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LA TORRE AND LA FRAZZAIA |
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CETONA, TUSCANY, ITALY
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Intimate La Torre is a surprising find on a quiet street in Cetona just a couple of minutes' walk from piazza Garibaldi. Carved out of a converted 14th-century tower, this unique townhouse backs onto the cobbled street and looks out over a river valley. A terraced garden tumbles down to the swimming pool, reached by several flights of steep steps. The house is small but well-planned and there is a large loggia shaded by reed panels off the cosy ground-floor living room and kitchen.
Three bedrooms have been created in the tower, one on each floor, and the views get better as you climb the metal spiral staircase. There is only one bathroom on the ground floor, and a small shower room off one of the bedrooms: rather than having been renovated for rental, La Torre is very much a family home that has grown organically, creatively, and comfortably, decorated by its Milanese-journalist owner and her artist husband. The narrow, walled street outside - most easily accessed via an open French window in the living room - winds gently uphill to the restaurants and cafés and shops on the piazza; but the loggia and the surprisingly large garden guarantee peace, privacy and country views.
On the other side of the valley overlooked by La Torre is La Frazzaia, which can be reached from Cetona by road or footpath. There are postcard views of the village from the north-facing windows and garden, while the surrounding hills and valleys can be seen from the south side of the garden and swimming pool, which is surrounded by mature trees, lawn and well-tended borders.The ground-floor kitchen, dining and double living areas are open-plan, with each segment opening onto the terrace, which extends the length of the house, through arched French windows. The arrangement of bedrooms is slightly eccentric, with a basic single downstairs and three doubles upstairs, one of which has had a make- shift mezzanine added; but the airy first-floor study/sitting room adds to the already generous amount of shared space. The artist owner, who lives next door, has furnished the house with an eclectic yet sophisticated assortment of furniture, from Italian design
classics and wingbacks to William Morris chairs and a Charles Rennie Mackintosh dining table. The books, paintings, accumulated bric-a-brac and hand-dyed fabrics make this a very personalised house, the antithesis of an anonymous hotel.
SLEEPS
Six or seven each (one bedroom at La Torre has three single beds)
PRICE
£955-£1,905 (La Torre), £1,730-£2,765 (La Frazzaia), including maid service
CONTACT
CV Travel (020 7591 2833; www.cvtravel.net)
FLY
Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) or easyJet (0870 600 000; www.easyjet.com) to Rome (150km away)
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