Private Villa with Pool in a Botanic Garden Near Florence

• A wonderful taste of Tuscany

  A wonderful taste of Tuscany

  • Guest Maree
  • Date of stay 03/10/13
  • Review Submitted 03/23/13
  Sadly I am enjoying my last breakfast on the al fresco dining area under the morning Tuscan sun at La Selva. The only sound is that of the native birds and the occasional cock crowing ( he must have missed dawn). I struggle to think of a more tranquil and serene place I have visited. My husband and I have spent the last 2 weeks here with 2 friends and cannot speak highly enough of our experience. The beautiful large stone villa is spacious but so homely and comfortable I feel I could stay indefinitely. The eclectic mix of beautiful antique and Art Deco furniture along side authentic relics of La Selva's rural past add to the villa's rustic, comfortable charm. We opted to self cater and the large well equipped country kitchen was perfect for this. La Selva is ideally situated for exploring this part of Italy. We had a hire car at our disposal & in the 2 weeks visited Siena, Montepulciano, Montelciano, Vienza, Arezzo, Cortona, Greve, Panzano, Firenze, San Gimignano to name but a few of the outstanding medieval and renaissance towns and villages. We also had an overnight stay at Cinque Terra. Being only 10 mins from Montevarchi with a regular train service was a bonus. March is still cool to be visiting Tuscany but along with the large original open fire the warmth and hospitality of Francesco and his family and friends more than made up for this. Their knowledge of the area is invaluable ( and readily available ) and their love for the area contagious. No questions went unanswered or need unsatisfied and our experience of Tuscany was greatly enriched by their contribution. Thoroughly recommend La Selva for either a quiet retreat in the Chianti Hills overlooking the Arno Valley or as a base for exploring further afield.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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• I didn't want to leave

  I didn't want to leave

  • Guest JC
  • Date of stay 09/15/12
  • Review Submitted 10/24/12
  There was only one thing about La Selva that was disappointing, and that was that we had to leave. My wife, myself and eleven of our friends came to La Selva to celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday and spent a week there. The house is located in a beautiful clearing surrounded by wineries, olive trees and wonderful pieces of outdoor art. Walk around by the outdoor wood burning oven and grill (which I used and loved) and you will see a fig tree, persimmon tree, and pomegranate tree. There is also a wonderful mature blackberry bush near the pool. The location is terrific, it is just a short drive to the historic town of Montevarchi, where there are trains to Rome and Florence and any convenience or service one might need. Not to mention a bunch of great restaurants. The house is roomy but also intimate, the bedrooms are comfy and there is what seems like 100 windows in the house. The pictures of the house on the website are just as you see. The 2 kitchens are well equipped and great to cook in. The tons of room in common areas made it easy to relax and party as a group or hang out alone. The host/owner family is wonderful and their chef, Maria is amazing. She cooked our welcome dinner that was excellent the day we arrived and then came back on her night off to prepare my wife’s birthday dinner which was as incredible and unique as the previous night. She also made a wonderful birthday cake that was covered in those luscious blackberries! Francesco and his brother Andrea are immensely helpful, hospitable and are easy to reach if you need something and a real pleasure to spend time with. Their mother and father Anna and Paulo are so friendly and they all make you feel like the house is really yours. We all loved it!!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

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• Amazing experience

  Amazing experience

  • Guest Pina
  • Date of stay 07/21/12
  • Review Submitted 08/15/12
  A group of 12 friends travelled from Canada to Tuscany together and stayed at this wonderful villa. It was an amazing time. The owners and chef were wonderful and helpful. The house, pool and grounds were breathtaking and we had a wonderful time in Tuscany this past summer. Thank-you Paulo and family for a wonderful vacation.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: Dear Pina and friends the pleasure was ours as well. We genuinely enjoy sharing LA SELVA with guests who appreciate nice things. Cioncolini family

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• Heaven in Tuscany

  Heaven in Tuscany

  • Guest Stacey
  • Date of stay 06/09/12
  • Review Submitted 06/26/12
  We have just returned from an amazing week in Tuscany and absolutely loved our stay at LA SELVA! The photos and description accurately reflect the property, though they do not begin to capture the serenity and tranquility of its location. The villa is well maintained and clean and its location is ideal for many wonderful day trips. The children in our party (age 10 and under) were completely captivated by the surrounding garden, pool and amphitheatre and spent many happy hours exploring the property. The owner, Francesco, was available throughout our stay (and during the weeks prior) to answer questions and help with planning our stay and he and his family (Paolo, Anna, and Andrea) were very welcoming. We will recommend LA SELVA to our friends and family and sincerely hope to return!

  Recommended for: Families with young children, sightseeing.

