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Chianti
on your doorstep, Florence 55 km, the Prada Outlet 15 minutes drive
away, this rental cottage is just a leisurely 10 minute stroll to the village
Jump to: Prices & Availability | Reviews Full Description
If
you love walking, peaceful rusticity, outlet shopping, organically
grown olive oil and all the more conventional joys of glorious Tuscany
then this cottage is for you!
Podere
La Rota is a delightful cottage set among peaceful olive groves,
barely a ten minute stroll from the village of Moncioni, which is
slap in the centre of Tuscany’s “golden triangle” formed
by Florence, Siena and Arezzo - at La Rota, you are comfortably
within an hour’s drive of all three of the tempting must-see
points of the triangle and you are also on the doorstep of the fine
red wines of Chianti. If you prefer to let the train take the sightseeing
strain, it’s just ten minutes drive down to the busy town
of Montevarchi, where you can park and hop on a train down to Rome
or up to Florence. Montevarchi also boasts an excellent Thursday
morning market, where you’ll find fresh fruit and veg plus
clothing and household bargains galore and there’s an antiques
market on the last Sunday of every month too. For fashion enthusiasts,
just 15 minutes drive will get you to Levane, where the Prada outlet
is discreetly tucked away. The area abounds in outlets selling fabulous
shoes, glassware and cashmere to name but few. And the outlets for
Armani, Fendi, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana are all in a 40-minute
drive from this beautifully furnished cottage (you’ll find
full details of the locations of the high fashion outlets in all
Summer’s Leases House Books).
The
walled village of Moncioni is tiny, but you’ll nevertheless
find a bar, a well stocked “sell-everything” shop run
by the friendly Signora Anna and an excellent and very elegant restaurant.
If you want to drive into Chianti to dine at the ancient and atmospheric
Osteria di Starda, there’s a secret back route which is a wonderfully
scenic ten minute drive from your cottage. Serious walkers couldn’t
pick a better base than Podere La Rota with maps in the house showing
the many local footpaths, or you might prefer to settle for a gentle
saunter in the sylvan surroundings of Podere La Rota’s 30 acres
of woods and olive groves.
Attention
has been paid to every detail of this pretty cottage: from the comfortable
furnishings in authentic Tuscan style to the superbly well equipped
new kitchen and pretty bathroom. Once again the owners have tried
to think of everything by providing useful things like a hair dryer,
sun bathing towels, a range of CDs if you forget to pack your own
favourites, a bookcase with maps, books and guides, even a sewing
kit and a free welcome snack & breakfast pack to ensure you
start your holiday in style. And now there’s even covered
parking to keep your car out of the Mediterranean sun! Your
own private terrace is equipped with sun loungers, huge shady umbrella
and a table for candle-lit dining under the Tuscan stars. Podere
La Rota’s
large white dog Livia and three cats will no doubt drop by to check
up on what you are doing, unlike the owners who are discretion itself
- they’re
there and a mine of local information if you need them, otherwise
you will be left to enjoy your gloriously peaceful surroundings
in perfect privacy.
If
you want something special in Tuscany, you’ll be delighted with
La Rota!
