Villa Superior

Villa Superior is a 17th-century country house near Larciano in Tuscany, standing on a hilltop at 200 metres within the protected Montalbano area.

With eight bedrooms, ten bathrooms and room for 16 guests across 850 square metres, it's a villa for 16 guests in Tuscany that works equally well for multi-generation families and groups of friends.

The owners have recently renovated the house with care. The main building has a large hall with mezzanine, a fireplace, pianos and a home cinema, small sitting rooms with reading corners and a dining room with its own big hearth. Next door is a pizza corner with a wood-fired oven and marble counter.

Cooks get a kitchen with fireplace and a central island with gas and induction hobs, two dishwashers, two fridges, an espresso machine and a meat slicer. The style is pure Tuscan: terracotta floors, wood, wrought iron and earthy colours.

Seven of the eight bedrooms are in the main house, including four with king-size four-poster beds and a suite with two bathrooms overlooking the garden; two rooms have twin beds. The eighth is a two-level annex suite with its own sitting room and views over the pool and valley.

Every room has air conditioning, a smart TV and an en-suite bathroom with shower or tub, and there is a lift.

Outside, the infinity pool is ringed by olive trees, citrus, roses, rosemary and thyme, with a solarium, shaded portico and bar area. The wellness area adds an outdoor hot tub, a Turkish bath and a bright gym with treadmills, an exercise bike and a punching bag.

A pergola with dining table, landscaped gardens and a private wine cellar complete the picture.

Views take in the medieval village of Montevettolini and the plain stretching from the Montecatini golf course to the Padule di Fucecchio wetlands and Monte Serra. Larciano's shops are 9 km away; Florence and Lucca are about 40 km, Pisa 45 km.