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Siena Garden Villa, Siena

explore beautiful Siena & its art museums

Discover magnificent Tuscan towns

All properties:

• 2-4 bedrooms (sleep up to 8) • living-cum-dining room • 1 or more bathrooms • well-equipped kitchen with oven, 4-ring hob, fridge-freezer, washing machine & dishwasher • either patio & barbecue area or own tables & chairs on shared terrace • shared pool (8 by 15 metres, usually open from May to late September)

Activities available:

• walking in surrounding countryside (we provide notes) • use of tennis courts at hotel, a short drive away • cycle hire 5km away in Siena • nearest shops & restaurant in next village or 5km away in Siena

> Prices & travel

Wonderful walking rewards with far-reaching views

Compact, relaxed and immensely beautiful, Siena is an enchanting city full of splendid Gothic architecture. In the narrow streets, elegant medieval townhouses and frescoed chapels surround the opulent cathedral and several excellent galleries and museums - the city is a paradise for art lovers.

The magical city of Siena

The focal point is Il Campo, a vast scallop-shaped piazza at the heart of Siena lined with open-air cafés and dominated by the sumptuous red-bricked city hall. As in all Tuscan towns, just walking around is a great pleasure, and you will discover ancient gates, parts of the city wall and, south of the cathedral, even quite a lot of green space. Siena is full of good pastry shops (pasticcerie) offering the local speciality, panforte, a heavy kind of cake, in addition to the usual tempting display of cakes and pastries. From the Mangia Tower, sweeping views invite you to explore the surrounding countryside.

The Siena Garden Villas from above

Venture out of the city and you will discover lyrical scenes of wheat fields, vineyards, sunflowers and cypresses, as well as atmospheric hill-top towns such as San Gimignano and Montepulciano. This gently undulating landscape makes fantastic walking country, and we provide route notes so that you can explore on foot. The scattered farmsteads you will see - and which we often use to help you find the route - were central to the traditional way of life of the Sienese countryside. A podere was the hub of the rural economy, a farm peopled by several generations of the same family who worked the land and cultivated wheat, grapes and olives. All easily accessed by car, the walks we suggest are:

Serre Rapolano (15km, 5hrs): this circular route introduces you to the timeless scenery of the Crete Senesi south of Siena as it winds across undulating farmland to the delightful walled village of Serre Rapolano. Take time to explore before returning through light woodland to your starting point.
Pieve churches (7km, 2hrs): this shorter route explores the area around Asciano, passing numerous tiny Romanesque churches (pieve).
Monte Oliveto Maggiore (18.5km, 5.5hrs): we highly recommend walking to the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, surrounded by cypresses and famous for its early Renaissance frescoes. The first part of the walk leads past a string of small farms to the panoramic hill-top village of Chiusure, from where the path threads its way through woodland and over eroding cliffs to the site of the secluded abbey.

The idyllic surroundings of the pool

It is amid olive groves and vineyards on a hillside just 5 kilometres from Siena, that you will find the high-quality Siena Garden Villa, which enjoys the best of both worlds - close enough to drive to the centre and its tempting restaurants in just a few minutes, yet far enough away to escape the bustle. Indeed, it makes an elegant retreat, comprising a cluster of houses surrounding a large manor house.

Some of the houses are split into apartments, while others are independent cottages. Whichever you choose, you will find the spacious accommodation is refined and stylish, having been renovated and decorated with great attention to detail.

Well appointed and decorated throughout

Here is a sample of some of the properties:
Boschetto (sleeps 4): first-floor apartment with a living room with a kitchen area, a double bedroom, a twin bedroom and a shower room.
Belcaro (sleeps 4): detached cottage with a living-cum-dining room with a kitchen area, a double bedroom, a twin bedroom with an en suite shower room, and a small garden area with a table and chairs.
Frantoio (sleeps 6): two-storey apartment with a large living-cum-dining room with a kitchen area, a downstairs bathroom, a double bedroom, two twin bedrooms, 2 shower rooms and a small outdoor seating area.
Tinaia (sleeps 6): two-storey apartment with a large living-cum-dining room with a kitchen area, a downstairs shower room, a double bedroom, two twin bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 shower room and a small outdoor seating area.

Delightful bedrooms in all apartments

Prices & travel 2009:

Self-drive includes: P&O Ferries Dover-Calais
Drive time from Calais: 13h40
Property & hire car includes: 7 days' category B car hire (eg Fiat Grande Punto)
Recommended airports: Pisa & Bologna
Driving time from airports: 2h
Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you
Start: Saturday

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