Listed by Apolloni & Blom
Stone farmhouse (formerly amilitary watchtower) with breathtaking views with land, for sale in San Casciano Val di Pesa, Florence. The farmhouse is surrounded by one hectare (2.5 acres) of olive grove and grove.
The tower was founded in 1100 as a military watchtower, in a strategic point overlooking the valley of the river Pesa, was of fundamental importance in the many battles between Florence and Siena. In the following centuries it was enlarged and transformed into a nunnery. There is talk of an ancient underground tunnel connecting the convent to the nearby Pieve di S.Giovanni in Sugana. It was bought in the seventeenth century by the noble Florentine family and later the Corsini princes transformed it into a farm. Even today they are appreciated: the ancient porch, the well and the oven built at the beginning of the 1400s, the elegant internal arches, an imposing oak wood press to make oil.
The castle-convent dominates 360 degrees, with its 310 meters of altitude, one of the most beautiful valleys of Chianti, that of the river Pesa that crosses quietly the gentle and characteristic Tuscan hills, bordered by a relaxing and romantic walkway through woods and meadows. The noble building is made with ancient techniques, using river pebbles and is harmonized with vineyards and olive groves that surround it, all enriched by a rich fauna.
We are in the ambitious land of Chianti Classico, a wine known and appreciated all over the world for its aromas and flavors. Inside you can admire an ancient portico supported by slender columns and elegant capitals in pietra serena, is a splendid living room, a large internal terrace, from which we can enjoy a breathtaking view and enchanting sunsets behind the beautiful peaks of the Apuan Alps.
In 1983 the new owners carried out a meticulous conservative restoration. The interior rooms have striking features: the bathroom built inside the ancient tower is considered in its kind the most beautiful in Italy; the three cellars with the vaulted stone ceiling can also be used as splendid taverns; the tinaia with capitals and original oak beams has large niches where the great vats were once placed; 7 are the fireplaces that heat and give life to the various rooms, passing their history with the coats of arms of the noble families (others can be realized); The property is a very solid structure, on two floors, consisting of five apartments, a tinaia, two taverns, three cellars, a large terrace and the common area. 37 rooms of which 27 meticulously restored with original Tuscan original material, 9 partially renovated (made of floors and roofs).
The first apartment, about 500 sqm, includes four bedrooms, three living rooms with fireplaces, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a cellar, two terraces, a cloister and a loggia. The second, of about 185 sqm, consists of a large living room with fireplace, a kitchen with fireplace, a closet room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two corridors and a cellar. At the third apartment of about 200sqm we find a bathroom and two fireplaces. The fourth and fifth apartments are partially or totally restored and are respectively 115 and 70 sqm. The 56 sqm trio, the 48sqm tavern and the smallest 28 sqm tavern are partially restored areas.
The materials are original and typical Tuscan, such as exposed wooden beams (oak or chestnut), brick arches, terracotta floors and pietra serena. The location is optimal: last home of a private road, completely independent but not isolated and thanks to the important tourist influx, the property can be used as a single unit or divisible into several apartments with independent entrances and gardens.
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