When Bob showed us around the beautifully equipped, charming, comfortable little house we immediately felt at home. We ate on the veranda from the very lavish welcome dishes and even a bottle of sparkling white wine they had left for us. Livia the white Maremma sheep dog also joined us. It was the start of a perfect week. Bob and Ally couldn’t have been kinder and more welcoming. The kitchen lacked for nothing and we ate in almost every evening. This was quite a change for us as we normally love eating out on holiday but the view was so lovely that we didn’t think we could find a better restaurant. Livia couldn’t have been a nicer companion and every morning she joined Tom on a walk in the valley. Being greeted by her made us feel we were coming home. I couldn’t find anything negative to say about Podere La Rota, it was magical from beginning to end and just writing about it has made me wish I was back there right now. Thank you Summer’s Leases, we hope to enjoy many more holidays with you. Tom & Julie Pinckheard, Bath. This is the 7th Summer’s Leases house that we have stayed in and they get better and better! This was only the second week of letting of this new house but everything was in place including a superb welcome pack and the odd bottle or two of cold white wine in the fridge - just the welcome for weary travellers! The electric fans were a great help (well, it had been 40°C in the shade!) when we finally dragged ourselves off the terrace to go inside having admired the superb views for several hours over a leisurely meal. Crispin Davies, Kent. Podere La Rota exceeded all of our expectations. The cottage itself is incredibly well appointed. The kitchen is modern and spotless with everything you need to take care of yourself in style. Living and dining rooms are comfortable and well-equipped. The bedroom is huge by Italian standards and the renovated bathroom is an elegant and luxurious treat. Then there’s the deck, which overlooks olive trees and grape vines and medieval villages and Tuscan hills. It’s a minor miracle. No, a major miracle. If the sun is shining, it’s hard to convince yourself to do anything but sit on the deck and enjoy. Certainly our plan to explore the hill towns was cut back considerably - although we managed the easy drives to San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Cortona, Volterra and others. Each morning we did a good long walk in the hills, and each afternoon we sat on the deck with a glass of wine and a before dinner treat. Our plan to find a great little restaurant each night was also scrapped. Why bother? We prepared our own meals five of the seven nights, and ate leisurely on “our deck” enjoying “our view.” Bob and Ally are great hosts. We had lots in common and got a chance to share our concerns about war and peace and social justice - and to provide each other with all kinds of sensible suggestions for improving the world. Their stories about developing and running La Rota - sometimes frustrating, sometimes funny, sometimes harrowing - were always entertaining. And, of course, there’s Livia. Podere La Rota is the kind of place that, without being the least bit pretentious, makes you feel spoiled. We’ll be back. David Chudnovsky, Ruth Herman, Vancouver. Our second consecutive year at Podere La Rota reaffirms the glowing tribute we paid following our initial stay. Breathtaking tranquility, authentic Tuscan environment, impeccably thoughtful home comfort makes this our No.1 holiday destination! WE WILL BE BACK FOR MORE!!! Jerry and Maria Gumeniuk, Bradford. We adored the house and area. The welcome from Livia and Bob was great and the superb ‘welcome pack’ provided was much needed after a long day travelling. Nothing about the house disappointed us. The kitchen had all the things we needed and more. We particularly liked the huge bathroom and all the hanging and drawer space in the bedroom, and having taken the advice given in the House Book to keep the shutters closed, managed to keep relatively cool considering the outside temperature. We made great use of the books on the shelves and have just received a copy of Drives from Radda which we ordered via the internet. Having followed the advice of almost all the previous visitors we too ate at Osteria di Starda - superb !!! What a wonderful holiday home you have at La Rota. We wished we had booked for two weeks instead of one and will definitely rectify this in the future. Many many thanks. Janice and George Bell, Troon. We want to thank you so much for our wonderful stay at La Rota. From the moment we entered the house we knew that we were going to be spoiled. The wonderful scent of lavender that permeated the rooms was delightful! The attention to every detail to make one’s stay comfortable made us feel so pampered and so welcome. The books, the music, the terrific welcome platter were such a pleasant surprise - not to mention your great wine, which were all enjoyed immensely on the lovely patio. We were in awe of the gorgeous views and the almost constant songs of the birds. (Hope your rose is doing well!) We appreciated the decor which you obviously put much care and thought into. It was so comfortable. Our week at La Rota was everything that we had dreamed of when, so often, that is not the case. Thank you so much for having shared your treasures at La Rota and also sharing Livia - she’s such a sweetheart! We would love to return one day. Wayne and Christine Grimm, Victoria BC. We found Podere La Rota to be a home from home of the highest quality (in fact we’d swap our home for the cottage in a flash). First impressions really do last and from the moment we stepped on to the patio we fell for the location in a big way... I had planned to ask Clare to marry me whilst in Rome or maybe Florence, but one night as we sat on the patio watching an amazing sun set with a stunning view across the valley, I knew that no more romantic setting could be found anywhere in Italy. The big question was popped and thankfully (with no little help from the surroundings) Clare said yes. We found the cottage to be an ideal base for traveling around this beautiful part of the country or as a haven to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We can’t wait to go back. Andrew Young and Clare Turner, Billericay. |
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