Sportigallo: A Farmhouse In Tuscany: FOR RENT
You can see some interior photos here.
This old stone house (on the farm where my grandmother was born) is surrounded by terraced fields of olive trees, and commands a lofty but peaceful view down a wide valley toward Florence, which is 25 minutes' drive away. That distance makes Le Casacce sound almost suburban, but in fact you will hear only a few chickens, the distant barking of a dog, and now and then the church bells of the nearby village of Doccia: you are in the country, near though you are to Florence. Because you are high in the hills, you will find the evenings cool, an agreeable relief after a hot midday in Florence.
Here are some characteristics of the place:
- bedrooms: three and a half (one is subdivided into two smaller rooms);
- bathroom: one--modern, tiled;
- kitchen: also modern: gas stove, refrigerator, hot water heater;
- living room: huge fireplace;
- terrace: normally, we eat all 3 meals out here. There's an outdoor oven we use when we want to cook steak over a wood fire.
As caretaker we employ the friendly and resourceful man who farms the land for
us. He is on the land most days of the summer in any case, and thus is
available to give aid on short notice.
Le Casacce enjoys one of the world's great views; it is cool and peaceful,
although in easy range of Florence or of, say, an evening concert at Fiesole
(about 20 minutes distant). It is a simple house, and since this is not a
tourist center but a bit of rural Italy, you will need to know at least
phrase-book Italian.
If you are interested in renting Le Casacce, please call Tom Hayes, at
(617) 495-4740, or email me: hayes@physics.harvard.edu.
Here's some detailed information about Sporti--not quite current. I can send you updates, if you find that you're interested.
Here is a longish document (30 pages) detailing information
that would be interesting to someone going to Sporti, dull to most other people
(where to eat, near Sporti; where to ride horses; the best hospital; where to
leave garbage(!)).
We offer it in 3 forms:
Full version, including some graphics, .PDF format (3 Meg)
Zipped full version, .ZIP format (1.3 Meg)
No-graphics version, PDF format (240K)