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— Gabriela: “There are still a lot of locals here and you feel more a part of the community than being treated as a tourist as in many other parts of Tuscany.”
Interview By: Welcome Beyond
— How would you describe the property?
Gabriela: “It is a 14th century stone construction and was part of a huge estate which stretched from Florence to Arezzo. Back then the barn was used for storing straw and housing animals.
It’s very unusual because the layout is very long and narrow, so when you see it head on, it seems like a huge house, but from another angle, it’s very narrow. When I first saw the roof, it reminded me of a Shanghai tea house more than Tuscan construction.”
It’s very unusual because the layout is very long and narrow, so when you see it head on, it seems like a huge house, but from another angle, it’s very narrow. When I first saw the roof, it reminded me of a Shanghai tea house more than Tuscan construction.”
— Pool
— What was your inspiration to rent it out a room as a bed and breakfast?
Gabriela: “We bought the barn in 2002 and renovated it. My background is in architecture and the arts and I now work in fashion design. My daughter, who was involved in developing the designs for the house, is also an architect.
With our kids all grown, we thought why not share it with people because we put a lot of effort and love into it.”
With our kids all grown, we thought why not share it with people because we put a lot of effort and love into it.”
— View
— How would you describe the style of the house?
Gabriela: “Someone mentioned that it is like new Tuscan, but it’s not very Tuscan. It’s Tuscan on the outside, and we still have it manicured to look like a barn and have the swimming pool looking like an animal’s drinking fountain. It looks like it’s always been there. A modern blue pool next to an old barn would look pretty pretentious. So we kept it quite rustic looking.
On approaching the house, you come from the woods. In the middle of the woods on the clearing on the hill the views are beautiful. It was a challenge to make the gardens not look too planned, so now the woods become the gardens and the gardens become the house.”
On approaching the house, you come from the woods. In the middle of the woods on the clearing on the hill the views are beautiful. It was a challenge to make the gardens not look too planned, so now the woods become the gardens and the gardens become the house.”
—
— And the interior is more modern?
Gabriela: “The best thing about the house are the tiles. They are graniglia tiles and there are 2500 of them. You can normally find them in houses built in the 50s. Each one is different and they were originally used as the border of the tile floor. When someone saved these, they only saved the patterned ones, so our entire floor is made of the patterned tiles. The floor was recreated outside and then brought in one by one. The building didn’t even have a floor when we bought it.
The furniture consists of pieces from the 40s, 50s and 60s as well as some contemporary ones from the end of the last century.”
The furniture consists of pieces from the 40s, 50s and 60s as well as some contemporary ones from the end of the last century.”
— Living area
— What facilities and services do you offer?
Gabriela: “It’s a bed and breakfast with one room which suits two adults. There isn’t really a place for children, although, we could put a traveling cot in there. The guest room is laid out with an original tile pattern, has its own bathroom, a view of the garden and its own entrance.
For breakfast we serve all local, organic produce including our own eggs. We have a local place where we do all our shopping. It offers local produce from local farmers. Nothing comes from farmers further than 25 kilometres.
For dinner, guest go to nearby restaurants. There are great places to eat around here, everything from typical Tuscan to gourmet Tuscan. There are a lot of slow food places, where people really cook for passion.”
For breakfast we serve all local, organic produce including our own eggs. We have a local place where we do all our shopping. It offers local produce from local farmers. Nothing comes from farmers further than 25 kilometres.
For dinner, guest go to nearby restaurants. There are great places to eat around here, everything from typical Tuscan to gourmet Tuscan. There are a lot of slow food places, where people really cook for passion.”
— Living area
— What is so special about the house to you?
Gabriela: “It just has a good vibe. I’m not sure how to describe it, but when I arrive there every day after work, it’s like going on holiday.
It’s very close to all the facilities. We’re an eight minute drive from the train station and 10 minutes from the motorway, and five minutes from a big supermarket. But it feels really secluded. There’s no traffic. We have neighbours nearby, so it’s not totally isolated, but it’s private. But then if you need some retail therapy, we’re only 10 minutes from the Prada outlet.”
It’s very close to all the facilities. We’re an eight minute drive from the train station and 10 minutes from the motorway, and five minutes from a big supermarket. But it feels really secluded. There’s no traffic. We have neighbours nearby, so it’s not totally isolated, but it’s private. But then if you need some retail therapy, we’re only 10 minutes from the Prada outlet.”
—
Gabriela's favourites:
Il Fienile
Transportation
Eat & Drink
Activities
SightsInterview By: Welcome Beyond
— Tell me more about the location please.
