Montaione holiday villa rental with walking, balcony/terrace, air con, internet access, rural retreat, TV

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The Lakes Townhouse (villa)

Home description

Dating from the 13th century, the private country estate of Santo Stefano is set amongst a sweeping landscape of gentle hills and valleys in a little known area of northern Tuscany, yet less than an hour from the historic centres of Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena. The estate covers over 1000 acres of rolling countryside, lakes, woodlands, cornfields, olive groves, vineyards - even a wildlife reserve. At its centre is the hamlet of Santo Stefano with the remains of an old castle and church with its Etruscan tombs and cellars which remains in use today.

A number of the estate’s former farmhouses and agricultural buildings have been carefully restored by local craftsmen to offer holiday accommodation with all the facilities demanded by the 21st century holidaymaker, but with all the charm of a classic Tuscan estate.

The Lakes comprises eight linked villas and townhouses with either 2 or 3 bedrooms set on a hillside amongst Mediterranean style gardens overlooking the main lakes of the estate. Sleeping from 2 to 5 they have been finished and furnished to high standards and are fully air-conditioned, each has a furnished outside terrace area the perfect spot for dining alfresco. Terracotta tiled floors contrast with cool pastel coloured walls and colourful furnishings.

The Lakes - overlooking the pool and terrace	The Lakes Townhouse - typical kitchen and dining area
The Lakes Townhouse - typical lounge leading to the dining area	The Lakes Townhouse - typical outside dining terrace and garden

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/27804

The Tuscany region

The people of Tuscany can rightly claim to have just about the best of everything - Italy’s greatest collection of art, classical architecture, beautiful countryside, some of finest fresh produce to be found in Italy and many quality wines. It was the home of the Renaissance, some 600 years ago, that had a quite dramatic effect on the remainder of Europe.

Visitors are drawn to Tuscany by the architectural splendours of Florence and Siena, the wonderful art of Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and many other 14th to 16th century masters. But there is much more to a holiday in Tuscany away from the ‘tourist honey pots’, a wonderful rolling countryside, charming villages and some of Italy’s most impressive hill towns including San Gimignano, Volterra, Cortona and Montepulciano. But wherever you travel in Tuscany you will come across villages with charming piazza’s, historic churches, cafes and enticing food shops set amongst fields of sunflowers, olives and vineyards.

Montaione area

Nearby The Lakes are the market towns of Castelfiorentino and Montaione (both just 6kms away), each has a good range of shops, cafes, restaurants and weekly market. Supermarkets and food shops are open Monday to Saturday from 0830 to 1300 and then from 1600 to 1930. Some food shops are open in Montaione on a Sunday morning in summer between 0830 and 1300. Slightly further away are the historic towns of Certaldo and Gambassi Terme with its spas.

Food is an important part of any holiday in Tuscany and there is an excellent selection of restaurants ranging from friendly trattorie to internationally renowned restaurants all within easy reach of the estate. One of our favourites and offering good value for money is Il Caminetto, which lies on the edge of the estate and serves wonderful Tuscan home cooking. Osteria del Vicario, set in historic Certaldo Alto, which serves fine creative cooking and I Quattro Gigli in Montopoli and serves Tuscan medieval specialities. All have excellent cellars serving some wonderful Tuscan wines.

There is a good range of sporting facilities in the surrounding area. There is a tennis club in Castelfiorentino, mountain bikes can be rented and riding can be booked at a local ranch. Fishing can be arranged at Montaione and Moriolo and there is an 18 hole golf course at Castelfalfi, just 25 kms away.

The management of the Fattoria Santo Stefano estate have an unsurpassed knowledge of their local area. They are on hand to assist you to make the very best of your holiday and can recommend places to visit and will make reservations for sports facilities and local restaurants. Through their excellent local contacts private tours and informal visits can be organised to potteries, historic villas, gardens, vineyards and olive mills. They can also advise on the local shopping outlets, local speciality shops, spas and beauty treatments.

