Tuscan Villa with Pool, Artist’s Studio, Spectacular Views
Location
The property, at 550 meters above sea level in the foothills of the Pratomagno range, is located at 3 kilometers from the town of Loro Ciuffenna in the Tuscan province of Arezzo.
Near Loro Ciuffenna in the Arno Valley are the historical riverside towns of Montevarchi, San Giovanni Valdarno (birthplace of the artist Masaccio) and Terranuova Bracciolini (home of the eminent humanist Poggio Bracciolini). The Valdarno towns are also centers of commerce and industry, chiefly fashion. They offer a complete range of services, including a large modern medical center.
The Autostrada del Sole, Italy’s main north-south tollway, crosses the valley as do high-speed trains linking Florence and Rome. Towns and villages in the valley are jewels of Renaissance art and architecture. Buses provide frequent transport to points throughout the area.
Florence is 50 kilometers away (reachable via the Autostrada A1 Valdarno exit, 12 km away). Arezzo lies 30 km to the southeast, Siena 55 km to the southwest. The vineyards of Chianti Classico lie within a 30-minute drive.
The hamlet of Oliveto, named for its olive groves, is surrounded by woods of oak, chestnut, ilex and Mediterranean brush. It consists of several stone houses and a lovely old chapel. Adjacent hiking trails lead to the Pratomagno mountain range and forests noted for wildlife and mushrooms.
In the valley below Oliveto are canyons called le Balze. The cliffs and pinnacles, covered by woods, provide an inviting stretch of green as a foreground to the magnificent views.
The location is viewable on Google Earth at 43°36’02.50” N, 11°36’55.70” E. Link to location on Google Earth
Florence, Siena, Arezzo and the Heart of Tuscany
From Loro Ciuffenna, Florence can be reached in an hour by car or train. The world center of Renaissance art has innumerable attractions beyond the Uffizi Galleries, Michelangelo’s David and the shops of the Ponte Vecchio. An hour drive to the southeast is Siena, city of the Palio horserace, where archetypes of art and architecture abound in the streets and piazzas around the monumental Duomo. Arezzo, 30 kilometers away, is the home of the poet Petrarch and the painter and historian Giorgio Vasari. Born nearby were Michelangelo and Piero della Francesca, whose frescoes in various churches have become the targets of pilgrimages by art lovers.
Loro Ciuffenna lies on the eastern edge of what is often described as the Heart of Tuscany. Noted attractions within these gorgeous hills include San Gimignano of the many towers, the famous wine towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano, and the Etruscan capital of Chiusi. Within easy reach of Loro Ciuffenna are such noted places as Cortona, Pienza, Panzano in Chianti, Badia a Coltibuono and Castello di Brolio. Each village in the heartland boasts gems of art and architecture, inviting hotels and agri-tourist farms, trattorie and osterie specializing in foods that are often unique to the locality.