Gabriela: “We are in the middle between Florence, Arezzo, and Siena. There are still a lot of locals here and you feel more a part of the community than being treated as a tourist as in many other parts of Tuscany.
It’s also very green and lush here and you can see the mountains of Potomania on the horizon. It’s like a Chianti landscape but greener with a more local feel.
And, of course, I really love Arezzo. The only other place I’d rather be is on the seaside, but that’s too far from work.”
It’s also very green and lush here and you can see the mountains of Potomania on the horizon. It’s like a Chianti landscape but greener with a more local feel.
And, of course, I really love Arezzo. The only other place I’d rather be is on the seaside, but that’s too far from work.”
—
— Is there something you would recommend to see or do in the area?
Gabriela: “There is amazing horseback riding on top of the hills. You can also go for really, really long walks in the hills until you can see Siena.
Rosary Fineschi is here, which is the world’s largest collection of roses, and there is shopping, museums, golfing, wine tasting, all the usual Tuscan stuff. And it’s a great base for going to Florence.”
Rosary Fineschi is here, which is the world’s largest collection of roses, and there is shopping, museums, golfing, wine tasting, all the usual Tuscan stuff. And it’s a great base for going to Florence.”
—
— Is there anything you just have to do that’s not so obvious?
Gabriela: “There’s a beautiful museum of 19th and 20th century sculpture which has been refurbished in Montevarchi. It’s quite a gem. There’s also the studio of famous Swiss ceramicist, Christiane Perrochon. nearby. It’s a lovely place to go visit.
You can go for walks in the hills which served as the background of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. And there’s the best ice cream in Italy only 10 kilometres from us. It reached number one in a lot of opinion polls. It’s called Casia Vetus, in Loro Ciuffena. The pistachios are from a particular place in Sicily grown on the lava soil on the slopes of Mount Etna. There’s a story behind all of the flavours. My favourite is chocolate, pistachio and liquorice, and I don’t even really like liquorice, but the way they make the ice cream is amazing.
That’s what’s wonderful about this region, they keep everything local and seasonal. The markets only offer what’s in season, so you savour the season more.”
You can go for walks in the hills which served as the background of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. And there’s the best ice cream in Italy only 10 kilometres from us. It reached number one in a lot of opinion polls. It’s called Casia Vetus, in Loro Ciuffena. The pistachios are from a particular place in Sicily grown on the lava soil on the slopes of Mount Etna. There’s a story behind all of the flavours. My favourite is chocolate, pistachio and liquorice, and I don’t even really like liquorice, but the way they make the ice cream is amazing.
That’s what’s wonderful about this region, they keep everything local and seasonal. The markets only offer what’s in season, so you savour the season more.”
—
— Are there lots of local markets?
Gabriela: “Yes, loads of local food and antique markets. We have an antique market every fourth Sunday of the month. I have found amazing stuff there. I recently bought ceramics by an artist whose work is in museums in Vienna, New York and London.”
—
— When is the best time of year to visit?
Gabriela: “It depends, but last year, from April all the way through the end of November we had wonderful weather. It can snow in the winter, but it’s mild and very beautiful when it snows here.”
—
— Thank you, Gabriela!
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Service
Catering optional
Accommodation type
B&B / Guesthouse
Location
Countryside
Special requirements
Not suitable for children
No pets allowed
Not suitable for wheelchairs
No smoking, please
Transport
Car recommended
Private parking
Limited public transport
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Bedrooms
0 Single bedroom
1 Double bedroom
0 Twin bedroom
0 Room w. multiple beds
Additional:
0 Sofabed
0 Extra bed (on request)
0 Air mattress (on req.)
0 Baby cot/crib (on req.)
Bath/shower rooms
1 Bathroom (ensuite)
0 Bathroom (shared)
0 Shower room (ensuite)
0 Shower room (shared)
0 Toilet (ensuite)
Additional:
0 Toilet (shared)
Other rooms
-
0 Kitchen
0 Kitchenette
0 Cooking area
0 Living room
0 Dining room
0 Other rooms
Prices for 2 sharingperson
Lowest price
Highest price
Price per night
€ 120
€ 150
Size: 30 square meters. 1 units available.
Minimum stay is 2 nights. Rates include breakfast.
Your free gift
Free drink and fruit basket on arrival when booking through Welcome Beyond.
Best rates
You pay the same rate as booking with the property directly. There are no booking fees or extra costs to you. That’s guaranteed!
Direct owner contact
Use the ‘Contact’ button on the left to get information about availability and rates from the owner directly — and also receive the link to the property website with further details.
Our helpline
If you need help, call us on +49 163 737 2509 (Mo-Fr, 10am-10pm CET)
Outside these times leave us a message and we’ll call right back.
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