Villa Contea Arezzo

'La Contea' is a beautiful, characteristic, detached Tuscan villa, part of an ancient farm which dates back to the 15th century and used to belong to the well-known Visani-Rassinesi family, which gave Rassina some of it's most famous people. The atmosphere and the colours, the beautiful landscape and the lingering feeling of the past increase the unique charm of this building. It has a surface of 260 square metres and is situated in a peaceful and farely isolated area, in the northen suburb of Rassina, a village in the centre of the Casentino valley, 400 metres above sea level. The Arno river, which has it's source in the Falterona mountain, flows through the whole of Casentino. Thanks to the villa's central location, it is easy to reach Casentino's main tourist sites with public transport. The Casentino valley is rich of history, it' s many castles and important sanctuaries set in a lush, green, hilly landscape with lots of vineyards and olive groves, dotted with tiny villages and surrounded by ancient forests, part of the Casentinese-Romagnolo National Park. The stunning, uncontaminated nature and the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere of this area are ideal to restore strength to body and mind. Casentino is a very mystical area and has a number of important holy sites, such as the monasteries of Camaldoli, La Verna and Vallombrosa,  the Romanesque Pieve of  Rumena and Pieve Socana, built upon ancient Etruscan holy grounds; the latter, home to one of the only two surviving Etruscan stone altars, is within walking distance from the villa. The beautiful medieval town of  Poppi, with it' s fortified castle, is a short drive from the villa. The Casentino Forests National Park is only 15 km away and the Chianti Hills and Lake Trasimeno are within easy reach. The beautiful city of Arezzo is only 20 km away. Famous for it's ancient churches and the stunning frescos by Piero della Francesca, every first weekend of the month it hosts Italy's most important antiques fair. Taking a walk among the stalls is like stepping back in time: those with a passion for antiques will be able to buy very valuable furniture and ornaments here. Famous cities such as Cortona, Florence, Siena, Perugia, Assisi, Montalcino, Pienza and San Gimignano are also close at hand. Close to the Contea Villa there are shops, tennis courts (1km), an equestrian centre (2km), golf fields (10 km) and a beautiful outdoor swimming pool in the near by village of Talla (4km). The 'Molino delle Rocche' swimming pool is surrounded by green countryside and has plenty of games both for the young and for the elderly. On the south side of the pool there is a woody area with tall trees where one can cool off from the hot sun and enjoy reading or meditating. The area also has a number of streams and small rivers, tributaries of the Arno, among them the Ponte Rosso, which is an ideal spot for bathing, with its uncontaminated waters and its pictoresque waterfalls. The Contea villa is built on three floors. On the ground floor there is a large entrance with a red brick vaulted ceiling, a double bedroom and a bathroom with shower. On the first floor there is a large, luminous living room with a typical stone fireplace and an outdoor terrace with gazebo , furnished with  tables and chairs, which will enable you to enjoy your meals outside. There is also a kitchen-dining room with a fireplace and a pantry, two double bedrooms with two extra single beds and a bathroom with shower and bath-tub. In the attic there is a large living room with a ping-pong table and in a corner of it an antique wrought iron  double bed ; a double bedroom and a bathroom with bath-tub. The villa is surrounded by a large courtyard with parking space and a shady garden with tall trees, a wood oven, a barbecue and a games room. It is equipped with a washing machine, dishwasher, an oven, an iron, a child's chair and cot and a television. Pets are allowed on the premises.