Apt with view in Renaissance Villa

Charming historical home! Apt is located in an authentic renaissance Manor Villa, surrounded by olive groves. Free Wifi and private parking. Car not necessary. Bus stop to Florence in front of entrance gate. Only 1 km from many shops and restaurants. Supermarket at 1.5 km Ideal location for visiting Tuscany The magnificent living room with stone fireplace and the little chapel with family tombs, as well as the other private rooms can be visited free of charge on request. Located in Impruneta, a medieval village on the edge of the Florentine Chianti Classico area and only 20 minutes from the center of Florence, Apartment Laura is a comfortable and elegant apartment on the second floor of a Renaissance manor villa immersed in the tranquility of the Tuscan countryside and surrounded by olive groves, but still a few minutes walking from any kind of shops and various excellent restaurants. The accommodation has a beautiful view over the garden and the olive groves. Although it is only a one-bedroom apartment, it is very large, about 65 square meters, and consists of: • Living room with kitchen, table with 4 chairs, sofa, flat-screen TV and washing machine. • Large bedroom with double bed and double sofa bed, • Bathroom with shower, Antique terracotta floors and high hand decorated ceilings. Most of the apartment pieces of furniture and paintings are antiques and belong to the family collection. Rooms are very large and walls are over 50 centimeters thick, as was once customary in the noble’s houses to ensure cool even in the hottest summers. In the villa's large garden you will find a table and chairs for outdoor dining and deckchairs to relax in the greenery. If you don't mind walking a little to go out for dinner or do the groceries, a car is not absolutely necessary. The Villa is located less than 1 km from town’s main square, where you will find any kind of shops, delis and butchers, excellent restaurants, several cafes, two patisseries, two pharmacies, three ATMs and, a little further, a provided supermarket. On Saturday mornings the weekly market is held in the main square. The secondary town’s square is an ample free parking 24/7 and in the middle of it there is the main bus stop for the nearby city of Florence (12 Km). Another stop is located right in front of our entrance gate. The frequency of the rides is variable. Early in the morning, from 6.00 am to 9.00 am, buses pass on average every 20-30 minutes, they thin out in the central part of the morning to concentrate again from 12.00 to 15.00. During the afternoon, to return from Florence, a ride runs approximately every hour until 8.20pm. The last ride arrives in Impruneta around 9.00 pm. (More info about buses to Florence can be found in the following section called “Other things to note” ). For those coming by car, Villa Saladini is in an ideal position to fully enjoy all that Tuscany has to offer. Besides being very close to Florence (info about parking in Florence in the following section called “other things to note), it is located at the beginning of the Florentine Chianti area , 3 km from the famous wine route, called the "Chiantigiana". Medieval villages, olive trees and vineyards are everywhere. Farms where you can buy wine and extra virgin olive oil, or take a tour with tasting, can be found by the hundreds in the surroundings. The villa is also perfect as a starting point for visiting Tuscany. We are located at about 6 km on a comfortable provincial road from the "Firenze - Impruneta" exit of the A1 motorway and from the start of the highway that connects Florence with Siena. From here you can easily reach all the places of cultural interest and the most beautiful places in Tuscany, such as: • Siena: 60 km - 1 hour • Pisa 100 km - 1 hour and 30 minutes • Lucca: 90 km - 1 hour • Pistoia: 50 km - 45 minutes • Arezzo: 80 km - 1 hour and also San Casciano Val di Pesa (12 km), Greve in Chianti (15 km), Certaldo (36 km), Colle Val d'Elsa (40 km), San Gimignano (45 km), and the renowned spa town of Montecatini Terme (60 km) Villa Saladini is an ideal place to relax surrounded by a beautiful environment, but also an excellent base for visiting Florence, the beautiful Chianti countryside and the most fascinating places in Tuscany. You will love it!! Our guests have full access to the whole property, which includes two large sunny lawns, a big shady area under pine trees and orchads, 6 hectars of olive groves and over 20 hectars of forest. In the forest, down the hill, there also is a water source. Ask us and we will tell you how to reach it. In the garden you will find table and chairs and deck chairs for your relax. The Villa elegant dining room with fireplace is open to guests having breakfast and/or dinner, while the Villa main Hall, full of history and charme, the small chapel and other private areas of the Villa, can be visited upon request: ask us and we will gladly give you a free tour. Let us introduce ourselves to you: We are Perla and Marco, we are married and live in the Villa with our two children, Bernardo and Beatrice . The Villa belongs to our family for many generations, ever since it was built over 500 years ago and it has a special charm, the entire building is filled with objects of the past, old