Luxury Villa il Maggese

Luxury Villa il Maggese is a 600-square-metre farm compound in a clearing among oak woods and vineyards near Panzano, in the Chianti hills midway between Siena and Florence.

Its four separate stone buildings hold 11 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms sleeping as many as 22, so it suits large families and groups of friends who like time together but also want their own corner.

The main villa sleeps 12 in six rooms. It is built around a large, classic kitchen that opens into a light-filled dining room and a rose-fringed veranda, with a TV room and a living room with fireplace for cooler evenings.

Close by, the Studio is an old farm outbuilding with a bedroom and bathroom, floor-to-ceiling windows, a coffee station and a writing desk, opening onto a walled patio with prickly pears.

The stone Cottage has two bedrooms with their own bathrooms, a lounge, a full kitchen and a small stone balcony for reading; one of its rooms has a separate entrance and private patio.

Set a little apart, the Fienile is the old barn, with whitewashed exposed trusses, two bedrooms, a lounge and kitchen, and a private terrace screened by box hedges.

The garden is green and relaxed, with oaks, fig, apple and olive trees, rosemary, lavender and roses. A stone path links the buildings to the 15 x 6 metre pool and its sun loungers, and just beyond the pool there is a gym with Turkish bath and showers.

A barbecue area with outdoor dining makes long dinners outside easy, and a garage with three parking spaces is on site.

Greve in Chianti and Panzano are each about 10 minutes away by car. Daily housekeeping is included, making this villa with private pool in Chianti easy to settle into.