Casa della Vista

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Farmhouse |2 bedrooms |Sleeps 5

Sorana in Pescia

from £50 / night

£350–£495 / weekBookable online

This property can be booked securely online within a few minutes. Just click on the ‘Check availability and book’ button.

3 nights minimum stay

Changeover flexible

4.5 out of 5

6 reviews | Write a review

Key info  Swimming pool, air conditioning, balcony/terrace, car advised, private garden, pets welcome

Check availability and book

About the home

With a beautiful location set below the small, medieval hill village of Sorana, this is a traditional stone farmhouse retaining all the usual beautiful Tuscan features of cotto floors, chestnut beams and an open fireplace.

Outside there are private olive groves for the children to play in, a terrace for al fresco dining, BBQ for outdoor cooks and a pool for cooling off in the glorious summer days - all with spectacular views of the Pescia valley. Two of the best restaurants in the area are just down the road or there is further fine dining in and around the local town of Pescia, less than 15 minutes drive away

Open all year around, this house offers a quiet retreat from which to explore the surrounding hills on foot to local villages such as Vellano, Castelveccio, Fibialla or Medicina.

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The accommodation is on two floors with the kitchen, shower room and one lounge/bedroom downstairs and the master bedroom and second lounge/bedroom upstairs

The main bedroom has a queen size bed with chest of drawers and wardrobe whilst the upstairs second room has a large stone grate with cast iron fire, large bed sette and cabin bed. Downstairs, the lounge has a sofabed and is equipped with an air conditioning unit

The kitchen is fully equipped with utensils and pans, with a 5 ring gas bottle-powered cooker complete with oven

There is also an under-house storage room which contains the garden furniture and washing machine

Further details outdoors:
The house is part of a working olive farm so the groves are open and available for exploration, although care should be taken down some of the steep slopes

There is also a hand-built stone barbecue and outside dining area, ideal for summer evening cooking and eating outside

The pool is a 15' by 8' plunge pool, perfect for cooling off during the long hot Tuscan summer days.

Further details

There is a 300m walk from a car park through the village and down a path to get to the door, which is a little steep in places. Whilst this makes for a quiet and private location it means access would be difficult for elderly, infirm or disabled guests

Conditions

A deposit of 50% of the rental is required to secure a booking, with the balance due 4 weeks before arrival

Photos

 

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A pool with a view

 

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House from below, Sorana above

The Tuscany / Pistoia Province region

Tuscany, the cradle of modern European culture, contains treasures of every age and style, from the Etruscan theatre and Roman baths at Fiesole, to the majestic Gothic buildings in the medieval town of Siena and the exceptional art and architecture of Florence. The cities of Tuscany have produced writers, scientists, architects, musicians and artists whose works have literally changed the world.

The immense dome of Florence's Duomo, designed by Brunelleschi, inspired Michelangelo's design for the dome of St. Peter's in Rome, and influenced architecture in towns throughout Italy. Modern science and technology have their roots in the experiments of Galileo and other researchers. Puccini was born in Lucca. Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio broke with traditional Latin and wrote in the Italian language, establishing the Tuscan dialect as Italy's literary language and things Tuscan as the measure of culture and refinement.

The peaceful Tuscan landscape is primarily rolling hills, with vineyards, olive groves, cypress trees and hilltop villages all bathed in a soft, amber light. To many it seems familiar, and rightly so: during the Renaissance it was often used as the backdrop for the paintings of the masters. The rustic Tuscan farmhouse, made of local stone and set atop a hill flanked by lines of cypress trees, is a sight unique to Tuscany and accurately reflects the situation of the house at Casa della Vista. Silent medieval hilltowns, with their fortified castle walls and church steeples visible in the distance, are a part of the landscape: San Gimignano, Volterra, Montepulciano, Cortona. Tuscany's olive groves yield some of the world's finest extra virgin olive oil, but the heart of the region is in its vineyards, particularly the Chianti Classico, where you can visit fattorie (wine estates), to sample and purchase their wines.

In Tuscany there is huge emphasis on food and the family. Most Tuscan meals begin with crostini, slices of bread that are lightly toasted and topped with anything from chicken liver to myrtle to olive paste; acquacotta, a thin vegetable soup, and panzanella, a soup made from leftover bread soaked in vinegar and vegetables are among the many bread-based soups. Simplicity and flavour are the guiding principles of Tuscan cooking: pasta, served with a sauce of vegetables or meat; salviata, an omelette with fresh sage; or lesso rifatto con le cipolle, a stew of leftover boiled beef smothered in long-simmered onions, are classic embodiments of this philosophy.

