breathes an atmosphere rich with history. Finely restored to preserve its original historical and architectural characteristics, it is an ideal place for feeling in touch with the past, while at the same time enjoying all the comforts of an exclusive and noble residence. The interior is furnished with special attention being given to detail and elegance. Original and antique objects such as statues, pieces of armour and frescoes decorate the numerous large castle rooms, giving the dreamy sense of a noble dwelling. One of the first guests to stay at the villa since the renovation, the actress Julia Roberts, felt compelled to send for her favourite photographer in LA to come to take photos of her holidaying.
The castle's strategic position among the surrounding gently rolling hills offers a truly one-of-a-kind panorama looking out over the vineyards, olive groves, fields and forests of Chianti.
The main facade opens out onto a large terraced lawn, where a stately magnolia tree and numerous vases of colourful flowers appear suspended in air and in time. In fact, the grounds of the castle are perched on top of a small hill, and here in the garden one enjoys a magnificent sense of space and freedom while taking in the panorama of the surrounding countryside.
Descending to a lower level, on one of castle's bastions, one arrives at the edge of the large swimming pool, just another one of the castle's perfect spots for carefree moments of relaxation, surrounded by breathtaking views. Complementing all of this is the lovely outdoor "limonaia", or conservatory, furnished as a glassed-in sitting room, where one can comfortably enjoy the fresh perfumed air of the countryside.
To make it a perfect location for celebrating weddings, there is also an adjoining chapel, part of the castle's original structure. This Chapel is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew and it was restored in XVIII century.Swimming Pool
The swimming pool is 5 meters (16 feet) large by 10 meters (33 feet) long. The area is equipped with deck chairs, sun loungers and an external shower, and it is partly shaded by an elegant porch. The pool is open from mid-April until the end of September.
Garden
The garden is partly shaded by a gazebo, and there