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• Amazing Place for a Wedding

  Amazing Place for a Wedding

  • Guest Ravenel
  • Date of stay 05/19/12
  • Review Submitted 06/09/12
  We found La Selva online and decided, sight unseen, to book this villa and property for our wedding. We were nervous, but this turned out to be the perfect decision. Francesco and his family helped us plan our wedding from afar, and it was the most amazing wedding week and wedding day we could have ever imagined. We filled La Selva with our family and friends, and with all of the sitting rooms and outdoor seating areas the villa felt comfortable with as many as 16 people in it some nights. La Selva has all of the rustic charm of an older home with all of the modern comforts, such as beautifully appointed bathrooms and kitchens, that make a vacation home ideal. The entire house is a wonderful marriage of old and new - antiques sit alongside whimsical mid-century furniture and modern artwork. The bedrooms were beautiful and comfortable, while all of the new doors and windows kept the house quiet and at the perfect temperature. Sharing meals with our family and friends and the Cioncolini family at the giant farm table in the dining room was a continual highlight of our stay. Maria cooked us the most delicious meals we have ever tasted and also kept the house spotlessly clean for the duration of our stay. The wooded setting and surrounding gardens made for beautiful views and ambling walks. We loved sitting outside overlooking the Tuscan hills for breakfast and filling vases with cut flowers from the garden. The salt water swimming pool is also both a beautiful and refreshing addition to this property. A perfect vacation week culminated with a perfect wedding - the stone amphitheatre and surrounding gardens made for a magical setting for the wedding ceremony and dinner and dancing under the stars. It really was more special than I can convey. What really made La Selva perfect was the investment of its owners, the Cioncolinis, in both the property and in our well-being. They were wonderful people whom we enjoyed spending time with, and also who helped meet our every need and give us advice on everything from wedding planning to where to park on day trips to surrounding cities like Siena to where to eat in Montevarchi. We loved the villa so much we hardly left, but eating at Uva Spina and Daniel e Riccardo in Montevarchi and at the nearby Osteria di Rendola were also highlights of our trip.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Owner response: All my family have been extremely happy to host Ravenel & Stephen wedding, they were wonderful guests. From the first email Ravenel sent to me (Francesco) I was happy to help in the organization of all details, we did many skype video calls and send each other more emails that i can count. When we met for the first time (6 days before the wedding) was like we already know each other. During the week I organized the meeting with the suppliers (flowers, music, catering, etc) and prepared the garden and the amphitheatre for the big day! For the wedding day Ravenel & Stephen invited around 60 friends, the religious ceremony at the amphitheatre, dinner in front of the villa and party all night was unforgettable experience for us too. Me and my girlfriend were very pleased to be invited to the wedding; it was a nice surprise. All the best to Ravenel & Stephen and look forward to see again here at LA SELVA or in another part of the world.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• A Magical Holiday in the Chianti Hills

  A Magical Holiday in the Chianti Hills

  • Guest Anna
  • Date of stay 03/01/12
  • Review Submitted 03/28/12
  If you have our sentiments about travel and life, you will fall in love with the magic of LaSelva and the family that own and runs the villa. The villa is a large stone farmhouse with lots of well appointed- spacious bedrooms, hallways and living spaces in a casual comfortable environment. It has two salons to hang out in; it is equipped with two large kitchens and is filled with cooking equipment and dinnerware and pots and pans--everything to satisfy your culinary needs. The gardens and plantings are abundant and the property is a feast for the eyes. There is an abundance of sculptures and outdoor spaces to enjoy--a meditation circle, an amphitheater for dance and music performances..... A foot path leads you pass farms with chickens (coops), ducks (pond), pigs AND most of all fabulous vistas of the Chianti Hills. The family is beyond accommodating AND their son Francesco speaks English fluently. When Francesco learned that I like ceramics, he arranged for me to visit one of the international ceramicists in Chianti. It was a wonderful treat to experience an ancient chapel that was converted into the artist studio and home. There are many cities and local towns for day trips. If you are about love and heart and connecting and nature, La Selva is where you want to be. It's magical!! If you like 5 star hotels with bells and whistles and air conditioning, La Selva is probably not for you.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Owner response: Hi Anna, thank you so much to leave us a so great review, it was a pleasure to have you and your friends at LA SELVA. Ciao Francesco, Paolo, Anna, Maria and Elisabetta

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Relaxing family getaway

  Relaxing family getaway

  • Guest Deb
  • Date of stay 10/08/11
  • Review Submitted 10/17/11
  We just returned from a one week's oasis at La Selva where we celebrated my parents' 55th wedding anniversary and my father's birthday. We were a group of 8 people ranging from 14 - 84 years old. La Selva is located in an idyllic setting complete with stone villa, amphitheatre, pool and lush gardens. It has a lovely homey atmosphere that makes it easy to relax and unwind. We were greeted when we arrived by Paolo and his wife, Anna, their son Francesco and his girlfriend, Elizabethe, and the wonderful, amazing chef Maria. Francesco speaks fluent English. The first night's meal was incredible - home made pasta, salads, wild boar (a local specialty that is delicious), dessert and of course, lots and lots of Chianti wine. We also had Maria prepare a meal for us for my father's birthday. She arrived at 4 p.m. and spent the first half hour walking around the grounds collecting fresh herbs and vegetables! There was a rosemary bush that was huge and put my small herb garden at home to shame. After collecting all her fresh ingredients, Maria cooked for the next four hours to prepare a feast that we will dream about for some time! We rented an 8 seater van while we were there and drove to Montevarchi, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Assisi and Rada. We also dropped by the Prada outlet that is quite close by! On Francesco's recommendation, we took the train from Montevarchi to Florence which was the perfect way to get to the city. We found a restaurant that we loved in Montegonzi (5 minutes away) that we visited several times for it's incredible pasta and pizza. All in all, it was a great location and we hope to return someday soon.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• A True Tuscan Retreat

