Balconata 4

Elegant villa and private garden in a stylishly renovated Tuscan borgo

Nice little touches

  • The swimming pool is truly enormous, swimming in here is a delight.

Good to know

  • Heating and A/C to be paid directly to the owner.
  • This property is subject to a cautionary deposit of € 500, which should be handed over in cash or via credit card to the owner or her representative at the start of your holiday.

Close to Florence, on the slopes of the Apennine hills, a skilled architect has transformed a group of ancient farm buildings into beautiful and elegant dwellings. Balconata is set close to the central piazza, with an independent garden and easy access to the enormous and glorious 20 metre square swimming pool.

The interiors are spacious and airy, both bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and the whole house is air-conditioned. Great attention has been paid to every detail, making a stay here a delight. The estate, that still functions as a Tuscan wine and oil producer, alos has its own private restaurant and private concierge, making you feel very well looked after indeed.

Accommodation

One of the first houses encountered upon entering the Borgo, Balconata is also one of the most popular, perhaps because of its private garden, buffered from life in the central piazza by greenery and an attractive stone wall that rises to the level of the balcony. Entrance to the house is via a door near the hamlet well that opens to a small entryway with sliding doors to two double bedrooms, each with garden access and an ensuite bathroom. Both bedrooms are beautifully finished off with stylish fabrics and country antiques, while bathrooms feature twin sinks and travertine stonework.

A stairway from the entry hall leads up to the kitchen, whose clean lines and modern appliances blend well with the beams and original flooring which frame it. An open doorway leads on to the spacious sitting/dining room that spans the width of the house. At one end there is a round marble-topped dining table for four near French doors that open to a balcony overlooking the garden; at the other end, two sofas are bathed in light from two French doors leading to a generous wrap-around balcony overlooking the estate’s central piazza. The balcony extends and gently follows the path leading down to the garden.

Features

Villa Details

  • Swimming pool
  • Free wifi
  • Air conditioning in the bedrooms
  • Private gardens

Bedrooms and Bathrooms

  • 2 double bedrooms
  • 2 ensuite bathrooms
  • Hairdryer

Kitchen equipment

  • Coffee maker (american and italian)
  • Dishwasher
  • Kettle
  • Oven
  • Microwave (on request)
  • Toaster

Amenities

  • Portable fans available on request
  • Baby bed and high chair
  • Television (satellite)
  • Plenty of shared space in main estate
  • The billiard hall is equipped with a gaming table for cards, chess or board games
  • Renaissance open fireplace in the billiard hall and several wood stoves in the library. fireplace in the house is not to be used.
  • Furnished outdoor areas in private garden

What's included

  • Daily cleaning (1 hr/day, excluding sunday), with mid-week linen change, included
  • Final cleaning included
  • Pool towels provided

Extras on request

  • Airport transfers available on request. guided hiking tour available on request
  • Home-grown produce virgin olive oil, vin santo, zolfini beans
  • Air-conditioning in bedrooms, extra
  • English-speaking babysitter, available on request
  • Restaurant on-site, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on request; must be booked in advance.
  • Extra linen change available on request

Outdoors

  • Wine-tasting on-site available in the enoteca; hiking/wine tasting tour available.
  • Swimming pool 10 x 20 metres

Nearby

  • Tennis courts at castelfranco di sopra, 10 km or montevarchi, 10 km
  • 18-hole golf course at circolo del golf dell ugolino in grassina, 30 km
  • Horse riding at stables near reggello, 7 km
  • Bike rental in figline valdarno, 10 km. - rental and excursions can be arranged on prior request
  • Nearest restaurants in pian de scò and reggello, 5-12 mins.

Photos

Click on any photo to enter gallery

Where is Balconata ?

Getting here

  • Florence Airport: under 1hr
  • Pisa Airport: 1hr 30 min
  • Rome Airport: 2 hrs 45 mins

Around Balconata

Borgo Rinnovato is perfectly located to discover why Tuscany has been and remains a destination of choice. Being in the Valdarno, the wide valley through which the Arno River meanders, Florence, the famed city that straddles it immediately comes to mind. Leaving your car at the Figline or San Giovanni Valdarno free station lots, hourly direct trains will easily bring you to the heart of this Renaissance treasure chest where world-famous museums, frescoed churches, graceful bridges and historic piazzas are all accessible on foot, with sustaining gelato stops along the way of course.

