La Casermetta is a beautifully restored old farmhouse tucked away in the Chianti hills, only a short drive to Florence. Built on the site of an 11th century Roman military outpost, the house was a partial ruin before it was restored, some years ago, with close attention to detail and the help of a scrupulous Florentine architect. Since then it has been our much loved family home in Tuscany.
The house comfortably accommodates up to twelve people in two separate areas. La Casermetta, the main house upstairs, has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and level access to the private, fenced garden. La Cantinetta, the apartment in the restored cellars below the main house, has two bedrooms and 1 bathroom.
La Casermetta (140 sq. m) has 3 double bedrooms, 1 single bedroom and 3 bathrooms. Two of the double bedrooms have en-suites (with showers) and the third shares the main bathroom (bath with shower over) with the little loft single room upstairs.
The Wi-Fi is excellent.
The kitchen is a generous space at the heart of the house with full-sized appliances (fridge, oven, gas hob, dishwasher). The washing machine is tucked neatly under the stairs.
The large combined dining and living area features high oak beamed ceilings and an open fireplace.
The garden looks across the Arno valley towards the Vallombrosa Monastery, nestled in the oak and pine woodlands of the central Apennines. There is plenty of space for outdoor dining and relaxing on the lawn in the summer.
There is additional power supply to the whole house, good reliable plumbing and strong water pressure throughout. All windows have screens and internal cypress shutters. Central heating keeps the house warm and cosy in the winter and in summer its 400 m elevation promotes refreshing breezes, while thick stone walls help keep the interior cool.
La Cantinetta (90 sq. m), has one double bedroom, one single bedroom and one bathroom.
Wi-Fi is excellent.
The apartment occupies the oldest part of the house, and is restored in a similar style to the main house with quality finishes.
The kitchen has a fridge, oven and dishwasher. There’s a separate dining area, and a large, comfortable lounge room. The washing machine is in the bathroom, where the little window from the shower (over the bath) has a pretty view across the valley.
The apartment is centrally heated, so it’s cosy in the colder months, while in summer it always stays beautifully cool.
La Cantinetta has its own little dining terrace beside the front door.
The apartment can be completely separate from the house above, as it has its own entrance and driveway. Alternatively, the apartment can be reached via a utility staircase between the billiard room and the upstairs utility room.
Additional Areas
Billiard Room
Cantina
Loggia
Utility store rooms x 2 (ripostigli)
Garden / Grounds
The olive grove has 100 mature trees. In addition to the garden, there are 2 hectares of bushland (much of it steep and unsuitable for cultivation).
Our local village is San Polo in Chianti. It is a small, friendly place, a very real Tuscan town, not a tourist hub. La Casermetta is 3.5 km above the village of San Polo in Chianti, reached by a curvy country road shared with a small community of local people and sometimes tourists. Most properties, like ours, are hidden away amongst the cypress trees giving a sense of solitude, even though the village is quite close.
San Polo in Chianti has a supermarket, a chemist, a laundromat, a post office, a bar/tabacchi, a circolo, an edicola, a bus stop, a petrol station, a bank with ATM, a small weekly produce market, and plenty of restaurants nearby.
Ten kilometres north towards Florence is Grassina with many shops and boutiques, elegant bars and pasticcerie, and services such as dry cleaners and medical practitioners.
Ten kilometres south is Figline Valdarno which has a huge COOP supermarket and a large, popular market every Tuesday.
There are marked singletracks for mountain-bike riders through the woodlands around the property where chestnut tree-lined trails offer magic glimpses of the Florentine countryside to the north, and views across the Valdarno to the south, and proximity to challenging cross-country routes around the iconic Greve in Chianti wine region.
There are charming walks around the house along chestnut shaded tracks, one leading to a sudden, unexpected view of Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence.
Our own land abounds with interesting vegetation and fauna such as deer, wild boar, woodpeckers and porcupines. Keen-eyed locals scour the woods on weekends for herbs, asparagus, funghi porcini or chestnuts, all plentiful in these hills at different times of year, although the experts are always first to find the truffles.
The nearby Chiantigiana, which links Florence and Siena, meanders through the pretty heart of Chianti wine country, with a feast of iconic towns and sites along the way, including Greve, Badia a Passignano, Panzano, Radda and Volpaia. La Casermetta is also convenient to the Superstrada and Autostrada (access points both 10km north and 10km south). These main arteries lead to places such as San Gimignano, Arezzo, Pisa, Monteriggioni, Bologna and Cinque Terre.
Excellent road and public transport access to Florence.
Close to popular outlet shopping (including The Mall in Leccio).
Proximity to excellent wine routes and cantine.
Perfect location for cross country mountain biking around the Chianti slopes and ranges. La Casermetta is ideally positioned for enthusiasts.