letters , furniture and paintings collected over the centuries by the family members . We love this place and we will be glad to show it to you ! We do our best to make guests feel as if they were at home . Upon your arrival we will welcome you with Florence and Chianti maps, tourist information including main museums opening hours, discount rates for nearby restaurants, list of wineries for wine tastings, bus timetables, etc. In the hope of meeting all your needs, we have organized to offer various additional services on request: breakfast, homemade dinner, car with driver, Chianti or sightseeing tours, wine tastings, professional cooking lessons (we have an agreement with a cooking school to have a professional chef teaching private lessons in the Villa kitchen), non professional cooking lessons (I can teach you personally how to make homemade pasta), guided Florence tours with a professional guide, shuttle service to/from Florence Airport or train station ... If you are interested in something in particular, just ask and we will give you more details. Impruneta is hill town located between the valleys of the Greve and the Ema streams, about 20 minutes south of Florence. It was known in ancient times as "in prunetis" or "in pineta" (within the pine woods) and indeed beautiful pine forests may still be seen interspersed among the olive groves. The Church of Santa Maria at Impruneta became ever more well-known for the sacred and miraculous effigy of the Madonna housed there. Pilgrims came in large numbers and a famous fair took place and still takes place on the feast of Saint Luke, 18 October. Originally a feast associated with the movement and sale of livestock, it is now celebrated with the cattle fair, country dinners, large market on the streets of the center, fireworks, amusement park and various other activities. A small village important for the production of pottery had developed near the church. The first record of terracotta manufacture dates from 1098 and the production of terracotta tiles, pottery and bricks has continued to flourish to the present time. The church and its treasure, and the pottery kilns and their output are the principal reasons to visit Impruneta. However, there are many other interesting sights in Impruneta and nearby, and throughout the year there are festivals and cultural activities. And if you are interested in castles, Chianti is full of them and they are described in the itineraries of the Chianti Castles route. The Villa is located less than 1 km from the town's main square and from shops and amenities. There is a bus stop to the nearby city of Florence in town (900 meters - a little more than half a mile - 10/12 minutes walk) and there also is a bus stop in front of our entrance gate. The bus ride from the terminus in Impruneta to the terminus in Florence (train station SMN) is 40 minutes long. If you want to visit Florence center you can also choose to drop off at the ancient southern gate to enter Florence center. It is much closer to Pitti Palace, Boboli gardens and Ponte Vecchio and total time on the bus to reach it is 30 minutes. Not all buses stop at our entrance gate, some of them end the ride in Impruneta, 900 meters from our gate. If you prefer not to walk, you can ask us to give you a ride into town by car (we will do it with pleasure) or you can check on the timetable and choose to take one of the buses that arrive at the gate. Obviously you will have less choice, but there still is an ample variety of possibilities: there are a lot of buses in the early morning, at least 3 buses during the rest of the morning, a huge number to come back at lunch time (from 12.20pm to 2.45pm) and other 3 during the afternoon. Only on Sundays it is necessary to walk for 900meters (a little more than half a mile) to reach the bus stop because buses do not arrive at our gate on Sundays and public holidays. As said, we are always available to give you a ride to the bus stop in town if needed, or to come and pick you up there on the way back. We just need to know you need it with a reasonable notice to be able to grant availability. From Monday to Saturday buses run on average every 30-40 minutes and the last ride in the evening arrives in Impruneta around 8.50 pm. On Sundays and public holidays there are very few rides, but still 2 in the morning to leave and 3 in the afternoon to come back at reasonable hours. Buses are perfect for visiting Florence during the day and return in the evening and we will be happy to provide all the necessary information and timetables. We tried to give as many info as possible about buses because it might an important method of transport for you, but we might have forgotten something. If you need any further detail about buses rides, stops and timetable, please send us a message and we will answer you with pleasure. In the nice center of Impruneta there are many very good restaurants and there is also a very famous one a few meters from our entrance gate. It is possible to come back from Florence with any bus (they all stop in town), find a place to have dinner and then a have a 10 minutes walk back home after dinner. If you come by car, Villa Saladini is ideally located as a base to explore Tuscany . We are just 6 km from the exit “Firenze-Impruneta" of