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Ancient country house recently restored - beautiful private garden - panoramic

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A rustic stone house with wooden shutters, a stone wall, and potted plants.
A cozy living room with a wooden cabinet, a dining table with chairs, a red sofa, and a white armchair.
A room with a wooden ceiling, a window with curtains, a mirror, and a lamp.
A serene garden with stone pathways, neatly trimmed bushes, and tall trees.
A rustic kitchen with wooden cabinets, a brick wall, and a fireplace.

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
This villa offers space for 14 guests with 4 bedrooms. It features a patio and mountain views, ideal for family gatherings. Guests can enjoy activities like birdwatching, mountain biking, and fishing. The property is pet-friendly and located near Castello del Trebbio and Mulino a Vento - Fattoria Lavacchio.

Highlights

  • Room to spread out
    Enjoy spacious layout that give everyone more room to relax.
  • Firepit available
    One of the few properties with a dedicated outdoor firepit.
4 bedroomsSleeps 14

Popular amenities

  • Patio
  • Toys
  • Internet
  • Kitchenette
  • Barbecue grill
  • Washing machine

Explore the area

View in a map
Pontassieve, Firenze
  • Place, Castello del Trebbio
    ‪12 min drive‬
  • Place, Arno River
    ‪13 min drive‬
  • Place, Mulino a Vento - Fattoria Lavacchio
    ‪14 min drive‬
  • Airport, Florence (FLR-Peretola)
    ‪47 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 14)

Antonella

2 Single Beds

Caterina

1 King Bed and 2 Double Futons

Colonne living room

2 Double Futons

Dante living room

2 Double Futons

Erminia

1 King Bed

Wilma

2 Double Futons

Ground floor

Bidet · Toilet · Shower only

Upper floor

Bidet · Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Kitchenette
Separate dining area
Garden

About this property

Ancient country house recently restored - beautiful private garden - panoramic

Ancient country house (originally built in the XIII century), recently restored with respect of its historical characteristics, located in the village of Fornello, on the beautiful hills between Florence and Mugello.

It’s only 18 km far from Florence and at few minutes car from Fiesole, Borgo San Lorenzo, Pontassieve. Located at 400 m AMSL and surrounded by unforgettable landscape of vineyards, olive groves, cypress, chestnut, pine and oak trees, it' s a very good starting point to visit the whole Tuscany.

The house is disposed on two floors and consists of four bedrooms, two large living rooms with sofa beds and a very large eat-in kitchen with a typical fireplace perfectly working. Furniture are traditional but all modern comforts are available.

The house is enclosed in a 1500 sqm wide green park, with trees and flowered plants. It’s perfect for outdoor dining as well as for resting or reading under a pine tree, but you can also practice many different activities in the neighborhood.


Ping-pong table available in the garden.

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Check out before 12:00 PM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

Events allowed: family gatherings and birthday parties
Specific agreements must be made
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Pets

Pets allowed: dogs and cats less than 25 kg per pet (limit 2 pets total)
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Smoking

Smoking allowed: in designated areas

Important information

You need to know

Property Registration Number IT048033C2L2NJ3H4D
Property # 3001138
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts cash
Parties and events (including family gatherings and birthday parties) are allowed on site. Maximum attendees: 40
Note from host: Specific agreements must be made
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room

About the area

Pontassieve

Located in Pontassieve, this villa is in a rural area. Uffizi Gallery and Basilica of Santa Maria Novella are cultural highlights, and some of the area's notable landmarks include Ponte Vecchio and Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Travelling with kids? Consider Boboli Gardens, or check out an event or a game at Mugello Circuit. Discover the area's water adventures with nearby fishing, or enjoy the great outdoors with cycling, ecotours and hunting.
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Map
Pontassieve, Firenze

What's nearby

  • Castello del Trebbio - 12 min drive - 6.1 km
  • Arno River - 13 min drive - 9.2 km
  • Pieve dei Santi Gervasio e Martino a Lobaco - 13 min drive - 10.3 km
  • Mulino a Vento - Fattoria Lavacchio - 14 min drive - 7.2 km
  • Path of the Gods - 15 min drive - 12.4 km

Getting around

  • Pontassieve Sieci Station - 13 min drive
  • Peretola Airport (FLR) - 56 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Bar da Gigi - ‬24 min drive
  • ‪Castello Del Trebbio - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪Pasticceria Bonaiuti - ‬14 min drive
  • ‪The Stony Pub - ‬17 min drive
  • ‪La Sosta Del Gusto - ‬12 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Ancient country house recently restored - beautiful private garden - panoramic pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows cats and dogs (limit 2 total) with a maximum weight of up to 25 kg per pet.

