Villa La Palazzetta

Villa La Palazzetta is a seventeenth-century house in a commanding position over the hills of Montalcino, rebuilt inside as a contemporary home and set in two fenced hectares of vineyard, olives and orchard. Four en-suite bedrooms, a pool aimed at the Val d’Orcia, a housekeeper six mornings a week and the town’s historic centre a seven-minute walk away. Eight guests.

Four bedrooms sleep eight, each with its own bathroom, with a fifth bathroom downstairs for guests. We’d suggest it for two couples who have come for the Brunello, or for a family of eight who want to walk to dinner in Montalcino and still have the hills to themselves. Of the villas in Tuscany we place, it’s the one for a wine week on foot.

THE HOUSE

The ground floor is a single open space for cooking, eating and sitting, opening to the outside on two sides, with a guest bathroom. The restoration is Italian design in refined materials, with details made by local artisans; the washer and dryer are in the house. Underfloor heating and cooling run through the house, with home automation, mosquito screens, a washer and dryer, an iron and Bose Bluetooth speakers. The kitchen has espresso, moka and American coffee machines, a wine fridge, an ice-making fridge, a juicer and a dishwasher.

THE BEDROOMS

All four are upstairs. The master has a king bed of 180 by 200 and an en-suite with a large shower and an egg-shaped bathtub. The twin room has two beds of 100 by 200 and a shower room; the other two bedrooms have queen beds of 170 by 200, each with its own shower. Hairdryers and a courtesy line are in every bathroom.

THE POOL AND THE GROUNDS

The pool is 4 by 8 metres, 1.10 deep for the first three metres and 1.40 at the far end, with a retractable safety cover that closes automatically, and it stays open all year; heating to 29 degrees is available between 21 May and 21 September for EUR 500 a week, and a pool fence can be fitted on request. It faces the Val d’Orcia, and the sunsets here go through amber, pink, orange and violet before they finish. Around the house are a private vineyard, an olive grove and an orchard, an aromatic and vegetable garden, a bowling green, a fire pit, a barbecue and a wood-fired oven with the wood supplied. Parking is covered, with an EV charging point, and the whole estate is fenced.

THE SERVICE

A housekeeper comes from 10 am to 12.30 pm six days a week, Sunday off, and changes bathroom linen on request. A concierge service, a welcome basket, Wi-Fi, heating, air-conditioning and local taxes are all in the rate, and the house can be stocked for your arrival, with only the food charged. Children are welcome, pets are accepted, and there’s a cot and a high chair. Check-in runs from 4 pm to 7 pm, check-out by 10 am.

THE LOCATION

Montalcino’s historic centre, with its shops and restaurants, is 400 metres away, and more than 250 wineries sit within about 8 km. San Quirico d’Orcia is 14 km, Bagno Vignoni 20, Pienza 23, Montepulciano 36, Siena 40, Monteriggioni 58, Cortona 67, Castiglione della Pescaia 77, San Gimignano 81; Florence Airport is 114 km and Pisa 205. Our guide on where to stay in Tuscany explains why we’d pick the Val d’Orcia over Chianti for a first visit.

To check dates or request a quote for Villa La Palazzetta, write to [email protected].