Finally wine - Vin Santo is one of the region's renowned sweet wines, often served with cantuccini di Prato, dry almond cookies, for dipping. Among the other great wines of Tuscany are Tignanello, Sassacaia, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and the famous Brunello di Montaleino.

The Pescia / Sorana area

Sorana is situated along the valley north of Pescia known as the Dieci Castella region. This takes it's names from the 10 villages that line the valley hills and hilltops, each of which has a church with bell tower. During medeival and in more recent periods of upheaval like the second world war the towers acted as prime lookout posts for defence of the area

There are some beautiful places to visit in the Pescia valley and surrounding area in Northern Tuscany and Casa della Vista is the ideal location to use as a base from which to venture out or to relax and enjoy the fabulous views and perfect weather in summer. Alternatively you can relax in the shadow of the olive groves, cooling off in the pool or nip down to Chiesa Uzzano, near the Autostrada for a day at the Don Carlos water park

Local villages such as Vellano, Fibialla, Castlevecchio, Aramo, San Quirico, Collodi and Medicina can all be explored on foot from the old mule tracks that run from right outside the front door of the house or the historic walled city of Lucca is only a 30 minute drive

Florence is about an hour's drive, if you want to risk the hairy Italian city traffic or the rail link from Pescia is regular and reliable and will allow you to take in the scenery across the rolling north Tuscan hills

Perhaps the best way to experience the hospitable local people and their culture is to dine in the local restaurants or visit the Saturday market in Pescia. At the bottom of the hill leading up to Sorana village is Trattoria Da Sandrino, which serves a marvellous array of local produce including various game dishes, wild boar, the best fillet steak you will ever taste and the world-famous Sorana beans. Another dish not to be missed is the 'Pollo Arrosto', or roast chicken, at the Pescia 'Mercato' on Saturday morning, but don't be late as they stop serving at about 1230!

The whole area around Pistoia is rich in the history of Italian culture and famous names. You can visit the birthplaces of Leonardo da Vinci and Puccini or take in many festivals, markets and other gatherings across the region. Not many of the locals speak English, so a smattering of Italian or a good phrasebook are essential!!

How to get there

Casa della Vista What's nearby: Attractions Restaurants Click map icons for more information

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Fly to Pisa or Florence from most UK airports

Cheap flights available from Ryanair or EasyJet to Pisa or Meridiana to Florence. There is also a British Airways service from London Heathrow or Gatwick.

Casa della Vista is only an hour from either Pisa or Florence airport

Easy driving directions from Autoroute A11 between Pisa and Florence - available from the owner when you book

Regular train service from airport to local town of Pescia near the house

Bus or taxi transfers from Pescia to Sorana if required

Activities near Pescia

Reviews

Review: 1 to 3 of 6

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02 Oct 2012

“A perfect Tuscan holiday” We stayed at Casa della Vista in July, and we'll most definitely be back. The owner had reservations originally about the size of our group, he didn't want us to be too cramped as there... more

05 Sep 2012

“Just what I hoped a stay in the Tuscan mountains would be ......idyllic!” What you read about this property is what you get (and more!) As a family we wanted to stay in a very 'local' area to get a true feel of Tuscany, but also wanted to be able to visit other... more

16 Jul 2012

“Fabulous Stay at Casa Della Vista” If you want a taste of genuine Tuscan life in tranquil surroundings with stunning views where you can relax and chill out to the max, be sure to book Casa Della Vista. This small rustic... more

Review: 1 to 3 of 6

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Review: 4 to 6 of 6

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05 Jun 2012

“Romantic and Idyllic” I go back to Casa della Vista on a regular basis since first going there in 2007. My favourite time of the year is either spring or autumn, I have not been in summer yet, but am most certainly... more

