Tuscan Farmhouse

Having been steeped in style at the John Lewis Partnership for many years, British couple, Di and Leigh decided to channel their passion for beautiful interiors in a new direction and, in 2004, turned their attention to property development. By 2008 the couple were ready for a new challenge abroad and they threw themselves into the renovation of 17th century 'Tuscan Farmhouse' into a luxury 5-bedroom villa in the dreamy Tuscany hills. Di and Leigh now spend most of the year close by, lovingly making little tweaks to the house and garden, being on hand for guests and buzzing around on their Vespas.

'Tuscan Farmhouse' is over 350 years old and brimming with gorgeous original features, from chunky beamed, wood ceilings and exposed stone walls to the traditional tiled kitchen, but the couple have also lavished a whole lot of love on the interior and furnishings to transform the rambling, rustic farmhouse into a luxurious, stylish villa. Like music to BFB ears, Di and Leigh are especially passionate that holidays with children should be every bit as relaxing, indulgent and enjoyable as any other, and the couple have thoughtfully designed and equipped the villa to delight families with tiddlers to teenagers.

Little guests have a play room all of their own at 'Tuscan Farmhouse', with a big chest full of toys, games puzzles and teddies, as well as a train set and a black/white board, plus mum or dad can get comfy on a chaise longue to watch them play, or sip cappuccino at a bistro table. Older children have a cool games room to hang out in too, with a PS2 console and games, table tennis, table football and a pool table. Families can come together in no less than three lounges, to play classic board games by a roaring fire, curl up with a book in a cosy library or watch Sky TV, or one of the 500+ DVD’s, snuggled down in super soft sofas.

Tuscany is famous for its food and wine so cooking and dining at the villa is very much a pleasure here, from using the superb local produce to rustle up in delicious family dishes in the fabulous farmhouse kitchen, to long leisurely mealtimes, both inside and out. All five bedrooms are simply stunning and conducive to a good night’s sleep, with wrought iron beds and lush linen, plus one of the double rooms really has the wow factor with the bed in a huge, exposed stone inglenook.

To soak up the Tuscany sunshine and gaze on the iconic scenery, the terraced garden at the villa sheer bliss. On the first terrace children can play on a lawn area while parents watch on from the paved dining patio with a pergola for shade, then on the second terrace there’s a small olive grove and a romantic bench for two, to admire the views in the shade of a gnarly oak. A heated swimming pool in on terrace three, safely fenced and sheltered by the landscaped borders, with loungers for grown ups, pool toys for the children, plus a dining table and barbecue in the shade of a pergola. The fourth terrace is the vegetable garden which guests are welcome to raid and children will especially love plucking and popping in the sun ripened tomatoes and super sweet strawberries. The fifth terrace is set up for outdoor fun with a sand pit, swings and a slide in a play area plus space for badminton, skittles, boules and Nerf gun battles. For creative kids, art and craft sessions can also be arranged with the owners at €25 per hour for two children.

Accommodation overview

'Tuscan Farmhouse' was built way back in 1650 as a big rambling farmhouse, set out over three floors, with the main entrance up an external stone staircase to the first floor, which is the traditional way in Tuscany. Today the villa provides plenty of space for 11+ family and friends, plus two babies, with 5 bedrooms, 3 lounges, 3 bath/shower-rooms, a huge dining kitchen, a play room and games room. All 5 bedrooms have space for a cot and two travel cots are available.

The lower floor comprises the games room, library ‘snug’, wine cellar and one of the bedrooms. The large games room, with a beamed ceiling and funky pop artwork on the stone walls, has table tennis, table football, a pool table and a PS2 console with games. The cosy library has over 350 books on the shelves, a leather corner sofa to curl up in and a writing desk to set up a laptop and log into the Wi Fi. The double bedroom, with a wrought iron bed, has an ensuite shower with a washbasin and WC. The vaulted wine cellar has a superb selection of wines from Tuscany and around the world that are available for guests to buy.
The first floor comprises the large kitchen dining room, a separate breakfast room, a king-size bedroom and the main family bathroom. With home-cooking so central to Tuscany family life, the traditional farmhouse kitchen is the heart of the house, with a big open fireplace, a magnificent dining table for 10 (plus 2 high chairs are available) and beautiful tiled work surfaces. A large fridge freezer, drinks fridge and a microwave is in the separate pantry and a utility room has a washing machine, dishwasher, iron and ironing board along, plus hairdryer, torch and first aid kit. The kitchen opens onto a pretty, covered patio with a dining table that seats 10 and a barbecue. A breakfast room doubles as a small lounge with a bistro table that seats 4, a chaise longue, log fire, chess and other board games. The bedroom on the first floor has a king-size wrought iron bed and a balcony with seating for 6 and there is also a shower room with a washbasin, bidet and WC.
The top floor of the villa comprises the main lounge, three bedrooms and the family bathroom. The lounge is very large and comfortable, with a big, squashy L-shaped sofa, a single sofa bed, coffee table, flat screen TV with Sky+ and Sky Sports, a DVD player with 500 DVD’s to choose from and Wi Fi. Two of the bedrooms have king size wrought iron beds and one of these has an additional single bed. The other bedroom has twin single wrought iron beds. The family bathroom has a bath, shower, washbasin, bidet and WC.
The villa stands in approximately three quarters of an acre of terraced gardens with stunning views. The gardens include lawns and play areas, a heated swimming pool, outdoor dining and a vegetable patch with tomatoes, strawberries, courgettes and apples for guests to pick in season.