Italian Gifts

Villa Pignano, Tuscany

ponente_glow.jpgPignano is one of Italy’s most charming and pleasing estates with a history that dates from the 13th century. Thanks to its hilltop perch, Pignano, an ancient borghetto consisting of a villa and surrounding buildings, commands views that embrace all of Tuscany.

Villa Pignano, the heart of the estate, ranks as one of Tuscany’s most beautiful villas and has recently been meticulously restored. The ochre and olive colored villa contains seventeen bedrooms (several of which house delicate trompe l’oeils) and generous public areas that offer ample space for entertainment, communal activities or contemplation. A large swimming pool, carved out of the quarry originally used as a source of stone for the estate, is filled with soft, clean (lightly chlorinated) water.

The villa has a professional kitchen whose chef and staff prepare and serve authentic Tuscan cuisine. Tended grounds and spacious lawns surround the main house.

In recent years Pignano has re-assumed its roots as a working village, with a community of a dozen full-time residents. Its bosky five hundred acre estate contains pigs, horses, chickens, rabbits, ducks, pheasants (and the occasional wild boar), olive groves, ponds and an organic vegetable garden. Fuel for the villa and surrounding buildings comes from solar panels and a biomass generator. All water from the villa is recycled through a series of reed-beds. A Montessori pre-school also operates within Pignano during the school-year.

The villa and its community meld earthiness and comfort. Families seeking to recapture connections, couples wanting to marry in rare and graceful surrounds, and groups of artists have all found that Pignano offers a special warmth and touch.

Pignano is exclusively represented by eyeItalia.