With the silhouettes of the gentle slopes of the Val d’Orcia stretching out along the horizon and views extending as far as Siena and the imposing medieval towers of San Gimignano, the owners of this attractive 400-year-old farmhouse were drawn to its commanding hilltop position in the heart of Chianti’s beguiling wine region. Just a five-minute drive from the centre of Castellina in Chianti – a quintessential Tuscan town with its labyrinth cobbled streets, 14th century castle and slew of low-key tavernas pedalling local produce – Tramonti’s surroundings are intoxicatingly beautiful: a quilt of twisting olive groves, terraces of world-famous Sangiovese wines and castellated villages.
The modern interiors of the villa belie the stone building’s ancient foundations. Meticulously renovated using local materials where possible, the house has been tastefully designed and filled with a fusion of contemporary and period furnishings, including custom-made sofas and a Tracey Emin neon sitting under original antique beams. The light-flooded ground floor includes a dining room and two large sitting rooms, one of which doubles up as a cinema room. The kitchen is helmed by delightful in-house chef Mara, who rustles up plates of delicious farm-to-table cuisine using vegetables, eggs and olive oil produced on the estate, and recipes passed down through generations of her family. Upstairs, each of the five ensuite bedrooms is extremely comfortable, and the master even has its own working fireplace.