08 May 2012

“Great place to get away from the fast pace of modern life.” Landing at Pisa airport & following the directions provided, the journey took approx. 40/50mins & was very easy to follow. As the owner states the path is a little steep in places, I believe that a new path will be constructed at the end of April/beginning of May (so the locals inform us). The villa had all that we required to use as a base. We found a lovely place to eat at the bottom of the hill called Sandrino's - O MY GOD the food is out of this world, the staff/owner are most friendly & we would have paid twice as much in the UK for this meal. The nearest town is Pescia & we found a little market on Saturday in the main square/ with some very nice shops & caffas. You can also catch the train from Pescia to Florence (Firenze in Italy) - approx 3 trains every hour at a cost of 10.40€ return. When you return the trains to catch are Lucca or Viareggio, again 3 trains every hour. I would also recommend a trip to Lucca which is a wall city/town which is 20/25mins away from Pescia. This is the place for anyone wanting to get of the beaten track & have a real tuscan experience. The village is small, & beautiful for an evening stroll. But the thing we will take away from this villa is sitting outside on the terrace in the afternoon/evening with a nice bottle of wine enjoying the views down, up & across the valley. I can't wait to come back.

05 Oct 2011

“Superb Location, Friendly Village” The property is in a very private location, superb for a get away from it all break. The village is lovely, the locals very friendly and a great regular bus service down to the nearest town Pescia. The property is great, but small and quite cramped for 5 people. It is directly joining two derelict properties. The pool is not 25' long and did not have a working filter, and was not that clean. It was a small ground top pool. There is a stand alone air conditioning unit in one room only, the downstairs living room ( which doubles up as one of the bedrooms). You had to lead the outlet pipe out of one of the windows, which had to remain open, which made the aircon much less effective. I would not say the location is suitable for young children unless you want to spend the holiday following them around as the olive grove was overgrown and a very steep drop down the hill near the pool and patio areas. The mule track was overgrown in summer and we were advised not to walk down it by the locals, due to snakes and wild boar. The terms and conditions on booking stated that the electricity was very fragile in times of high demand. However, we experienced the trip switch fusing every time we used the bathroom or had a shower, several times a day/night. We have alerted the owner to this as there appears to be a problem on the circuit. The cooker handle was broken which created a problem when we tried to cook something as the door of the oven heated up to a very high temperature, quite dangerous. There was not enough seating for 4 of us outside for al fresco dining. we had to use one of the deck chairs, which was unsuitable. We have let theowner know all of the above and having said all that, we had a super holiday in a fantastic location and a rustic Tuscan farmhouse with its quirky charm. We are the adventurous type so managed to overcome the above niggles, but for those who maybe require a bit of luxury, you might be frustrated. Response: The dimensions of the pool have been changed on the description to 15' by 8' - thanks for pointing this out. this size of pool is still plenty big enough to accommodate a family of 4 splashing around. If the filter issue had been reported, we coud have fixed it - not having a working filter will make it difficult to keep the pool clean. We have found that the air conditioning unit is more than adequate to keep that room cool during the hot summer. We have never had any trouble with young children staying at the property and our experience is that the olive groves provide great adventures for them. We will make sure that the tracks past the house are strimmed in future but there has never been an issue with anyone being attacked by snakes or wild boar. However, as described in the house summary, it is located in a hillside village in northern Tuscany. If local wildlife is not something guests are comfortable with, then this is not the property for them. The electricity has been checked and circuit breakers replaced and the cooker handle repaired. There are four chairs in the under house storeroom and four more wooden chairs in the house which can be moved outside when there are more than 4 guests dining. There should be no need to try and use a deckchair. The house is not described as 'a luxury villa' - it is a rustic Tuscan farmhouse. As most of our guests find, it is the location and quiet which enables people to have a calm, relaxing holiday. Thank you for the rest of your comments

Review: 4 to 6 of 6

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Rental prices

Prices for group size 5
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Low Season	9 Sep 12	23 Dec 12	335£ 335	-	-	3 Nights
High Season	23 Dec 12	6 Jan 13	495£ 495	85£ 85	85£ 85	3 Nights
Low Season	6 Jan 13	27 Mar 13	375£ 375	70£ 70	70£ 70	3 Nights
High Season	27 Mar 13	7 Apr 13	495£ 495	85£ 85	85£ 85	3 Nights
Mid Season	7 Apr 13	14 Jul 13	415£ 415	80£ 80	80£ 80	3 Nights
High Season	14 Jul 13	8 Sep 13	495£ 495	-	-	1 Week
Mid Season	8 Sep 13	20 Oct 13	415£ 415	80£ 80	80£ 80	3 Nights
Low Season	20 Oct 13	22 Dec 13	350£ 350	65£ 65	65£ 65	3 Nights
High Season	22 Dec 13	5 Jan 14	495£ 495	-	-	1 Week

The property's weekend rates apply to: Saturday and Sunday nights

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

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Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here