Overview

Location

San Casciano Val di Pesa

Quality

Sleeps

4 + 3

Bedroom(s)

2

Bath(s)

2

Price

€1010-€1330/week

Joy of children & adults

Location

Drive less than half an hour south of Florence and find yourself in the romantic Chianti countryside in an ancient village with stunning views across the Pesa Valley. You have your very own thousand year-old castle, magnificent pool and expansive lawns while you lodge in comfort in completely renovated village houses that date from the 1200s.

The castle that is at the heart of the hamlet turned vacation village has a history older than the Florentine republic and was bought by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1511. Its hilltop position once contributed to the defense of the Pesa Valley. Now, a protected monument of Italian cultural heritage, it is owned by a noble descendant of the Machiavelli family.

Tuscany has many castles and hamlets converted for vacationers, but this is an exceptional property because of the quality of the location, restoration, furnishings, grounds, and stunning views, especially at sunset. The furnishings feature lovely antiques, glowing kilim carpets and attractive art, both antique and contemporary, on the walls. The ceilings have handsome exposed beams; the floors are typical "cotto" terracotta tile.

The village has a common room where you can take breakfast and where wine tastings are held. A large, sun soaked swimming pool (May-Sept) lies below a terrace where there are barbecues and covered tables for dining al fresco. You can explore the park-like gardens and groves use mountain bikes various games for children and table tennis.

The village is surrounded by the estate's olive groves and vineyards and you can sample the different wines it produces including a Chianti Classico of the unique Gallo Nero mark as well as the olive oil and sweet vin santo.

You may reserve breakfast (€10 pp), wine tasting, guided tours, a car with driver, baby sitting, cooking classes, a chef and in the Ayurvedic wellness center, yoga lessons, massages, and facials.

The castle hosts a full-fledged event center for hosting weddings and other special events. Check for the schedule of castle tours, usually offered weekly.

A tiny town is about a mile's walk away where you will find a small grocery store. More choices for shopping and many fine restaurants are in several towns that are within a fifteen minute drive. A famous Etruscan tomb that was discovered in the vineyards nearby is within walking distance, too. Tennis courts and horse back riding are three miles (4 km), two golf courses are within 15 miles (20 km), and the outlet mall is about a 30 minute drive. And, of course, Florence with all its treasures is just a 20 minute drive.

We commend these accommodations to our clients and urge you to reserve early.

Exterior

It is an independent farm house in the village with a private garden.

There is a terra-cotta and stone barbecue, iron table and chairs where one can enjoy wonderful barbecues in the open with fabulous views.

Interior

The large house is decorated with precious furniture, Kilim carpet and equipped with every modern convenience while keeping to the traditional Tuscan style. The bright entrance hall with an old fireplace leads to two bedrooms. There is a shower bath on this level.

An old staircase takes you down to the ground floor, which opens out onto a private garden accessible from all the rooms: the cozy living room, the dining room and the kitchen decorated in antique terra-cotta tiles. The second shower bathroom is on this level. Outside the full separate kitchen, there is a terra-cotta and stone barbecue, iron table and chairs where one can enjoy wonderful barbecues in the open. Three people can be accommodated on sofa beds in the living room and entrance room. Washing machine. Sleeps 4 + 3.

Tour

Click back/forward arrows on photos or select from thumbnails below.

A Small House near the Castle in Tuscany

Ginestre is a standalone house with private garden with wonderful views of the Chianti hills.

Ginestre's Two Bedrooms with Traditional Beamed Ceilings

The two bedrooms of Ginestre are on the upper level on either side of the entrance hall. Here is one bedroom that overlooks the Pesa valley. One bathroom connects with this bedroom and also opens onto the entry hall.

Ground Floor Opens Onto Private Garden

On the ground floor of Ginestre that is set into the hill is the spacious and light-filled living room with a double sofa bed. It opens onto a private terrace with table and barbecue. You can see the independent dining room through the stone corridor. Beyond that is the kitchen.

Comfortable Living Room Sofa

A new sofa graces the large and comfortable living room.

A Full Kitchen in Vacation Villa in Tuscany

Ginestre's kitchen is flooded with light from the private patio. A kitchen table in addition to the dining room makes more room for preparation and is also great for feeding children and an early morning cuppa.

Enter this Tuscan Villa on the Second Level

Ginestre is a two bedroom apartment. Here is the entry hall on the second level where there is a single sofa bed.