How much is parking at Ancient country house recently restored - beautiful private garden - panoramic?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Ancient country house recently restored - beautiful private garden - panoramic?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Ancient country house recently restored - beautiful private garden - panoramic?

Checkout is at 12:00 PM.

Where is Ancient country house recently restored - beautiful private garden - panoramic located?

This family-friendly Pontassieve villa is located in a rural location, 2.8 mi (4.5 km) from Mulino a Vento - Fattoria Lavacchio, and within 6 mi (10 km) of Arno River and Castello del Trebbio. Path of the Gods and Olmo are also within 9 miles (15 km).

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 17 out of 25 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 7 out of 25 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 25 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 25 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 25 reviews

8.4/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Check-in

9.6/10

Communication

9.4/10

Location

9.2/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
What a great property. Not a single bad view from any window or point in the yard. It's quiet and tranquil with everything needed. Host was very responsive accommodating.
Stayed 8 nights in Apr 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This was our favorite place that we stay while in Italy. It had an old world charm and all the details were lovely. We had a chance to use the massive fireplace and it kept the place very cozy. You can't beat the views! Pure eye candy from morning till night! Our host, Marco and Maria, went out of there way to make us comfortable, and their communication was outstanding. I hope to stay here again someday.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
excellent!
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

We had a wonderful time!

We spent ten wonderful days in this lovely house. It was a great base for our adventures in Florence, Siena and around Tuscany! The host was friendly, the garden very nice and the old house was comfortable and spacious...
Stayed 11 nights in Jul 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

In the heart of tuscany

We had amazing time here. The house is definitely suited for big groups and its in an amazing location in the heart of tuscany. We chose it because of how close we were to florence and it didn't disapoint. The owners were locely too. owners
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2024
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Simply Amazing

This house is amazing - the views, the huge garden/outdoor living area and the charm & character of an ancient home. The location was great for day trips to Florence and Venice - staying out of the cities allowed for perfectly relaxing evenings with the family, drinking wine in the garden, playing ping pong, or cooking a big meal in the kitchen. There were 8 adults and the house was more than big enough to accommodate us all more than comfortably. Maria and Marco were very helpful via email before the trip in helping us plan things to do in the area, and upon arrival, there were many guidebooks they had put together to help us while there. I hope to get back to Tuscany one day, and if I do make it back, I would love to stay here again.
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Mar, 2020
We have been very glad in hosting Randy and her family. They have been simply perfect and we are looking forward to host them again next year or later.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Unique Experience- A Property You Will Never Forget

My purpose for renting the Villa was to have an experience unique to my usual travel experience which is renting in a city center. We rented the Villa for about a month. The Villa was everything we hoped it would be. How incredible is it to live in a 1000 year old property with all the right accoutrements that transported you back a 1000 years. A huge fireplace, spacious rooms, beautiful grounds and extraordinary views.Access to Florence was very convenient as trains ran regularly from the neighboring town (Sieci) and only took 15 to 20 minutes. Parking in Florence is not easy. Unfamiliar with driving in the Italian Country side, I was challenged by the narrow roads at first but after a few days I was comfortable. Think smaller when renting a car. Two things to remember when renting this property is that there is a charge for using gas for heating the Villa (but not for cooking) and the need for a final checkout with Marco/Maria. Our travel plans required us to leave a day early before we learned about a checkout requirement. We were comfortable with Marco/Maria to make an inspection without us present.After reading a couple of reviews, we noted that some groups developed a personal relationship with Marco/Maria. We took the opposite but probably wrong path to bother them as little as possible. I think we would have immensely enjoyed getting to know them better. Maybe next time.A property you will never forget!
Stayed 32 nights in Apr 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 7 Jun, 2025
Thank you so much for your review. We were also very happy to host Josh and Iris, two wonderful people. We are only sorry that during their stay they found some days of really bad weather. It would be great to host them again in the future
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Perfect!! In every way!

