In the heart of Montopoli Val d'Arno, this comfortable, spacious house with pretty, private garden is ideally located to explore the whole of Tuscany. The garden is a delight and provides a tranquil haven for sociable outdoor meals with the family, and a space to enjoy the warm summer evenings. Montopoli has medieval origins and has retained so much character and charm, with magnificent views over the surrounding rolling hills. Set between Pisa and Florence, there are lovely restaurants, shops and coffee bars and a friendly and welcoming community. Transport links are excellent with the main Florence, Pisa, Livorno road (the FI-PI-LI) easily accessible and with a train station in the town. Pisa airport is only 35 kms.

The main entrance of this house is from the door located on the village lane, but it can also be accessed from the garden where there is another door that opens onto the entrance hall. The garden is completely enclosed and can be accessed by car to provide private, gated parking, or it is easy to use the free village car park nearby. From the atrium on the ground floor, an ancient, beautifully worn staircase leads up to the living area currently consisting of a kitchen, a dining / living area (which could be the second bedroom) and a large bedroom with bathroom. On the second floor is another room which could be used as a third bedroom. On the ground floor, with access from the garden, there are two communicating 'cantina', store rooms, that form a single body, a space which offers the possibility to create another reception room or a summer kitchen. The house has such a warm feel and retains the character. It is in good condition as the roof has been completely redone, the shutters are new, the floors are in original terracotta and many of the ceiling are original Tuscan beam and brick.

There are many positive points of this house: in particular the view from the private garden is spectacular; the house itself is ideal, there is the convenience of walking to the grocery stores, the bakery, the butcher, the coffee bars and strolling through the pedestrian area in the centre of the town on a warm summer evening, chatting to the friendly community is a joy. It is a treasure to have a great house with its own beautiful garden and views and with independent entrances. There is also potential to expand the property, if required and the location is just so convenient.

The San Romano-Montopoli-Santa Croce local train station, just 5 mins away, is a big bonus. There is a direct line to Florence, Pisa and Livorno (from where you can catch the ferry to Elba), and there are also connections to La Spezia for the Cinque Terre (UNESCO World Heritage site) and also to Rome, Lucca, Bologna and Milan, which all provide wonderful day trips. It is even possible to leave in the early morning to get to Naples for a famous pizza and be back in time for a sundowner.

The hills around Montopoli are famous for the precious white truffles. Specialist truffle-hunters scour the countryside with their dogs throughout the autumn, and often come back laden, but they never reveal the exact spot where the truffles were found. They are often sold to brokers at high prices to be distributed globally, but can usually be found too, in the local restuarants. In November the White Truffle market exhibition takes place in San Miniato, which in addition to the precious truffles, also offers visitors the best fine wines of the area and other gastronomic specialties. San Miniato is a pretty place, only 15 km from Montopoli.

Just 30 mins from Pisa airport, and 40 mins from the centre of Florence, there are many interesting places to visit in the immediate vicinity: the town of Vinci is the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci and hosts a wonderful museum in his honour; Montelupo Fiorentino hosts an important museum of Renaissance ceramics works; and Artimino, with a collection of wonderful Medici villas. This area has been continuously inhabited since the Etruscan time: almost all the villages in the surrounding hills already existed in ancient times and it is not a rare event to come across Etruscan finds and archaeological excavations. This is the perfect place from which to explore the whole of Tuscany with the art treasures and architecture of Florence, Volterra, San Gimignano and Lucca on the doorstep.

Distances: Montopoli on the doorstep, Pisa (airport) 35 km, Lucca 40 km, beaches 40 km, Florence 45 km, San Gimignano 45 km, Volterra 50 km, Siena 80 km.