Villa Pomina, Valdorcia, Tuscany, Italy Vacation Rental

This stunning property is located in the heart of Valdorcia, that evocative stretch of land represented in every Tuscany postcard, ten kilometres from Siena, with a commanding view over the cypresses lines all around. The estate, featuring a vegetable garden thought for chefs and a number of alfresco area distributed on the private curated grounds, stands on the top of a hill, walking distant from a village with a trattoria, a local restaurant with typical ingredients and dishes from the Senese culinary tradition, and it has been planned to become a contemporary, instagrammable, mansion among a traditional setting.

Consisting of two stone buildings set next to each-other, it creates a very unique design: the vision beyond the swimming pool features the delightful bucolic features of Valdorcia, with its pine trees that have been luring poets over for decades. The main villa is a large, luxurious family home with four bedrooms and bathroom suites and one extra bedroom with a futon for children. The annex features one bedroom and one living room that can be adapted to host two extra guests sharing a bathroom, perfect for children. The estate boasts Wi-Fi throughout, two designer kitchens of which one for cooking classes, a gym, a wellness room with Jacuzzi (4 people) and a Finnish sauna. The villa is set around a series of courtyards with a barbecue area and vegetable gardens, featuring two terraces for al fresco living.

Blessed with beauty, wine and an unparalleled artistic legacy, Tuscany’s a region that largely lives up to its fame. Its fabled rolling landscape has long been considered the embodiment of rural chic, a favourite of foodies and wine lovers, while its cities harbour a significant slice of the world’s Renaissance art. Florence boasts more world-class art than many entire Countries. Famous for its hills outlined by endless rows of cypress trees, majestic castles, thermal spa towns, tiny medieval villages surrounded by olive groves, this is an idyllic region that also features gorgeous emerald green seaside (Maremma and Argentario) as well as dramatic mountains, all in a very concentrated space. From the fashionable Mediterranean coast to the marble mountains of Carrara, often both visible from one same position, the chestnut forests of the Apennines, the Natural parks with lakes, canyons, thermal springs and grottoes, the luxuriant gardens of the Renaissance villas, olive groves and vines, Tuscany is a fantastic place to visit all year round.

Siena is one of the most beautiful cities of Italy and has remained intact through the centuries. Siena features some world-class art pieces starting from its own architecture and the famous Piazza del Campo, the Palazzo Pubblico and the bell tower, Torre del Mangia.

The impressive Duomo has a black and white facade with intricate carvings and statues. The magnificent floor pavement consists of 56 inlaid marble scenes but it's only uncovered a few months of the year while the Siena's art museum, the Pinacoteca Nazionale, houses some of Italy's greatest works of Italian art. Siena was a very poor little city for a few hundred years after its defeat, which is the main reason that its stunning medieval buildings were never torn down and replaced with modern structures. Siena is still divided into seventeen “Contrade” each with their own government, much as city-states were in the middle ages. This aspect of the city is unique in the world and has also remained unchanged for more than a thousand years. Twice a year the Palio is held, a four-day celebration with an extraordinary horse race held in the Piazza del Campo. The Palio is held on July 2nd and August 16th.

Chianti is a territory whose boundaries are defined by the Upper Arno Valley, between Florence and Siena, by the road that joins Arezzo to Siena, and by the Florence-Siena motorway. The eight municipalities (counties) are named after the largest town in each, and of these towns Greve in Chianti is the largest. The area of winemaking excellence sanctified by Cosimo’s decree corresponds to one of the most beautiful parts of Tuscany: this is not just because vineyards turn hills into stripy land art installations; it’s also to do with the fact that good wine – at least in these parts – positively needs the wildness that surrounds the vineyards. First-time visitors to the area are often surprised by how untamed much of the landscape is, swathes of holm oak, arbutus, hornbeam, ilex and brooms are draped over hills that bristle with wild boar and porcupines. A glance at Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s 14th-century frescoes of the Allegories of Good and Bad Government in Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico demonstrates eloquently that, for the best part of a millennium, Tuscans have seen a well-tended landscape as a kind of moral imperative. Chianti region of Tuscany Chianti region of Tuscany in the panel showing the Effects of Good Government on the Country, olive groves, near vineyards and small country villas dot the countryside outside Siena’s walls. Attention to food, to its freshness, provenance and preparation is a natural corollary of this Tuscan country ethos.

If you would like to savor the experience of living in Italy during medieval and renaissance days then you should be sure to plan to stay in Siena for four or five days during the preparation and race of the Palio. This extraordinary event occurs twice a year from June 29th to July 2nd and from August 13th to August 16th. The Palio di Siena is a horse race that animates the whole city into a colorful and pittoresque race, which represents the soul of the seneise folk. The city is divided into 17 contrade (quarters), named with animal names, such as Goose, Giraffe, but also Dragon; every contrada has its own horse and jockey, chosen carefully and blessed by a celebration in church, as the tradition wants. There is a strong feeling of competition that fuels the environment around the Palio since the 1640s, the period in which the competition begun, and the inhabitants feel it with heart. This, added to the fact that the race is located in Piazza del Campo, makes the event one of the most beautiful and entertaining to attend. Though is very hard to find a place and stay comfortable due to the big crowd that reunites every year, this folkloristic race is definitely worth seeing.

Check-in: 4:00 PM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Children are welcomed

No pets

No smoking

Some homes allow events, please ask

Rates vary depending on time of year and number of guests

High season and holiday rates are higher

4 night minimum (low season)

7 night minimum (high season and holidays)

Cleaning fee applies

Tax applies

50% down to book

Balance due 60 days prior

Please bring proof of identification

Travel insurance recommended

All bookings are final

Rates and fees subject to change without notice