Montaione holiday farmhouse rental, Sughera with walking, disabled access, balcony/terrace, rural retreat, TV

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Il Poggio (farmhouse)

Home description

The Ancient and beautiful farmhouse - typically Tuscan in style - has been painstakingly restored to its former splendour using many of the original building methods and tools. Inside, much of the furnishing is true to the traditional Tuscan, 'country' style.

Il Poggio is still a working farm and produces a variety of organic produce, most of which is sold locally. However, now the old farmhouse, and its outbuildings, have been converted into seventeen, self-contained apartments, which house between two and six people each. Each part of the farmhouse is still referred to by the name denoting its original use for example the Pigsty or 'La Porcilaia' and each apartment is named after a plant or tree, indigenous to the region.

Since 1979 it has been run by a local farming family and in spite of its popularity it is still very much a family business. You will be able to find out much about Il Poggio on the pages which follow but if you do require any additional information about its history, facilities or products, please do contact us in any way convenient and if you don't speak Italian - don't worry we also understand German, English and French!

The Hunter's Cottage	A typical kitchen diner
A typical bedroom	The view over the Tuscan hills

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/35203

The Tuscany region

Il Poggio is conveniently situated in the middle of six of Tuscany's most picturesque attractions. Naturally, Florence (Firenze) and Pisa need no introduction. But don't miss the beautiful cities of Lucca or Siena or the smaller and nearer San Gimignano or indeed Volterra - both just a very short drive away.

Montaione / Sughera area

San Gimignano (a World Heritage site) is probably the most famous small town in Italy, and there are few places that evoke the atmosphere of mediaeval Tuscany so powerfully. Originally there were 72 towers of which only 15 now survive - towers that represented wealth and influence more than defence and security - the higher the tower, the richer your family.

How to get there

Il Poggio is conveniently situated in the middle of six of Tuscany's most picturesque attractions. Naturally, Florence (Firenze) and Pisa need no introduction. But don't miss the beautiful cities of Lucca or Siena or the smaller and nearer San Gimignano or indeed Volterra - both just a very short drive away.

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from many UK and European destinations to PISA airport, as does British Airways (www.ba.com) and EasyJet (www.easyjet.com). Additionally, there are now flights by Delta (www.delta.com) from New York.

Pisa airport has a number of car hire companies which are all pretty reliable and a full list together with other useful travel information is available at the airport site (http://www.pisa-airport.com/).

Activities near Montaione

Facilities

Further details indoors:
For those who enjoy a little exercise – Il Poggio has a good sized swimming pool – it is to be found to the west of the main building at the base of the hill from where the name Il poggio or ‘sweet hill’ comes from. Here you will also find a small children’s pool, showers, a tennis court a table tennis table as well as an area with a barbeque grill and cooking facilities. Il Poggio also has a netball/basket ball court and an area set aside for the popular Italian pastime of bowles (a game similar to the France’s bowls).

Further details outdoors:
Il Poggio, is set amidst 70 hectares of stunning Tuscan countryside where it is possible to hunt (c/o Azienda Faunistico-Venatoria) and where children can walk and play in safety.

However, to really start to understand Italy and The Italians, you need to experience their food! At Il Poggio, you can take part in one of the cooking courses held by Mrs. Graziella with their informal atmosphere. Here you will learn to prepare traditional Tuscan pasta dishes, bruschetta, game and pizza and sample of Il Poggio's noted wines. At these courses there is usually someone who speaks English or German - so language need not be a problem. These courses tend to be popular and so you will need to pre-book.

And that’s not all. It is possible to take elementary Italian lessons, given on the premises. If you don’t speak any Italian, a few hours of study will help you shop, explore and eat-out and in Italy especially, an effort to learn the language is much appreciated.

As well as daily breakfasts in the open-cellar, Il Poggio also holds weekly evening dinners for its guests on the beautiful terrace with its panoramic views. Often accompanied by musicians - it is a classic and typical way of enjoying the Tuscan sunset.

There is so much to do within Il Poggio that you may never want to leave! However, it is possible to rent mountain/touring bikes from the office with which to explore the fabulous surroundings, for within a couple of miles, you will find both horse-riding facilities a golf club as well as a flying school!

If there is a particular activity we haven’t mentioned - get in touch and we would be delighted to see if we can arrange it. Please do contact us if you have any questions at all.

Further details

One shouldn’t forget that Il Poggio is a working farm; its main produce is wine – hardly surprising considering the fame and International renown of the local Chianti label - the quality of which is known throughout Italy and the world. Both the red and white wine is produced with a classic mixture of Tuscan Chianti grapes: San Giovese 90%, Cannaiolo 5%, Malvasia 2.5%,Trebbiano 2.5%. – although the proportions may vary from year to year.

Around 15,000 bottles of wine are produced at the farm itself - most of which is consumed locally! However, amongst Il Poggio’s produce are one or two surprises; for example its excellent barley and saffron (below left is some saffron the flowers having been picked now need to be plucked).

Depending on the season one can also partake of a wide range of vegetables which, as with everything from Il Poggio, is produced without the use of artificial fertiliser or pesticides. If you get a chance ask to try the local pecorrini (a goats cheese) – it has an unforgettable flavour – but you need to be persistent as the locals are somewhat partial to it themselves.

Il Poggio produces around a thousand litres of olive oil each year. The Olives are hand-picked in the Autumn by the villagers, and the harvest is taken to a local cooperatively-owned mill where it is cleaned, milled, pressed and separated into the fine, pure virgin olive oil that Il Poggio is famous for.

Rental rates

Prices for group size 6
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Early Summer	7 Jun 08	6 Jul 08	740£  587	0-	0-	1 Week
Mid Summer	6 Jul 08	24 Aug 08	980£  778	0-	0-	1 Week
Late Summer	24 Aug 08	14 Sep 08	740£  587	0-	0-	1 Week
Early Autumn	14 Sep 08	5 Oct 08	660£  524	0-	0-	1 Week
Autumn	5 Oct 08	7 Dec 08	505£  401	0-	0-	1 Week

Prices for group size 5
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Early Summer	7 Jun 08	6 Jul 08	740£  587	0-	0-	1 Week
Mid Summer	6 Jul 08	24 Aug 08	980£  778	0-	0-	1 Week
Late Summer	24 Aug 08	14 Sep 08	740£  587	0-	0-	1 Week
Early Autumn	14 Sep 08	5 Oct 08	660£  524	0-	0-	1 Week
Autumn	5 Oct 08	7 Dec 08	505£  401	0-	0-	1 Week

Prices for group size 4
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Early Summer	7 Jun 08	6 Jul 08	670£  532	0-	0-	1 Week
Mid Summer	6 Jul 08	24 Aug 08	880£  698	0-	0-	1 Week
Late Summer	24 Aug 08	14 Sep 08	670£  532	0-	0-	1 Week
Early Autumn	14 Sep 08	5 Oct 08	590£  468	0-	0-	1 Week
Autumn	5 Oct 08	7 Dec 08	450£  357	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the owner's discretion.
All prices are inclusive of utilities etc.
Linen (if required) is EUR 11 per bed per week.
Please contact us for more precise information and/or an accurate quote.

Availability notes

To see availability please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/35203

Contact owner

To contact this owner please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/35203

Contact details for home 35203 Please mention Holiday Lettings
Name:	Ambrose Braun
Tel:	+44 (0)20 7193 5477
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Advertiser joined: 13 Aug 2007 This property added: 13 Aug 2007

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