Italy | Toscana - Firenze

AGRITURISMO BRUNELLA

Description:
Not far from Montespertoli, between San Casciano Val di Pesa and Tavarnelle Val Di Pesa, where the Queen of The Netherlands has her Italian holiday-home, you will find the village of Polvereto, where the above agriturismo is situated on an estate with 22 ha. vineyards (DOCG-Chianti wines) and about 1500 olive trees.

We arrived towards the end of a not too sunny day, with a bit of rain. But then, what can one expect, in November? But once arrived at this agriturismo, and the very friendly reception of the “lady of it all”, Brunella, we did not notice the rain anymore. She showed us around, in all the apartments, and then took us back to her own living quarters (she lives on the premises). We relaxed in front of her open fire place, petted the dog and the cat Napoleone, and realised that Brunella is of the kind who wants to learn continuously, and who will never back off in case of language-difficulties. She barely speaks English (help available in case guests want to know things she does not understand), but is constantly busy with her agriturismo. We saw her laptop open, with a lot of dictionaries next to it.

The complex of apartments is situated rather high in the Chianti hills, and offers a beautiful view on the surroundings (vine and olive yards, and of course the lovely Tuscan hills). All the apartments are furnished in a rural style: no efforts spared to offer the guests all they would want or need, but do not expect lovely antiques and the like here. Nevertheless, there are occasional surprises, in all the apartments, which are very clean and well-maintained, with excellent beds! The complex is surrounded by a garden in English style, with roses, herbs and clematis.

All apartments have their own entrance and space outside with table and chairs; some have a piece of garden. Moreover, all apartments have a safe, TV-sat and a telephone (to be placed at extra costs). In all the well-equipped kitchens you will find a refrigerator/freezer, a 4 or 5 pits gas-stove, oven, dishwasher and ironing utensils. Oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to welcome you upon arrival, as well as some tablets for the dishwasher. Several barbeques on the premises, and sufficient parking space.

The swimming pool ( 7 x 14 m., depth 1,00 –2,00 m) has an outside shower and terrace with pergola, plus sufficient deckchairs and the like for all the guests. The pool is situated front- right, to be reached via a wide staircase. An annex of the family agricultural estate lies behind the swimming pool. To avoid a not too likeable view, shrubs and trees have been planted as a border, but these offer as yet not sufficient screening. We think that anyone, wanting to combine a holiday on a rural estate with culture and the like, will not mind ....

N.B: At the backside of the building, next to the gravel path, there is a drop in height.

Facilities:
Reception, garden all around, parking, several barbeques, swimming pool, TV-sat, telephone connection (extra costs), Internet in the reception (extra, but small, costs), fridge/freezer, 4/5 pits cooker, oven, dishwasher, communal use of washing machine (big and smaller one).

Possibilities for sports/excursions:
Riding in Cerbaia, 18 km; golf at 28 km (close to Florence). Tennis court in Noce, 6 km. A lot of special, interesting excursions to be made: To Siena, a beautiful city with wonderful shops and, of course, the world-famous square the Piazza del Campo, and the great church, the Duomo. The Museum of Arts invites a visit, with over 600 works of art. You might also want to pay a visit to the ancient cities of Montalcino, Montepulciano, San Gimignano and, of course, Florence. Some special tips: Pay a visit to the Mercato Centrale di San Lorenzo in Florence, a market situated in 19th century halls. Go the grocery-stall of Perini (no. 344) for delicious cheeses and meats. Also the ancient town of Pisa (with the Piazza dei Miracoli and, a.o. the Leaning Tower) and Lucca (where you can take a bicycling trip on the old city walls) are lovely options for an unforgettable day. On booking you will get a lot of information about Tuscany and Florence.

Distances: (approx. kms.)
Daily shopping, bank, postal services etc. in Tavarnelle, 6 km, Florence 35 km, Greve in Chianti 29 km, Siena 54 km, San Gimignano 29 km, Volterra 53 km, Lucca 73 km, Montepulciano 128 km.

Lay-out of the apartments:
Gelsomino (200 m2, 8 pers.):
First floor (and entresol/mansarde): Living-/dining room with kitchen corner, double sofa bed and open fire place, 4 double bedrooms, one of which on an entresol with two beds (suitable for children) and view on the living room, and one with two beds. Bathroom with basin, toilet, bidet and bath with hand shower and a bathroom with basin, toilet, bidet and shower. Terrace with barbeque, to be shared with the owner.
Mimosa (105 m2, 4 + 2 pers.):
Two stories:
Ground floor: Living-/dining room with kitchen corner, double sofa bed and open fire place.
First floor: Bedroom with 2 beds, double bedroom with mezzanine (to be reached by a narrow, iron spiral staircase) with two single beds, specially suited for children, two bathrooms with basin, toilet, bidet and shower. Space outside, with table and chairs.
Edera ( 72 m2, 4 pers.):
Ground floor: Living-/dining room with kitchen corner, double sofa bed and open fire place, separate toilet.
First floor: Two bedrooms, one of which with double bed and one of which with two beds. Bathroom with basin, toilet, bidet and shower. Little garden and terrace with table and chairs.
Girasole (55 m2, 2 + 2 pers.):
Ground floor: Living-/dining room with kitchen corner, double sofa bed and an open fire place, double bedroom, bathroom with basin, toilet, bidet and shower. Outside loggia, fully equipped for dining outside.
Fiordaliso (68 m2, 2 + 2 pers.):
First floor: Living-/dining room with kitchen corner, double sofa bed and open fire place, double bedroom and in this bedroom a mezzanine floor with 2 beds, bathroom with basin, toilet, bidet and shower. Terrace with garden furniture.
Rosmarino (62 m2, 2 + 2 pers.):
Ground floor: Living-/dining room with kitchen corner, double bedroom with attic window, bathroom with basin, toilet, bidet and shower and a mezzanine floor with two beds, suitable for children. Small terrace with outside furniture.

The prices given are in Euro's
Prices for other periods than mentioned above, please inquire

Particulars:
Prices are per apartment, per week, from Saturday till Saturday

Included in the rental price: Usage of water, gas, electricity and bed-, bath- and kitchen linens on a basis of a weekly change

Not included in the rental price: Final cleaning € 15,00 per person. Please note: The kitchen is not included in this final cleaning; you are expected to clean the kitchen yourself. Also not included: Heating; for the small apartments € 15,00 per day and for the large apartments € 20,00 per day. Costs to be paid on the spot before leaving

Extra costs: Use of the washing machine € 5,00, wood for the fire place € 10,00/basket, extra bed € 5,00 per day, baby bed € 3,00 per day, use telephone and Internet. Costs to be paid on the spot before leaving

Upon arrival, a deposit to be paid of € 200,00

The swimming pool is open from May 13th till September 30th, depending on the weather conditions. The wearing of a bath-cap is requested (the owner can provide you)

Check-in on the day of arrival between 16.00-20.00 hrs. Check-out on the day of departure before 10.00 hrs.

Pets are not allowed. There is a dog on the premises (an Italian equivalent of a Golden Retriever; much too kind to be a good watchdog) as well as some cats. Because quite a number of guests have been spoiling the cats with nice titbits, they cannot be stopped anymore to come along and find out if you, too, can spare them a nice piece of ham or the like. The owner begs your understanding

Public transport: Train station in Florence, busses direction Siena and Florence In Tavarnelle Val di Pesa

A car is necessary

The owner does not (yet) speak English, but her daughter does. In case of problems, you can of course always contact us

The agriturismo is to be reached via a “strada bianca”, an unpaved road of about 800 m. long, which might be a problem for cars with low gearing