Description
This wonderful and characteristic Abbey, which dates back to 1031, used to be a Monastery belonging to the Benedettini order. The estate, a real architectonic jewel, is located on top of a hill surrounded by the magnificent “Crete Senesi”.
Location
The nearest town is Asciano and Siena is just 20Km far. The impressive Monte Oliveto Maggiore Abbey, house of the archive containing documents about this property, is 12Km far. Places of interest like Montepulciano, Pienza and San Quirico d’Orcia are within a 40Km radius. The closest airport is the Florence one that is about 100Km away.
Buildings’ description
The estate requires only ordinary maitainance work. It comprises:
- A master apartment placed on the first floor and divided in broad living room with fireplace, master bedroom with bathroom and cloakroom, a secondary bedroom, a wide kitchen and a second bathroom.
- On the ground floor we find an impressive library, a broad dining room that can host 120 people, a professional kitchen (that needs fixing), and some conference rooms.
- The other space on the first floor and the entire second floor are divided in 10 broad bedroom, all en-suite, an apartment with living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The entire surface is 1200sqm with the possible restoring of another 800sqm where is possible to build more bedrooms.
- The finishes are high-quality both inside and outside, when possible the original materials from the different building ages were kept.
- Broad and comfortable bathrooms, wide bedrooms, characteristic and beautiful the cloister, absolutely breathtaking the view from all windows and from all the corners of the estate.
Outdoor spaces
All around the abbey you can enjoy the breathtaking view, to west you can see Siena and the Val d’Orcia valley, to the south the prominence of the Amiata Mountain, to the east Rapolano Terme and Serre di Rapolano and to the North the ongoing hills leading to Chianti. There is an ample garden, of about 30.000sqm, with olives, medical plants, holly oaks, pomegranates, laurel oaks, a wide variety of wild roses, all planted respecting the original flora of the area, and a private lake complete the estate. There is the possibility of building a swimming pool.
State and finishes
The Romanesque chapel (to be restored), consecrated to Santa Maria and to the saints Giacomo and Cristoforo, used to contain a precious altarpiece depicting the Archangel Michele killing the dragon designed by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, a wonderful wooden tabernacle and an ancient cross, now preserved in the Corboli Museum in Asciano. After many years of meticulous renovation, the Abbey returned to its former glory in all those parts ruined by years of negligence: from the cloister, with its beautiful double order of stone arches, to the two unusual wells, from the halls to the cells.
Potential use
Given the fantastic position and the great prestige of the building itself it could be started a very interesting accommodation facility even if it wasn’t done in the past.