The Lakes makes a perfect base if you want to explore the many attractions of Northern Tuscany. Set almost equidistant between Florence, Lucca, Siena and Pisa, Fattoria Santo Stefano is perfectly placed for visiting most of the famous towns and villages of Tuscany. San Gimignano with its medieval 'skyscrapers' is 25 kms, Volterra one of Tuscany’s best kept secrets is 40 kms, Lucca one of Tuscany’s most perfect towns is 60 kms away, whilst the many historic attractions of Florence, Pisa and Siena are all within 50 kms and less than an hour’s drive away.

FLORENCE to the north east – known locally as Firenze, the city is located in a valley on the banks of the River Arno amongst low hills covered with olive groves and vineyards. Cradle of the Renaissance and home of Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Medici you could spend the whole of your holiday in the city. Florence is compact and probably the best way to experience it and to get your bearings is firstly to take guided tour. If your time is limited start on the Ponte Vecchio, then the Uffizi gallery, The Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Gondi, Brunelleschi’s masterpiece, the Duomo and Giotto’s Campanile and much, much more.

SIENA to the south east – home of the famous Palio horse race, has a wonderful medieval centre bristling with majestic Gothic buildings such as the Palazzo Pubblico on Il Campo (the Piazza del Campo), the main square which is the setting for the Palio. The Duomo, or cathedral is one of Italy’s greatest gothic churches, begun in 1196 and a wonderful example of a Pisan church. Throughout the city a wealth of art is to be found in numerous churches and small museums.

PISA to the north west – was once a major maritime power to rival Genoa and Venice, but today its fame is from an architectural project that went terribly wrong – the Leaning Tower. The tower is a part of a trio of Romanesque pieces of architecture that adorn the Campo dei Miracoli, one of Italy’s most famous squares.

LUCCA to the north west - is a Tuscan gem hidden behind imposing Renaissance walls, which enclose a compact centre of atmospheric medieval streets and towers, Romanesque churches and palazzo. Piazza’s like the Anfitheatro are a wonderful place for a leisurely meal just watching the world go by.

SAN GIMIGNANO to the south east – as you crest a hill approaching the town from the east the 13 towers of this walled city make it look like a medieval Manhattan. The towers, there were once 72, were symbols of the power and wealth of the medieval families during the 12th and 13th centuries.

VOLTERRA due south - is set on an imposing rocky plateau and the town’s imposing ramparts give it a forbidding air. Less commercialised than nearby San Gimignano, the streets have a timeless quality and the views over the surrounding countryside are quite exceptional.

How to get there

BY Air - The nearest airports are Pisa (50kms), Florence (50kms), Bologna (150 kms), Genoa (210 kms) and Milan (325 kms). Of these airports Pisa is the most convenient and most easily accessible airport from the UK as it is served by both British Airways and a range of low cost carriers. Airlines serving Pisa from UK include:
* British Airways - www.ba.com - from Gatwick.
* Ryanair - www.ryanair.com - from Bournemouth; Doncaster; Dublin; East Midlands; Glasgow; Liverpool; Stansted.
* Easyjet -www.easyjet.com - from Bristol; Gatwick.
* Thomsonfly - www.thomsonfly.com - from Bournemouth; Coventry; Doncaster; Gatwick; Manchester.
* jet2 - www.jet2.com - from Belfast; Edinburgh; Leeds Bradford: Manchester; Newcastle.
* Meridiana (part of Alitalia) flies to Florence from Gatwick.
CAR HIRE – Can be arranged at all airports. Check these sites www.holidayautos.com; www.europcar.com; www.avis.com; www.hertz.com
BY CAR - If you prefer to drive, the following sites can help you to plan you route – www.viamichelin.co.uk; www.theaa.com; www.rac.co.uk. There are many routes and one of the best is to cross the Channel and then travel via Belgium, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Switzerland, the Gottard Tunnel, Milan, Bologna and Florence to Fattoria Santo Stefano. There is secure free car-parking at the Lakes.