Marco, the owner, did everything to make this my dream holiday. He was so accomodating and helpful. And I had many many many requests that I feel were not the usual traveler questions. It was my first time to Italy, and my first time renting a home. Marco was in constant communication with me for the months preceeding my 'big' trip. As I was planning this for myself and 4 friends there was alot of input from all parties and Marco was patient and knowlegable! He met us at the airport in Florence and assisted us with the initial provision shopping and then leading us to the beautiful Home in the village of Fornello! He took great care to show us everything we would need to know to make this a pleasant stay. ' We rented a car and I HIGHLY suggest the GARMIN GPS. Marco was so kind to put the address in it for me so we could go out and enjoy the countryside as well as Florence and get home each night without any problems. Shopping in the village of Santa Brigida was convienent and they had everything you would need and the most pleasant and helpful staff. Not to worry if your italian language skills are not great- we got along perfectly. The town of Fiesole was a beautiful find and there was a Flea Market on Sunday with some great treasures. There was also an Olive Oil Festival that we enjoyed. The house was clean and pleasant. The washing machine was a great plus!!!! The fireplace in the kitchen made the whole place more cozy. Loved having so much space to roam about in. The 2 livingrooms made it possible for all of us to enjoy some quiet time too! The views were spectacular- though the garden were not yet in bloom - we could see life returning and can only imagine what it will look like in just a couple of weeks. Did I mention how kind and accomodating Marco was? I could not imagine returning to Florence and not staying in this beautiful, well cared for and comfortable home. It gave me a peaceful resting place at night and the convience of seeing much of the countryside during the day. Do not hesitate to reserve this beautiful home!
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Mar, 2020
Debora and her friends were the perfect guests, very nice persons. We enjoyed to help them organizing their trip. It was the first time we went to welcome guests at the airport, but it was really a good idea and we will do it gladly for those who will need it in the future. It is not difficult to reach our house with a GPS, but we think it is preferable to make the first trip with our help. Debora and her friends left our home after 10 days in perfect condition and we thank them for this. We hope to have them again as our guests.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Une belle escapade toscane

Une vaste villa dans un cadre remarquable - une vue exceptionnelle car située sur un col - les petites routes escarpées pour y accéder offrent une belle balade. La possibilité de prendre le train à Sieci pour aller à Florence est vraiment appréciable, et la plupart des sites touristiques ne sont pas loin par l’autoroute. Globalement bien équipée, avec profusion de vaisselle, et d’ustensiles en tout genre. La possibilité de faire du feu était plus qu’appréciable, surtout que le chauffage est à payer en plus. Les propriétaires sont très accueillants et vraiment sympathiques.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2025
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lieu magique

Séjour inoubliable
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Evaluation logement

Logement agreable defaut manque de salle d eau pour 14 et infiltration d'eau par la toiture Logement a évaluer a la baisse
Stayed 4 nights in May 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 4 Jun, 2024
Nous sommes désolés que vous ayez senti qu'il n'y avait pas de douches, mais le site Web de VRBO indiquait clairement qu'il n'y en avait que deux disponibles.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Augusto

Bella esperienza con amici in un tipico casolare Toscano. Bello il caminetto per una "...fiorentina..." Speciale. Da rifare
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 2 May, 2023
Grazie Augusto per l'apprezzamento della nostra struttura. Ci auguriamo veramente di potervi ospitare ancora in futuro
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Ein tolles Landhaus in ruhiger Umgebung

Es war alles zu unserer Zufriedenheit. Dir Vermieter sind sehr nett und wenn nötig sehr hilfsbereit. Ein sehr schöner großer Garten sowie ein großes schönes Landhaus in ruhiger Umgebung
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 2 Jun, 2022
We thank Marc and his friends for the nice review and look forward to hosting them again in the future
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Sfeervol huis met schitterende tuin op landelijke locatie

