Holiday Property for Discerning Travellers
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Holiday Property for Discerning Travellers |
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Name Villa Maggi FOR RENT BY THE WEEK Situated a few minutes from the historical
centre of Arezzo.
Property
ID Ref:Villa Maggi
Accommodates 4
large double bedrooms Click on picture for larger view Luxurious, historical renaissance villa surrounded
by high walls with views over vineyards, olive groves and a magnificent
landscape.
Situated a few minutes from the historical
center of Arezzo. Contact & Enquiries Jane Shepherd - Please Quote ref Villa Maggi E-mail Telephone +44 (0) 114 258 3974
San Polo is an archaeological area with important
findings, such as a polychromatic marble arch and several granite
columns dating from the Etruscan period and successively used for
the building of a chapel in the Duomo of Arezzo Set at a height of about 340 metres, San
Polo is several kilometres from the centre of Arezzo. It is the
home of Chianti vineyards, centenarian olive trees and villas. The
climate is dry and in summer a light easterly breeze often cools
evenings spent dining under the wisteria pergola. During the Imperial
age of the Romans it was an agricultural area with two important
farms, lookout towers and both civil and military roads. Villa Maggi, with its romantic park, is situated
between the antique Romanesque church of San Polo and the sixteenth
century Sanctuary of "Madonna del Giuncheto", which was built there
where a water cult brought many women to drink from a source believed
to stimulate maternal milk in those who had none. Villa Maggi is the nineteenth century name
of the antique family of aristocrats and lawyers that owned it for
about two centuries; in fact, the fireplace in the hall bears the
Maggi coat of arms. This coat of arms can be found, with small variations
according to different branches, in many publications concerning
the Italian nobility. During the Renaissance it was called Villa
Ruscelli, from the name of the noble Arezzo family that had many
possessions and who are probably responsible for most of its present
form, especially on the north side. Built upon the remains of a Roman tower,
now incorporated within its walls, the Villa was successively enriched
with architectural and structural elements until the period between
the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the last,
following the example of most Tuscan villas built in layers as a
consequence of growing families, increasingly important public office
and social status. In the grand-ducal Leopold land register
(Leopold I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany) the Villa is registered and assessed
under San Polo with practically the same boundaries as today. As
with other Villas in Arezzo, the domination of the Medici moved
many land register archives to Florence, in particular the "Cabrei",
authentic drawn or painted wonders. Villa Maggi is situated on a high bank surrounded
by a scarp wall, setting it in a position that dominates the surrounding
countryside and the city of Arezzo. These walls extend to the south
and provide a belvedere towards Arezzo and other villas, to the
magnificent late-gothic Duomo and over the gentle slopes of olive
groves, vineyards, and cypress woods that are the distinctive and
dominating symbol of the uncontaminated Tuscan countryside. The Villa walls also form a bulwark, which
is only broken up by the iron gate surmounted by an aristocratic
coat of arms, so that the entrance at the top of the avenue of tall
cypresses brings to mind those villa-castles transformed by its
inhabitants into places of serenity and happiness. In fact, walking
up the inside avenue you come to the romantic wood surrounded by
holm-oaks and cypresses; Pan himself seems to have just left this
place and perhaps if you listen carefully, you will hear him play
his flute for you. During the hot summer hours while enjoying the
cool indoors by the Villa's great walls, you will be able to see
the box-wood hedges in the traditional Italian garden through the
large windows made of antique and perfumed cypress, seen with the
tricks of reflections of water played on the glass. These reflections
come from the swimming pool, built to look like a small fish pond,
which is in harmony with the geometry of and the round marble fountain,
where an shrewed Renaissance putto plays with the Triton and pushes
out jets of water that fall with a gentle sound on the water and
water lilies. The restoration: The meticulous restoration of the Villa was
carried out by its present owners over a period of several years
and was completed in 2001. The house has regained its original splendour
and charm while also being furnished with every possible comfort
for the needs of modern good living. There is a large and comfortable kitchen
which has kept its original fireplace. Three top quality boilers
assure the heating of over 600m2 on two floors, as well as the continuous
supply of hot water for the six bathrooms of the house. On the ground floor there is a hall of about
900m2, a lounge-study of about 40m2 with a magnificent working Renaissance
fireplace, a dining room, furnished for formal dinners, of about
40m2, a bathroom with a shower, and the kitchen with bathroom facilities
for domestic staff. On the top floor there are four bedrooms
of about 40m2 each, all with an en-suite bathroom and garden view;
the rooms take the name of historic events or of the frescoes in
them. We therefore have: the Bishop's Room, with a working
fireplace and 17th century four-poster bed; the Nuptial Room,
with frescoes of landscapes and light blue decorations; the Florentine
Fleurs-de-Lis Room, with floral decorations and the golden lilies
of Florence; and the Four Seasons Room, with corner paintings
of the four seasons and lunettes of the months. The flooring on
the ground floor is waxed terra cotta while that on the top floor
is made of oak floorboards and inlaying. FURNISHINGS Some of the furniture dates from the 18th
century and was especially made for the Villa; other important pieces
originate from between the 16th and 19th century and all is set
off by beautiful paintings on the walls. Every detail has been carefully considered
for the guests' visit: the bed linen is made of satin cotton and
the towels for the bathrooms and swimming pool are of the highest
quality. The refined tablecloths, heavy cutlery,
silverware, crystal glasses and other elegant examples will render
the laid table a harmonious link with the distant past. Distances 30
min. highway to Florence - 20 min. to Cortona - 90 min. higway to
Rome airport
Price list 2003 |
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