Pienza Vacation villa rental with internet access, balcony/terrace, walking and fireplace

Accommodation: the property is centrally heated throughout and its ground floor, which traditionally used to accommodate the farm animals, now houses only garages and cellars.

As in past centuries, the accommodation is located solely on the upper floor, accessed by an external flight of stone stairs with a porch at the top. From here, you enter directly under the pitched roof into a spacious living-room, comprising sofa, armchairs and coffee table grouped round the large, wood-burning fireplace. Open-plan in one corner is a modern kitchenette, fully equipped with electric cooker; fridge; separate freezer; dishwasher; washing machine and dryer; pots and pans; crockery and cutlery for 12 people; and a 6-seater table.

Issuing from this dayroom is a corridor which leads to the following: a large dining-room with 8/10-seater wooden refectory table; a twin bedroom; and a spacious double bedroom. Centrally located between these last two, at the far end of the landing, is a large shared bathroom, tiled in Delft-style blue and grey, with modern fittings, including corner shower cubicle and a mirror extending across two walls.

Garden and Swimming pool: the villa is approached from Pienza (2 km away) on an asphalted road, past a lovely Romanesque church (Pieve di Corsignano), and then along a rough gravel track, bordered by olive groves, stone walls and hedges. The gates access a driveway leading to a gravel parking area, around which extend the lawns, all fenced-in. These are dotted with a host of mature, shade-giving native trees, such as Cypresses, holm oaks, pines, olives and figs, as well as with flowering shrubs like labernum, broom and rosemary, and lemon trees in terracotta pots. Here only birdsong punctuates the silence.

Scented floribunda roses bloom in profusion, while rambling varieties cover the little stone outbuilding, where the fully operational, wood-fired, brick pizza-oven and barbeque are housed.

The grounds can be illuminated at night and a little footpath connects directly with the centre of Pienza, about 10 minutes’ walk away.

In the vicinity are a number of excellent hiking paths, as this is ideal walking country, set within a nature reserve, whose wildlife is protected. This area of the Val D’Orcia (Orcia Valley), including Pienza itself and Mount Amiata, an extinct volcano and now a very popular winter ski area, is renowned for its outstanding natural beauty and, as a result, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.