De locatie is landelijk, beschikking over een auto is absoluut noodzakelijk. Je komt er heerlijk tot rust. Mooie sfeervolle kamers in authentieke stijl. Volop serviesgoed, alle apparatuur aanwezig. Grote open haard. Fijne wandeltrails direct vanuit het piepkleine dorpje. Het in-en uitchecken met de gastheer verliep prettig.
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Mar, 2020
Herman, Judith, Rokus, Lisette and the other guests are all very pleasant people and we were very happy to host them and their little dog Pepper. Unfortunately they found really bad weather and we hope they can come back again to enjoy ZoliCountryHouse even with the sun.
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Peace and quiet near Florence.

A wonderful location in the Tuscan hills within easy reach of the beauty and history of Florence. Peace and tranquility in the old house and lovely gardens. A 15-20 min drive to Seici where there are frequent and fast trains into the centre of Florence. House is well equipped with the only downside being only 2 bathrooms with one downstairs. The house remains cool in the heat of the day. A lovely base to explore Florence and within day trip distance to Siena.
Stayed 8 nights in Sep 2019
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Check-in, communication, listing accuracy

Stay at fornello

Wonderful, but also rustical place in the mountains above Florence. A place to enjoy the silence of the mountains. Therefore you have quite some distances to places of actions. Wonderful and easy going hosts.
Verified review

8/10 Good

Lovely Historic home and property

We had a party of 14 family members. The house was big enough for all of us. We had some adjustments that needed to be made and we contacted our hosts who addressed our needs promptly. We were surprised to find that we were unable to take advantage of the lovely breezes at night because there were no screens on the windows in the upstairs bedrooms to prevent bugs from coming in. With no air conditioning, it was quite warm at night in the upstairs bedrooms. However, there were adequate screens in the downstairs areas of the house, so it wasn't a problem not having air conditioning. The house is in a lovely location and quite accessible to Florence and the surrounding rolling hills of beautiful wine country.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Absolutely loved it!

The house was much larger than expected with plenty of room for our family of four. I could see it easily accommodating 2 or 3 times that number. Tuscan homes always have a special charm and this one was no exception. The age and character of the Zoli home has a very relaxing atmosphere to retreat to after a busy day. The garden area is large and well kept. Morning walks around this and the small town became a daily ritual. The property is gated for added piece of mind. The location is ideal for those comfortable with driving in Italy. It can be reached by circuiting Florence on A1 to reach Sieci. From Sieci, it is only a 15-20 minute drive through the Tuscan countryside to reach the house. Sieci has an excellent station with trains running to and from Santa Maria Novella in Florence regularly. Daily trips into Florence were accomplished easily. Sieci also has a grocery store as well as a bank with an ATM. We found this very convenient and helpful. The owners were delightful and very kind. They were very flexible in supporting our times of arrival and departure which corresponded to our flights in and out of Italy. They were easily reached by phone for coordination and took great care to ensure we were satisfied with our stay. We will definitely consider this property again for our next trip to Italy.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2016
Archival

