CastelnuovoVac Berardenga holiday apartments - Vacation apartments in Siena area

Torre del Vescovo is an independent wing of the main part of historic Castello di Montalto, first built around the year 1000 and restored in the 19th century and furnished in the early 20th. There are three double bedrooms (one of which gives private access to the top of the lookout tower), three bathrooms, a large living-dining room with a big fireplace, a kitchen with dishwasher and clothes washer, a garden terrace to the west and a gravelled entrance terrace shaded by a very old spreading lime tree to the east. Aa smaller, facing tower has a little one-bedroom apartment on two stories: this is useful as a guest house but can also be rented separately. Most of the furnishings are antique. The views ae spectacular. 'Vescovo' shares the surrounding estate gardens, a 20x40 ft swimming pool, a tennis court and other facilities with the owners and with vacation tenants of other houses within the castle walls. The castle has its own farm, producing olive oil, cereal crops and fresh eggs and vegetables available for purchase. Tourist assistance is available to help plan winery tours, cooking classes, guided visits to the fasinating towns and villages of Tuscany and Umbria, and to provide information pon the many intereting restaurants in the area. A good riding school is close by, natural spas at 15 minutes' drive, and golf links just half an hour away.

Views:Views are to wooded hills and valley.

Floor Area:1750 sq ft

Montalto Castle is situated some 20 km east of Siena, on the gentle outer hills of the Chianti mountains, on a wooded hill overlooking tilled fields in a valley crossed by a stream that runs into the Arno. The closest large town is medieval Siena, and Florence, San Gimignano, Montepulciano and Cortona are not far off. Even the smallest local villages have something to offer: abbey churches with frescoes and early Renaissance altarpieces, castles surrounded by defensive walls from the 16th century, medieval hogback bridges built on Roman foundations, Etruscan arachaeological digs, even just the play of light on narrow cobbled streets lined with old brick and stone houses and potted geraniums. Every town and village has its 'festa' to enjoy, as well as the thermal spas of this once-volcanic region.

Rental notes: The above rates are for Torre del Vescovo alone, without San Martino which costs 730 euros/week in high season, 600 in low season. Rates include heating and all utilities and taxes. See Booking conditions on our web site. Deposit will be returned up to 90 days before arrival minus 50 euro booking charge. Balance is due one month before arrival.

The living room has a frescoed frieze around the walls, an oak dining table made from the bottom of a wine barrel, a big fireplace, an old piano, lots of books, a tv with satelite reception and vcr, a sofa with a pull-out emergency bed. The kitchen is small but efficient, The downstairs bathroom has a large shower. A narrow flight of stone steps leads to the upper floor, with 3 bedrooms, one of which has hand-painted walls and a large bathroom with wall shower over tub. The second bedroom also has a queen bed (and access to the top of the tower) and the third has twins. A second bathroom, off the corridor, has a wall shower over the tub. The landing midway up the stairs gives access to a roofed balcony leading to a tiny study in the tower, which can be used as a single bedroom. All of the rooms have period furniture, from the 15th to the 19th centuries. The top of the tower is unfinished. The separate Annex, called San Martino, has a tiny bedroom (queen bed) and bathroom (shower, no tub) over a small sitting room with fireplace and mini-kitchenette. Space is limited because it is contained in the turret over the castle entrance gate. Taking both togethr the entire unit sleeps 7, or 9 in a pinch.

Outside Area:The walled west terrace, which looks out over the valley, has a table and chairs under a pergola and a barbecue and is surrounded by hydrangeas and other plants. There is a stone table under the lime tree on the east terrace, which is between Torre Vescovo and San Martino. The entire catle is surrounded by defensive walls and centers on a courtyard filled with flowers, onto which opens a large arched hall (the 'Granaio') that can be booked for parties and receptions. The pool area is outside the walls, just far enough away not to create disturbance. Between the pool and the tennis court there is a large barbecue area for common use, and there are swings and a slide and sandbox for children. A laundry area for common use has a tumble dryer (coin-operated).