Layout of Villa in Tuscany

Ginestre ground floor layout: Private garden, Living room with double size sofa-bed, Dining room, Shower bath, Kitchen with washing machine and dishwasher. Ginestre second floor layout: Entrance hall with fireplace and single sofa-bed, Two double bedrooms, Shower bath.

Castello Niccolo Commands a Hilltop on the Road to Florence

The castello, once owned by Niccolo Macchiavelli, was a hunting lodge that eventually served as a fortification on the road between Siena and Florence. The curtain, defensive wall is long gone, but the castle building and the little hamlet that surrounds it is now a vacaiton village.

The Lawns of the Castello are Well Groomed

The rolling lawns of Castello Niccolo in Chianti surround you and invite you to wander.

Olive Groves & Vinyards Surround Your Chianti Villa

Olive groves and vinyards surround the vacation villas at Castello Niccolo. The proprieter makes her own wine and olive oil; there is a tasting for guests once a week.

Enter the Castle Grounds of Your Vacation Villa

The road through the grounds winds down to the reception. The old stone buildings glow among the lawns.

Explore the Streets of the Old Village

The old village, now dedication to vacation pleasure is tiny and charming.

The Former Castle Church Has Two Apartments in Tuscany

The belltower marks the former church that makes a beautiful scene on the rolling lawns. This part of Tuscany has deep valleys and from this high position the views are dramatic.

Sun Bathe and Cool Off in the Welcoming Pool

Castello Niccolo's pool is well maintained and refreshing. It gets full sun in the morning and beings to shade in the afternoon.

Chianti Hills from the Pool at Villa in Tuscany

Imagine yourself cooling off in the pool and enjoying the view of the Chianti hills receding in the distance.

The Village offers Plenty of Locations Where You Can Gather

Above the pool is a shaded area for relaxing and dining. Gather on the lawns.

Villas Face the Sunset for Stunning Views

Most of the village accommodations are on the western side of the property so have a sunset view. Have your wine to hand to toast it!

Castello Niccolo at Night

As the road winds up from the valley, the castle beckons with its lights

Details

Detailed Features for Italy Vacation Rental

Niccolo Ginestre

San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tuscany

Location	San Casciano Val di Pesa

Sleeps	4+3

Bedrooms	Two bedrooms

Bathrooms	Both the bathrooms are with shower

Floor	Ground floor

Size	1280 sq ft, 119 m2

Hair Dryer	Yes, on request

Dining	Separate dining area

Kitchen Equipment	Full separate kitchen decorated in antique terra-cotta tiles.

Laundry	Washing Machine

Air Conditioning	No, but the location is high and well ventilated

Heat	Central

Utilities	Included

Transportation	Bus station 1.5 miles (2km); a car is recommended.

Parking	Yes, no charge

Crib	Yes, on request, no charge

Recreation	Pool shared by all apartments

Entertainment	TV with satellite reception for English language news

Telephone	No

Internet	Nearest internet point in San Casciano Val di Pesa

Linens	Included

Pets	No

Smoking	No

Family Suitability	Fabulous

Cleaning	Included, 1x/week, more frequent cleaning may be arranged for additional charge

Dates-Rates

Availability and Pricing for Italy Vacation Rental

Niccolo Ginestre

San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tuscany

Availability

Available for bookings

Occupied/Not available

Reservation Pending

Price Information

Weekly Prices

Euros

High Season

Jun 26 - Aug 28

Dec 25 - Jan 9 '11

Mid Season

Mar 27 - Jun 25

Aug 27 - Oct 31

Low Season

Jan 10 - Mar 26

Nov 1 - Dec 24

Ginestre

€ 1330

€ 1200

€ 1010

Reviews

Reviews and Customer Testimonials for Italy Vacation Rental

Niccolo Ginestre

San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tuscany

Our Review

We love it!
The views are stunning.
The property is beautifully landscaped.
Very close to Florence, convenient to Siena, and dozens of great hill towns.
The apartments are first rate, comfortable and well-furnished. The style is elegantly rustic, totally appropriate to the location.
There are no screens, but mosquito repellant appliances are supplied.
Not all the apartments have washers.
The Florence Siena highway runs below, about two miles away, as the crow flies, so on quiet nights or mornings when the wind is blowing from the west, you may be able to hear it faintly in the distance.
This is on a hill so plan to climb around.
First class all around.

Guest Book Testimonials

Matching expectations!