10/10 Excellent

A Wonderful Month in the Tuscan Hills

The view from the Zoli Country House may be among the most beautiful in the world – valleys, mountains, olive groves, vineyards and Tuscan villages. Our family of seven (six adults and one high school junior) spent one month in this spacious villa during late March and April of 2015 and we each kept returning to the yard to take in that wonderful view. If you have dreamed of renting a villa in the Tuscan hills the Zoli Country House is it. First of all the villa is huge! There are four bedrooms, two living rooms, two baths and a kitchen with the biggest fireplace you have ever seen. The eating area features a dining table worthy of the Waltons and where we enjoyed many Tuscan inspired meals. Secondly, the villa is ancient. The floors are tile throughout and the walls must be a foot thick. You will swear that you have been transported back in time. There are many areas to enjoy outside with seating areas located on several different levels of the yard. We have tried to take to heart the admonition to “live like a local” and we certainly did that during the month that we stayed in Fornello. When we first arrived we had the feeling that perhaps we had chosen a place to stay that was just too remote, too far out from Florence and Fiesole. The roads are narrow and not well maintained and even though Fornello is just 17 miles from the Florence airport it takes an hour to drive there. However, as we adjusted to our life in the countryside that feeling went away and we embraced the quiet life of a Tuscan village. You cannot have the experience we had if you stay in an American type hotel in the middle of Florence. A few other thoughts: • Having a car is mandatory. There is a bus that passes the villa several times each day but we could never figure out the schedule and it takes an hour to get to Florence on the bus. • You will also need a GPS. • The town of Sieci is six miles away and you can purchase groceries, fill with gas and take the train to Florence from there. Parking at the train station is free and the cost of the train to Florence is 2.50 Euro each way. Finally, Marco and Maria and their family (owners of the villa) were so kind and helpful both during the months leading up to and during our visit. We very much appreciate their hospitality and friendship.
Response from VrboOwner on 29 May, 2020
Michelle, Lynn and their family have been simply perfect. This was the first time we have hosted someone a whole month and we were very sad when we had to say them goodbye. We hope to meet them again sometime in the future. We are pleased to learn that they spent a good time in our villa and we thank them for their appreciation. We agree with them that it is necessary to have a car and a GPS. The suggestion to go to Sieci to take the train to Florence is very effective. We add only that the trains to and from Florence are very frequent: there are about 3 per hour.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Lovely Tuscan experience

The house and grounds are exactly as described on the website - a beautiful ancient home restored with all the modern conveniences. The setting is spectacular, with amazing views of Tuscan fields and hillsides. The location is a great starting point for exploring Tuscany by car or train (the Sieci train station with frequent 2,5 euro service to Florence is a short drive away). We were a group of 8 friends and enjoyed outings to various local towns and markets as well as trips for some of us to Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Pisa, Bologna, Padova and Venice - all within easy reach. We had some delightful home-cooked meals - all necessary cooking supplies and utensils were on hand - and also enjoyed Il Nappino in nearby Santa Brigida. Marco was very helpful, both in advance of the trip and while we were there, meeting us at the airport and responding to questions when we arrived. We would love to return, perhaps when the weather is warmer to enjoy the pleasant gardens.
Archival

8/10 Good

HomeAway's description Country Home accurate

Country home full of a long history dating back hundreds of years. Home of stone, 5 bedrooms, 2 stories, kitchen, and big fireplace which wasn't functional. Marco was a great host. One must have a car as many villages & train in area. Fantastic views from upstairs windows! Antiques everywhere - love patios and huge yard. Very quiet - the villages & locals charming. Thank you Marco!
Archival

8/10 Good

Fabulous views&stay in Fiesole

We've stayed in Zoli CountryHouse for 4 nights in Sept 2014 together with our kids and friends . We all enjoyed the beautiful Tuscan view, but more than that we enjoyed the spacious and tranquil house and its 11th century history!!! Our host was very hospitable, but at the same time he gave us freedom to enjoy the property among us. Thank you for being a trustful and friendly host!
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Mar, 2020
We are very pleased to have hosted this wonderful group of friends and their numerous children. We do hope to host them again in a future vacation.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Zoli House; a refuge from the city!

We were a family of 9 that spent a wonderful couple of weeks at the Zoli house. A car is necessary for local travel and to access the train station at Sieca for transportation to Florence. There is plenty of free parking in Sieca and the trains come somewhat regularly! Marco provided us with a very good reference for a cooking experience with Marzia. We enjoyed walking to the local villages and exploring the countryside. This is truly a place to relax and enjoy Italy.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

100% typical toscan house in a natural environment

I rented the house in order to do a catch up weekend with some old master's colleagues spread around Italy. The place is hilarious. Located in the middle of typical toscan landscapes and offering and stunning garden which all my guests looked at saying 'whow, what a place'. The house inside is huge: 2 realy big leaving rooms, 5 rooms, 2 bathroom. It os fully decorted in a typical toscana stile and has
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, listing accuracy
Stayed 4 nights in May 2026

About the host

Hosted by Maria/Marco

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Languages:

English, French, Italian

Premier Host

They consistently provide great experiences for their guests
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