Opis:

ITALY, TUSCANY, SIENA, ASCIANO

REDUCED!

This stunning farmhouse has been sympathetically converted very much as a family house and has a warm and homely feel about it from the minute you walk into the original front door.

Main farmhouse - approx 300m2

Approached from the south-facing terrace, the front door opens into a small hall with staircase to the first floor and with the rustic fully-beamed farmhouse kitchen, 7.5m x 4m on the left, which has been beautifully restored with original wooden beams arches and terracotta tiled ceilings.

The kitchen leads into the large open plan sitting room, approximately 8m x 5m, with a brick-surround, double aspect, wood-burning fireplace as the central feature.

Pass this room and you move into the chilling room, again approximately 8m x 4m. To the right, is a study with separate WC with wash hand-basin, 4m x 4m including WC and basin, with glazed windows to the south and east.

From the kitchen, you follow through into the utility room, 4m x 4m and also a well appointed small larder / pantry, with two doors out into the garden areas.

The ground floor rooms all enjoy south-facing views while there are French windows throughout giving access to the garden and outdoor areas, a must for those Tuscan summers.

The terracotta staircase leads to a small hall off which, on the right, is the entrance to the master bedroom suite (8m x 4m), with south and east facing windows, dressing area with large storage and an ensuite bathroom.

Opposite this is a first floor living room/overflow bedroom, with a wood-burning stove. This first floor sitting room, 4m x 4.5m has high arched and beamed ceilings and leads to a corridor of which are two double bedrooms each about 4m x 3.3, one with a walk-in cupboard, and a large bathroom also about 4 m x 3.3m with high quality fittings throughout and an extremely large shower area.

The corridor leads onto a full width studio, currently a bedroom, 8m x 3.7m The studio is double height, fully beamed, enjoys a wood-burning stove and leads out onto a small cast iron balcony with an external cast iron spiral staircase adorned with climbing roses, overlooking the above ground pool and the garden areas.

Outbuildings

Opposite the side entrance to the house are small barns, now serving as utility room, storage and a workshop.

The independent hay barn (fienile) is unconverted but could become a guesthouse or studio, while an independent cottage could replace the sizeable farm out building next to the fienile. It would be possible to combine the volume of these two buildings into one making a good-sized secondary residence / exercise room / guest house / spa / studio, etc with its own garden.

Land and Garden

The land of 1.8 ha (18,000 sqm) contains a landscaped garden as well as a separate plot of land that in the future could become an olive grove or a vineyard. Below this is a large and productive kitchen garden - the house is currently self-sufficient. There is a south-facing sun terrace in front of the house and another two outhouses converted to summer accommodation and playrooms for children. The land behind the house is a well-known area for truffle hunters and the surrounding forest is full of wild flora and wild animals feeding on it.

There is a round above-ground fully fitted swimming pool with a full filtration system, adjacent to a fine lawn and attractive planted areas.
Planning permission for an in-built pool has been granted.

Local Area

The property is close to the small medieval hilltop village of Chiusure, which has a restaurant, a pizzeria, a bar and a number of other services such as a post office, grocery and of course a hairdressers.

The property is in the municipality of Asciano and is in the heart of the clay Crete Senesi area south east of Siena, containing some of the prettiest landscapes in the whole of Italy and much protected.

This area contains many typical small rounded Cypress-covered hilltops, which are mainly arable and a real contrast to the magnificent cliffs.

The school-run here is to die for with astounding panoramic views and a picturesque landscape. Nearby is the atmospheric complex of the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, which was founded in 1313 by Giovanni Tolomei; surrounded by centuries-old cypresses, it dominates the landscape of the Crete and is famous throughout Italy.

Besides the many works of art there, the abbey also has a library of forty thousand antique books, testimony to the cultural and artistic importance of the abbey between the 15th and the 16th century. The monks run an apothecary within their walls, open to the public.

Both the small town of Asciano and that of Buonconvento, both a fifteen-minute drive away, in the heart of the Crete, still have many of their old medieval fortifications, cobbled streets, with numerous towers, including the guard towers of the original medieval outer walls, which now lie beside the modern-day towns. In Asciano, as well as Buonconvento there is any number of shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, a supermarket and many artisans' studios.

Close also to the property is the city of Siena, a medieval city that hosts the famous 'Palio' twice every summer and is one of the major cities of Tuscany with a colourful history, endless shopping, stunning architecture, museums / art galleries galore and with with a vibrant social scene. In addition Siena Football Club is a 'Series A' club and hosts the top flight of European football.

Services

The sympathetic renovation saw installation of a Gas central heating system with a private gas tank. Electricity and private water supply from two wells as well as mains water. A hidden biological septic tank discretely takes care of the sewage. The property has recently been fully rewired and renovated to an extremely high standard with new oak and terracotta floors throughout and with a new roof. Most garden areas benefit from irrigation systems and the garden enjoys 4 taps.