  A True Tuscan Retreat

  • Guest Kelly
  • Date of stay 09/03/11
  • Review Submitted 09/19/11
  We have just returned from a two week 50th Birthday celebration at La Selva...and we already miss it! We booked the Villa in order to accomodate several groups of friends who each arrived for one week, a total of 23. We chose La Selva for it's privacy and bucolic setting...and we were not disappointed. This Tuscan farm house is like stepping back in time: the stone, brick and beam construction creating a cool and welcoming place to come home to after a day of sightseeing, the large table set for another relaxing dinner with spirited conversation. We chose to have Maria prepare her specialties much of the time. What a jewel she is! Everyone loved her energy and attentiveness, and especially her homemade pastas. There are several local restaurants which are good, especially for lunch, but we had our most treasured memories back at La Selva around the refreshing pool or lingering over a fine dinner with a local Chianti. The Ciocolini Family made our experience like a cultural exchange, something you rarely find in a vacation rental. The welcome dinners are magical, and they are always available to help if needed. Francesco, son and manager, speaks wonderful english and is the ambassador that makes everything run smoothly. The botanical gardens and wonderful aesthetic delights are mostly the work of Paulo, the partiarch and wizard of continuous surprises you will find throughout the property. For our group it was perfect, but if you are looking for a resort/hotel atmosphere with bells and whistles, travertine baths and hermetically sealed soaps, this probably isn't the place for you. La Selva is much more than a rental house, it is a travel destination for those who not only want to see Tuscany, but to actually taste it, touch it, smell it and feel it.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Amazing La Selva........simply stunning !!!

  Amazing La Selva........simply stunning !!!

  • Guest Janice
  • Date of stay 07/23/11
  • Review Submitted 08/03/11
  Grazie to the Cionccolini family for allowing us to stay in this beautiful villa. Set in fantastic grounds with beautiful plants and trees. Walking through the grape vines and the fig trees must be tried for yourself. This has been the most relaxing holiday I have ever had. Our first night was lovely and we had a welcome meal prepared by Maria. Yummy! With the local chianti wine it was great. Paolo and Anna treated us like long lost family and Francesco was so helpful with his brilliant English. I was embarrassed my Italian was so poor. I was there in a group of 11 people, all family . This made the stay even more special. We ranged from age 16 to 56 and all enjoyed what this place had to offer. We visited Florence and Montegonzi and Montevarchi , but we just loved lazing by the pool and cooking in the fabulous kitchens and being visited by GInger the cat. The walks in the vast grounds were brilliant. We found little places to sit or lounge about wherever we went. We only had a weeks stay but could have stayed forever. We will definitely return to this Tuscan haven and have taken home some wonderful memories from this trip. The villa was huge even with 11 people in it we still had so much room and so tastefully decorated with a distinct Tuscan feel . It was spotless and well equipped . This place definitely lives up to it's description on the website . A truly amazing villa you will not want to leave and definitely want to return to.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Amazing venue for a family gathering..and my daughter's wedding

  Amazing venue for a family gathering..and my daughter's wedding

  • Guest joyce w.
  • Date of stay 06/25/11
  • Review Submitted 07/13/11
  We gathered 14 family members and had our daughter's wedding at this villa. It was amazing!! The villa and grounds are beautiful, the owners gracious and responsive, the chef Maria was the most amazing, and the pool was a savior in the very hot temperatures. The villa was clean, everything worked, and it was very serviceable for cooking our own meals when we wanted to, etc. We stayed for one week and took many day trips including Florence, Chianti wine tour, Rome, Arezzo, and Sienna. The train station in Montevarchi was extremely easy to get to and made all these locations easily accessible. It was a beautiful venue for my daughter's wedding right under the awning of the patio. Francesco (owner) and Maria (chef) were right there to be sure everything was perfect. Francesco, the centerpieces were lovely and absolutely appreciated. Our greatest hope is that we'll return some day for a repeat visit! Thank you Francesco and Maria for making it so wonderful!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, people with disabilities, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

Additional information about rental rates

The villa hosts a single group of guests at a time and is always private. Rates are variable by the N. of bedrooms used by the guests

Included services:

On Saturday welcome Tuscan dinner

Wireless High speed Internet (free)

Cleaning 3 day a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

Final Cleaning

Linens for bed, bath and table

Pool towels

Private salt-water swimming pool

Weekly change of linens

1 GPS car

Fees:

• Refundable Damage Deposit: €700
• Taxes Included

Cancellation policy:

If you have any questions please contact the owner.