Jul 2009

We had a wonderful stay at Niccolo Ginestre. We all loved the fact that the actual experience matched, if not, exceeded the expectations we had from seeing the beautiful pictures and descriptions on the website. The view is amazing...

Anna Baldursdottir, Iceland

We had a fabulous time at the castle.

Jul 2008

We had a fabulous time at the castle. It was the perfect base to visit around Tuscany and we especially enjoyed meeting other families from around the world. We spent our eves with our new friends.

Jill J, Wisconsin

We are thinking of traveling there again

Oct 2007

We have returned from our week at the Castello and I wanted to write to say how much we enjoyed our stay. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we are thinking of traveling there again in June 2007 with the extended family and having 3 villas/apartments.

All of the information you provided with our booking confirmation, along with the Manual, were of great value. Your driving directions were spot on and we found the driving much LESS stressful and much MORE straightforward than we anticipated

Karen C

The property was great, the pool was gorgeous

Jul 2007

We spent some time in Venice and Rome before we went to the Castello. We had a wonderful stay there - the property was great, the pool was gorgeous - nice and big for laps. The kids look forward to swimming every day after our day trips. Everyone was helpful. We enjoyed going to Mamma Rosa the first night and going to the little town San Casicano and visiting the cheese and wine stores.

We had a very positive experience - everything you mentioned was right on - including the freeway noise which was a bit disappointing for us, but we slept through it anyway.

Thanks very much for all your help, Pat. We enjoyed the travel journals as well !

Emily B

Castello Niccolo is the joy of children and adults alike

Mar 2007

The little farmhouses surround the 9th century castle, former hunting residence of Niccolo Machiavelli. It is situated in the heart of the Chianti region along the Florence-Siena route near the town of San Casciano Val di Pesa. We were within driving distance of the artistic towns, villages, cultural sites, vineyards and attractions of Tuscany. The farmhouses and apartments scattered among the fields and woods of the property made us feel as if we had been transported to another time and place. Each house on the property has been restored in the traditional Tuscan style with modern conveniences. We stayed in Le Ginestre, a two-storied farmhouse with a private garden, Tuscan fireplace and outside barbecue (see photo). The furnishings are well appointed but staying here is not like staying in a stuffy old museum. When we turned the antique key in lock of the large wooden Tuscan door and step across the stone threshold we somehow felt like we had come into our own Italian home in the heart of Tuscany. Castello Niccolo is very kid friendly and everyone did their utmost to ensure the quality of the accommodations and that our stay was most comfortable, not our experience in other agriturismos.

Pamela M, Indiana

The view...it was breathtaking

Sep 2006

I would recommend this villa highly. The view.........it was breathtaking, I never got tired of it and took lots and lots of pictures of the beautiful view. The mountains, the vineyards and olive trees were awesome. Also, the girls at the reception area spoke English pretty well, which helped with check-in.

Anna M

Castello Niccolo was absolute paradise

May 2006

Buongiorno! Our trip was fantastic. Tuscany is incredibly beautiful (as you know). Castello Niccolo was absolute paradise, we couldn't have been happier with the accomodations. Just so you know, the Il Tiglio apartment does have a washing machine for use just off the back patio. This was a plus we weren't expecting and you may want to list it on your website.

Brett S, California

The accomodations [Giotto] were great. It was plenty big for our family

Apr 2006

Enjoyed most We loved the setting and the views. Even though we were there at the early part of the spring blooming season it was still very beautiful. We can only imagine what it looks like when the flowers are planted and everything is in full bloom. The kitchen was pretty well equipped. I did bring somethings of my own (due to our location) but it wasn't bad. There are no "real" cereal bowl for those that care, only shallow soup bowls. We improvised and used coffee cups for the kids. Suprisingly there were no wine glassed either. This was fine for the everyday wine but we did have a few better bottles of wine that warranted more than a juice glass. We again brought this to their attention and they brought the wine glasses right away. We found it a little strange though. [Actually, you don't usually find stemmed wine glasses in Italian homes. pb]

The fact that our kids could run around, explore, play on the hammock, kick the soccer ball and play with the cats and lizards was sensational. People thought we were crazy to take our kids to Tuscany. They couldn't have been more wrong. They had a fabulous time and so did we. It was a memorable vacation for all of us. When travelling with children it is hard to find a trip that everyone enjoys equally. This was by all means a win/win for everyone.

