Located on a magnificent estate comprising a private forest, vineyards and olive groves Villa Lunetta is a spacious property measuring 180m2. It accommodates 5 people.This villa apartment has been furnished with beautiful antiques and still boasts the original frescoes that cover the ceilings. You have access to the stunning frescoed loggia that looks onto a spectacular renaissance style italian garden. It is just 15 mins from the Florence city center and easily accessible both by car or by the local train which you can reach in an easy 8 minute walk. The estate is very quiet and private and you can enjoy outdoor dining, visiting the local shops and outdoor fresh produce markets and pleasant walks. The estate produces wonderful extra virgin olive oil and wine which you can taste during our cooking classes held in the estates main kitchen or purchase from the owners.
This is the perfect place to discover Florence and enjoy the real Tuscan countryside while staying in an graceful castle that has played host to guests such as Napoleon Bonaparte and King Charles VIII of France. It is famous for its architecture and design. A Shared Swimming Pool is also available for use.
Villa Lunetta offers you an incredible vacation experience, letting you live like a king. It has been completely restored 5 years ago. From the living room 2 sets of double doors open onto the loggia and the very typical Italian style gardens with lemon trees, hedges and fountain. This is a sunny, peaceful and private villa. This villa’s foundations date back to the 1200’s and its highlights are the 10m high ceilings, breathtaking frescoes, gold gilded mirrors and terracotta floors.
This is a beautiful villa each room having its own splendor. The main bedroom opens onto the front terrace with views of the hills and Florence. The second bedroom has a queen sized bed and a single bed. There is a full bathroom with a tub, shower, toilet and hand basin. There is a second en-suite bathroom off the second bedroom with a toilet and hand basin. The main bathroom can be accessed from the living room or the main bedroom. The kitchen has a vaulted ceiling and fireplace with a dining table seating 6.
There are many restaurants nearby, some known to be the best in Italy. Go ahead and enjoy memorable dining experiences at these places. Explore the private forest or discover local attractions such as trekking, antique markets, horse riding, Etruscan ruins, medieval villages and Caruso’s villa and gardens. Stroll down and buy your fresh bread or morning cappuccino and feel like a local. Or just sit back at the farmhouse, sipping a glass of our wine and take in the breathtaking countryside view.
Trains, buses and all shops are at a walking distance and close to all major highways. From, here it is just 20mins to Montecatini, 40 mins to Pisa / Lucca / Siena/ Bologna, 60 mins to Forte Dei Marmi/ Volterra/ San Gimignano/ Arezzo etc.
The owners speak; English, French, German and Italian.
History of Villa Lunetta:
Villa Lunetta is filled with rich history dating back to 1200. The palace was originally a hunting residence for the elite Gentiles of Florence. The origins of the Lunettas was near “Ponte A Signa” and from ancient times they owned this villa and another villa on the Arno known as “La Torre” (the tower) that even today conserves the aspects of a 1300’s walled castle.
Agnolo di Filippo, a great friend of Cosimo de’ Medici and admired by Leon Battista Alberti, retired tired and old in the villa of Ponte A Signa and lived there for 12 years, when he wrote the brilliant dialogues of the governing of the family and died at the age of 86 in 1446.
In 1434 the wealthy nephew of the former, Battista di Pandolfini returned in patria from Naples and gave the initial magnificent architecture to his villa at Ponte A Signa, honoured by the king of France Carlo VIII on the 13th of November 1495. The villa has been engraved with the date 1488, which is believed to be the date of the full restoration of this antique palace. The linear and harmonious architecture, the beautiful loggia, richly carved windows, the perfect sculpture of the stonework, reflects the work of the famous Bendedetto da Rovezzano. King Carlo VIII of France visited the castle as a child. Since the 14th century nothing was changed or hardly confirmed by Giuseppe Zocchi.
At the beginning of the 18th century the Lunettas sold their antique villa to the family Samminiatelli that immediately resold the villa to the De Prat’s exiled from France after the revolution.
In one of the living rooms, like the others, the 1800’s style frescoes ornate the room. Hung on one of the walls is a large oil painting of the Marchis Francesco De Prat in his white and red uniform, narrating to his son the episode of July 14,1790, while serving as naval commander and his meeting with the king Luigi XIV; also present is his wife dressed in satin who seated watches over us. Today all three rest in the chapel constructed by Filippo Pandolfini. Other guests to this villa included Napoleon Bonaparte.
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