Activities near Montaione

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The Lakes Townhouse is two storey and has a spacious well furnished and equipped lounge/dining area which in turn opens on to the fully equipped kitchen corner. Large sliding doors open out from the living area to the large furnished terrace with its dining table and comfortable chairs, overlooking the Mediterranean garden this is the perfect spot for long leisurely meals. There are three bedrooms, two doubles and a single bedroom making this a great villa for a family with older children or two couples. Each of the three bedrooms has a full en suite or adjoining shower room.

Further details outdoors:
The entrance into the Lakes is through imposing gates and there is a communal secure parking area. Pathways, illuminated at night, lead from the parking area through the gardens to the linked villas which are grouped on a hillside. As there are a number of flights of stairs linking parts of the Lakes and some unprotected drops, the villas and townhouses are not really suitable for young children.

The villas each have their own furnished terrace area beside their own Mediterranean gardens. Steps lead down from the villas through gardens to the large communal swimming pool, measuring 21 x 6 metres, and Jacuzzi which are surrounded by lawns and an extensive furnished sun terrace, which in turn overlooks a valley and the estate's lakes.

Further details

* The townhouse will be available between 1700 and 2000 on your day of arrival and you will be expected to depart between 0800 and 1000 to allow for the preparation of the property for new arrivals. Please take this into account when booking flights.
* The swimming pool, weather permitting, is open from 01 May to 01 October.
* The English manager of the estate is on hand to assist you to make the very best of your holiday at Fattoria Santo Stefano.
* There is daily morning fresh bread and delivery service available as required.

Conditions

A deposit of 30% of the rental is payable at the time of booking and the balance of 70% is required one month before the start of the holiday rental. Payments can be made by personal cheque and also by credit or debit card using Paypal in either Sterling or Euros. We reserve the right to pass on the relevant merchant charge.

In the case of cancellation the following cancellation fees will apply:
* Up to 30 days before the start of a rental - the cancellation fee is the 30% deposit
* Within 30 days of the start of the rental - the cancellation fee is the full amount of the rental. If the property is relet for the period cancelled by you then a 10% cancellation fee will be made.

We would therefore recommend that you should take out travel insurance including cancellation cover when you book your holiday.

A refundable breakage deposit of Euro 250 per rental is paid to the local management and this will be returned at the end of the rental, assuming that there are no deductions for breakages.

The weekly rental price includes:
* Rental of the property for a week / 7 nights including all utilities, linen and air-conditioning and central heating as required.
* Twice mid weekly cleaning included with a change of bath linens. Additional service on request.
* Final cleaning at the end of the holiday.

In promoting the various properties of The Lakes, Montaione we are acting on behalf of the owners Fattoria Santo Stefano srl.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
June - July	28 Jun 08	12 Jul 08	1380£  1,380	0-	0-	1 Week
July - August	12 Jul 08	23 Aug 08	1495£  1,495	0-	0-	1 Week
August	23 Aug 08	30 Aug 08	1380£  1,380	0-	0-	1 Week
August - September	30 Aug 08	27 Sep 08	1045£  1,045	0-	0-	1 Week
September - October	27 Sep 08	1 Nov 08	945£  945	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the owner's discretion.
The prices quoted for The Lakes Townhouse are based on 5 people sharing the property. Prices are determined by the arrival date.

We can also offer a villa for 4 people - two bedrooms with one ensuite shower room and one adjacent bathroom - please see property number 38423 - The Lakes Due.

Payments can be made by personal cheque and also by credit or debit card using Paypal in either Sterling or Euros. We reserve the right to pass on the relevant merchant charge.

Guestbook

Linda,

We had a wonderful holiday, many thanks for all your help and advice, we will definitely go back there again.

P.

Availability notes

To see availability please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/27804

Contact owner

To contact this owner please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/27804

Contact details for home 27804 Please mention Holiday Lettings
Name:	Linda Bethell
Mobile:	+44 (0)7831 569685
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Contact Notes: E mails - any time
Advertiser joined: 16 Jan 2007 This property added: 15 May 2007

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