A beautifully preserved Tuscan villa on the historic Collegalli estate in Montaione, situated on a peaceful hilltop with spectacular views of the countryside. Villa Strozzi offers complete privacy, including a private garden and swimming pool, surrounded by nature and wildlife. Wi-fi Internet is available.
Description of Villa Strozzi:
The villa can accommodate 10 people in it's 5 bedrooms, and has 4 full bathrooms along with 1 powder rooms. A large French Empire-style drawing room opens into the garden, as does the traditional countryside dining room with an ancient terracotta floor, wooden-beamed ceiling, fireplace and table for 12. The kitchen features a terrace next to the pool where there is a table for outdoor dining and beautiful sunset views.
One double bedroom and bathroom are located on the ground floor. The first floor has 4 bedrooms (2 with an en-suite bathroom and the other 2 with a shared bathroom). The first floor also features a large drawing room furnished in French Empire style, a lounge with TV and sofa bed, and a library.
The outdoor area includes a small but delightful pool at the end of a beautiful patio; large terraced gardens; and views of the surrounding hills, forests and the village tower of San Miniato.
A Dependance can host 4 more guests in its 2 bedroom+ 2 bathrooms.
Note: In house cooking and cleaning services are available upon request from the owner of the Collegalli estate.
Collegalli:
Climbing the staircase up to this maginificent estate, to the left, one notices a chapel that has always been dedicated to Saint Catherine, built in the times when Collegalli was still a fortified castle.
Past the chapel are the garden terraces overlooking the forest and Tuscan hills. From the terrace, one can enjoy magnificent views, contemplating the beauty of the surrounding nature and experiencing the harmony in which people have always inhabited these wondrous places.
At the end of the garden-terrace a small and delightful swimming-pool overlooking the woods provides comfort during hot summer days. The pool is for the exclusive use of the villa's guests.
History:
Collegalli is a hamlet of the municipality of Montaione, on the east bank of river Evola. In 1123, Count Ranieri built a castle on the hill named Colle and set up a small fief or county, under the authority of the Bishop of Lucca. The Counts of Collegalli dwelled in the place until 1427.
Subsequently, Collegalli was owned by the Orlandini family - Guelphs of countryside origins who had held numerous magistracies. The Orlandinis, after a change in their fortunes, sold Collegalli to Duke Strozzi, who already owned an estate in the nearby village of Balconevisi. Duke Strozzi constructed the mansion on the ruins of the ancient castle. Beside the walls, the stump of a keep still exists behind the villa.
In 1894 Duke Strozzi sold all his property in Collegalli and Balconevisi to the Jewish Uzielli family, who made significant changes, especially to the sacred buildings. In 1920, Rodolfo Arnoldo Bürgisser bought the estate from the Uziellis and the family still owns the property today.
In the estate's woodland farmhouse, there are a number of oratories, such as the Oratory of San Giusto e Rimedio at Montoderi. It is well-preserved and the interior has been restored in the 14th-century style; the exterior is plastered and decorated with stone rosettes and frames and has a small and graceful wrought-iron belfry.
Activities:
The Collegalli estate, a wildlife reserve, offers abundant trails for cool and peaceful walk inside the enclosed, gated woodlands.
Local activities include tennis, horseback riding, cooking classes, truffle hunting, quad adventures, the exploration of medieval Tuscan villages, and visits to artisan studios.
The villa is an hour or less from Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Volterra, San Gimignano, San Miniato, Certaldo, Siena, and Tuscany's glorious seaside towns and beaches.
A grocery store, restaurant, post office, bar, pharmacy and bank are available in the nearby village of Corrazzano, just 6 kms away.
Location:
The Collegalli estate is located in the north-eastern section of the Municipality of Montaione, bordering with San Miniato and Palaia, between the streams named Evola and Chiecina, in the district of Balconevisi. Beyond the calcareous gullies of Sughera, the vast woods of Collegalli extend from Brentina to Uglioni, close to Balconevisi. Although many valleys and a few hillsides of the Evola plain are cultivated, for the most part the area consists of hillocks covered with thick and impenetrable woods, hardly inhabited by human beings or crossed by roads, which host many animal species.