Problems We had some problems with ants....but hey, what are you going to do? They were very attentive to the problem and helped very quickly. We also had a broken toilet that leaked water from the tank. Again, it wasn't a major problem and they did fix it very quickly.

Location The location was great for getting to the other places but I wish there had been some more retaurants closer by. Not a big deal though, it's not like we were starved by any means while we were there!!!

Recommended sites or restaurants We loved all the little towns, Castellina, Greive and San Gimigano. Just driving the countryside was fun for us. Mama Rosa's was very convenient but we did not find the food to be exceptional by any means. It was great for the first night as well as a night we got home rather late due to a traffic jam. Very homey and cozy but we expected a little more from the menu.

Any tips for future guests Book early for Casa Mia--it looked fabulous but they were booked for a week in advance.

We really had a fabulous time. I can't say enough about it. The timing was just right for us as well. I'm not sure if it would have been as enjoyable for our family in the summer due to crowds, heat etc. This was just perfect. Really, we can't wait to go back. If we weren't going back to the States this summer I would plan a second trip. We were so relaxed the whole week that the day we did go to Florence we all found it to be too much. The crowds, the noise, the setting was all overwhelming. By the end of the day we were ready to get back to our safe little haven in Tuscany. However, the gelato in Florence was to die for!!!! I dream of it as I nibble away on my measly little Weight Watchers ice cream bar. I've attached some pictures taken at the castle...enjoy! We've passed your information on to friends here in Geneva...we wish you luck.

Tricia M, Geneva

Great peaceful pool surrounded by lavender.

Sep 2005

The castle was beautifully decorated, and although there were others there, we felt we had all the privacy we wanted. The view was amazing and there was a fantastic restaurant called Mama Rosa's nearby that was delicious. Great peaceful pool surrounded by lavender. Great wine tasting and tour was worth the cost .

People very nice, pool great, location absolutely excellent.

Aug 2005

Tuscany - Driving instructions were excellent. The apartment [Pagliaio] was probably the best we have ever stayed in. Well equipped. People very nice, pool great, location absolutely excellent. If I could change one single thing it would be that our patio area would have been directly outside our apartment and not 10 metres away behind a hedge, we just didn't use as as we would have had no view of our door and it would have meant locking and unlock the apartment to eat outside.

We loved the area but in some ways it was maybe a bit to similar to home (apart from the farming crops being different the rolling hills of Siena would not be far from the rolling hills of Wicklow where I live) although the style of building was beautiful.

The town of Siena is beautiful and we enjoyed our time in it. It is wonderful to ramble around, eat and enjoy. The centre of Siena is a Heritage Site and has no traffic at all (odd taxi excluded). Lots of Restaurants around the main square, very expensive, its much better to wander off into the side streets and select a restaurant, great food. Recommend Tuscan sausage and white beans.

We found a great local restaurant: Restorante La Capanna Dei Cavalieri, Strada di Montalbuccio 118, 53100 Siena. Tel: 0577.28.37.14 Food is excellent and the views are great too. Directions;- Turn left as you exit the Villa Agostoli, when you reach the first crossroads turn right. The Restaurant is about 300 yds down the road on the left. It usually has candles burning outside it.

There is a local bus service in an out of the town which stops at the gate of the villa.

The kids had friends some days. Lucy met two south african girls and Ivan two Belgian boys but in general it was mostly adults which was a little disappointing.

Eating out was good value but there were good and bad restaurants.

Something to note. I am Coeliac so cannot eat Wheat, Barley, Oats and Rye. Some people may be put off Italy because it is known for pasta, etc. I was totally amazed by the range of Gluten Free products in the supermarkets and every restaurant we went to offered to cook me Gluten Free pasta. www.coeliac.com

We really didn't venture far from Siena and the Villa, we really wanted a quiet week. Driving is stressful, they are not tolerant of tourists and don't take kindly to you slowing down.

Biggest disappointment - the people (not at the villa) in general. Very intolerant in Siena of non-Italian tourists. They are not nearly as warm and friendly as the Romans, and I missed the Spanish warmth too. I found this hardest to take.

Overall we had a lovely holiday and all your info was most helpful.

Jean K, Ireland

It was truly a remarkable experience

Mar 2005

Be sure to walk around the olive groves and surrounding area. The views are spectacular. All of the units looked nice at this property. They had a wedding as we were leaving which looked perfect.

It was truly a remarkable experience, and one we will never forget. We will definitely consider staying at the Castello again, or one of the other units of this property, should we return to the area.