the A1 highway and from the beginning of the road which connects Florence to Siena. From here you can easily reach all places of cultural interest and the most beautiful towns in Tuscany, such as: • Siena : 60 km (1 hour) • Pisa 100 km (1 hour and 30 minutes) • Lucca : 90 km (1 hour) • Pistoia : 50 km (45 minutes) • Arezzo : 80 km (1 hour) and also San Casciano Val di Pesa (12 km) , Greve in Chianti ( 15 km) , Certaldo (36 km ), Colle Val d' Elsa (40 km ), San Gimignano (45 km), and the renowned spa town of Montecatini Terme ( 60 km) Villa Saladini is therefore an ideal place to relax surrounded by a beautiful environment, but also an excellent base for visiting Florence, the beautiful Chianti countryside and the most charming towns in Tuscany. You will love it! TO VISIT FLORENCE: If your goal is to visit Florence while enjoying the tranquility of the countryside, the car is not necessary. The Villa is located less than 1 km from the main square of the town and 900 meters from a large square completely used as free parking 24/7. In the parking lot square, easily reachable in 10 minutes on foot, there is the terminus of the bus that connects the town with the nearby city of Florence. For those who do not have their own vehicles and do not like walking, there is also a secondary stop right in front of our entrance gate, even if not all buses come to us. Only on Sundays it is necessary to reach the main stop because the buses do not arrive at our gate on Sundays and public holidays. We will be happy to provide you with all the timetables and we are in any case always available for a transfer to the stop in town, both on the way to and on the way back. Just ask :) The bus ride from the terminus of Impruneta to the terminus in central Florence (Florence SMN train station) takes about 40 minutes. Those wishing to visit the center of Florence can choose to get off before the terminus, at the Porta Romana stop. It is one of the ancient gates open across the walls to access the city center. It is very close to the Boboli Gardens, Palazzo Pitti and the area of artisan shops and antique dealers. It is also about 1 km from the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi. If you prefer to move with your car, the Porta's location is particularly convenient because it can be reached directly from the countryside without entering the heart of the city, thus avoiding the chaos of Florentine traffic. Next to the door there is a paying car park (hourly rate € 2.00). It is also possible to park along the avenue that runs along the old walls, always for a fee. Porta Romana is about 30 minutes by bus and 20 minutes by car. The frequency of the trips is variable. Early in the morning, from 6.00 am to 9.00 am, they pass on average every 20-30 minutes, they thin out in the central part of the morning to concentrate again from 12.00 to 15.00. In the afternoon, to return from Florence, a ride runs approximately every hour until 8.20pm. The last race arrives in Impruneta around 9.00 pm. On Sundays and public holidays there are few daily trips, 10 in all, or 5 in each direction. For those coming by car, Villa Saladini is in an ideal position to fully enjoy all that Tuscany can offer .. Besides being very close to Florence, lmpruneta is located at the beginning of Florentine Chianti, 3 km from the famous wine route, called the "Chiantigiana". Medieval villages and vineyards are everywhere. Farms where you can buy wine and extra virgin olive oil, or for visits and tastings, are found in the hundreds around. The villa is also perfect as a starting point for visiting Tuscany. We are located just 6 km from the "Firenze - Impruneta" exit of the A1 motorway and from the start of the highway that connects Florence with Siena. From here you can easily reach all the places of cultural interest and the most beautiful places in Tuscany, such as: • Siena: 60 km 1 hour • Pisa 100 km 1 hour and 30 minutes • Lucca: 90 km 1 hour • Pistoia: 50 km 45 minutes • Arezzo: 80 km 1 hour and also San Casciano Val di Pesa (12 km), Greve in Chianti (15 km), Certaldo (36 km), Colle Val d'Elsa (40 km), San Gimignano (45 km), and the renowned spa town of Montecatini Terme (60 km) FIERA DI SAN LUCA: Please note that every year, in mid-October, an ancient fair is held in the town, the fair of San Luca. It takes place in the week of October 18, St. Luke's Day. It lasts 9 days (Saturday and Sunday and the entire following week) and is a highly anticipated event, with the cattle fair, country dinners, large market in the downtown streets both food and non-food, fireworks, fun fair and various other activities. A typical country fair. We will be happy to give you the complete program if you wish. You don't have to worry about confusion. The fair takes place mostly in the town center, about 1 km from the villa and no noise is heard from the house (except for Thursday night fireworks). The only drawback is that, due to the market and the amusement park, for the entire period both the bus stop in front of our gate and the bus stop in the city will be moved to another point (about 1, 5 km walk from the apartment). During the fair we will be happy to provide a free shuttle service to the bus stop if you let us know which bus you intend to take, even at short notice.