Location:Porto Ercole, Italy
Bedrooms:5 Bathrooms:4 Property Type:Vacation Home Sleeps:10
Amenities:Dishwasher, Fireplace, Microwave, Oven, Shower, Stove, Swimming PoolActivities:Beach, Restaurants, Snorkeling
Description:If you are debating between a visit to Italy's historic cities and towns, like Rome, Florence and Siena, and taking a fabulous beach holiday with family or friends, here is the solution. You can have it all! nThis fashionable but incontestably comfortable vacation home is a magical discovery for unforgettable vacations on one of Italy's most fashionable coastal resort towns. But this isn't just a beach town, Argentario's old castles, forts and Renaissance streets, speak with the voice of history that attracts us all to Italy. Porto Ercole, on Monte Argentario, a peninsula south of Grosseto in Tuscany, is full of Renaissance charm and history. Caravaggio, for instance, washed-up dead on Porto Ercole's shores 400 years ago. There are four historic forts which remind us of past wars and that the Spaniards held control in the 16th century, leaving their influence in the architecture and the people. nBut it is also a stylish resort whose ports play host to fabulous yachts and the jet-setters who fill it today. You will enjoy strolling the charming and active harbours, dotted with excellent seaside restaurants, cafes, bars, and gelaterias, and the incredible beaches and shores. The house comes with a reserved spot for two people with umbrella and chairs, as well as parking, at a chic beach cove with a sandy beach, terraced lawns, snorkeling, and the possibility to rent canoes and pedal boats (and additional chairs, etc.). You can rent a motorboat, or you can take the ferry to the charming island of Giglio just off the coast, where you can swim on pristine beaches, have a delicious lunch and stroll more historic streets of this Castle-Fort Island. nBut your holiday doesn't stop here, because Porto Ercole is exquisitely located just over an hour to Siena and Arezzo, and less than 2 hours from Florence and Rome. When you have had enough sun and sea, just take a day trip to one of Tuscany's many treasures from your home away from home. This could be your holiday of a lifetime, or the place that you will decide to return to year after year. nAn Italian Artist and her New York Art and Antiques Dealer husband took on the restoration of her family's historic, three-story 18th century farmhouse on a magnificent Olive Estate to create the perfect family vacation home, the results are splendid. The house has original beautifully polished, terracotta floors, high ceilings and beautiful proportions. The villa sleeps 11 in 5 bedrooms plus a bed-sitting room suitable for a child. In addition to the Master bedroom, all other bedrooms may be made up as a king bed or as two twin beds. There are three bathrooms all with tub/showers, plus a half bath. The kitchen has everything that you could wish for! Dishwasher, microwave, full stove and oven, and plenty of room to cook great family meals. There is a large living room with fireplace for fall and winter evenings, a charming sitting room, plus upstairs den. There is also a separate dining room with antique table. And as you might expect, antique furnishings abound through-out. nAdded to the indoor comforts, are what one most desires in a Mediterranean Holiday, and that is comfortable outdoor living. Under a wisteria-covered pergola there is plenty of casual outdoor seating with upholstered cushions and pillows, and not one but two dining tables and chairs to seat 14. If you are not looking for shade, there is a well furnished terrace, too, surrounded by cyprus, lavender and rosemary and at the end of the garden, a refreshing pool. The house comes with 12 hours of maid service per week. A cook is possible on request.