The road south arrives at another major Tuscan city, Arezzo. Believed to have been one of the 12 most important Etruscan cities and always a center of commerce, still today Arezzo’s artisans and merchants enliven its medieval center, especially on the first Sunday of the month and the previous Saturday when its Antiquarian Fairs fill the streets with ‘treasures’. June and September visitors delight in Piazza Grande’s costumed Saracen Joust, while visitors the year round seek out the splendid frescoes of Piero della Francesca.

If bustling historic cities and a church too many begin to fatigue, there are other options. Designer outlets are half an hour away for those whose preferences lean to Italian styling and a good bargain. And in less than an hour winding cypress-lined roads through the Chianti region lead to small towns such as Gaiole, Greve or Radda in Chianti, known world-wide for what fills a wine glass and the delicious food that accompanies it.

Should small-scale exploration suit you best, head to nearby Loro Ciuffenna, a delightful medieval town built around a Romanesque bridge spanning the mountain torrent that powered the many water mills producing chestnut flour. Though the mills have ceased to flow, there are charming restaurants, an art museum dedicated to a native son Venturino Venturi and only 1 km out of town in Gropina the impressive Pieve di San Pietro, the oldest (774 A.D.), best preserved Romanesque parish church in Tuscany.

Yet even before hopping into the car to go exploring, the estate’s wooded panorama, reaching as high as the Pratomagno mountains, may well inspire guests to follow paths through their 800 hectares. Or perhaps join a guided hike and wine tasting tour through the nearby village of Castelfranco whose dramatic landscape and colourful eroded shapes, the ‘Balze’, featured in the background of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’. Certainly, with stables nearby and bikes easily arranged, life in the slow lane is a wonderful way to discover your surroundings, and with a beautiful house as your base and a restorative pool at hand, a Tuscan holiday will soon find its rightful rhythm.

Nearby

  • Private Restaurant on-site (must be booked)
  • Bar, restaurants, supermarkets in pian di scò, 5 min. and san giovani valdarno 20 mins
  • Shops and trains in san giovanni valdarno, 20 min, and figline valdarno, 17 min, with free parking and direct line to florence hourly
  • Weekly markets in Figline valdarno 17 min and montevarchi 1/2 hr
  • Prada outlet and the mall outlet stores in incisa, 1/2 hr.
  • Loro ciuffena 16 km, chianti villages 50 min
  • Florence 45 min, arezzo 50 min, rapolano spas, 1 hr & siena around 75 min

Sleeps: 4
From € 401 per day

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Calendar for Balconata

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How to book

Is Balconata perfect for you?

For availability and pricing see the calendar above. If you have any questions or would like help choosing, we visit our properties regularly and can help you choose and book the best villa for your holidays.

We can hold dates for you for 48 hours while you make sure everything lines up, then you simply pay the deposit (30% of total) to secure your booking. The balance will then be due 10 weeks before you travel. You can also add "Booking Protect" to your booking for a full refund if you can't travel.

For more details see our Booking Conditions and Booking Protect. You can add Booking Protect to your booking at any time until you have paid your balance, simply ask your agent.

Worth knowing

Many local administrations now charge a “Tourist Tax” for people staying in rented accommodation and these vary from town to town. The charges are generally per person per night with a maximum number of nights, usually around 5 but sometimes 7, beyond which they will not charge. The charges range between 50 cents to 3 euro. Children are sometimes included, sometimes not and these charges should be collected by the property owners.

Not sure?

It can often be faster to contact us to ask for advice - we visit all the houses so can give you first hand advice based on your wishlist. Once you find a villa you like we can hold dates for you for up to 48 hours while you check flights or make sure everybody is on board.

Any more questions?

Please ring us with any queries - there are a lot of answers in our FAQ page too. If you want to keep searching, have a look at our suggestions below!

Booking Notes

  • Final Cleaning costs are to be paid on site.