Villa Tavernella with Pool and Spa

Villa Tavernella with Pool and Spa sits in the Chianti hills between Florence and Siena, five minutes from the town of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.

Recently rebuilt to marry traditional style with modern comfort, the 500-square-metre house has six bedrooms and five bathrooms for up to 12 guests, and suits families with children as well as groups of friends.

A cypress-lined drive leads to gardens of oaks, olive trees, flowers and lemon trees in old terracotta pots.

On the ground floor, a bright veranda with fireplace and antique stone floors opens into a billiard room with bar, then the kitchen, a main dining room with fireplace and a TV room; floors and furniture play on black-and-white precious woods.

A stone staircase climbs to a living room with beamed ceiling and fireplace, and to four bedrooms (three doubles and one twin) with built-in wardrobes and travertine en-suite bathrooms with bath and shower, all looking over the countryside.

An attached annex adds two more bedrooms, one double and one twin, sharing a shower room and a kitchen with dining area.

The spa takes up the whole lower floor, with its own entrance at the back: Turkish bath, sauna and jacuzzi. Stone steps lead down to the 6 x 12 m pool, surrounded by fragrant gardens and Chianti views, with a barbecue area at its edge for dinners outdoors.

The setting is entirely quiet. Tavarnelle and its grocery store are three minutes by car; Florence and San Gimignano are 30 km away, Siena 40 km, Volterra 50 km and Pisa 80 km. For a villa with pool and spa in Chianti, this one covers every base.