Casa Allioni 126

Entrance on the upper floor is past a bread oven and into a spacious kitchen, whose fireplace has seen centuries of Tuscan cooking and whose terracotta floors and beamed ceilings adjust quite well to the modern appliances of a gourmet-class kitchen with an antique table for 14. The kitchen sits between a corridor leading to a bathroom and a double bedroom and an open staircase leading down to the living room, where high ceilings and three french doors give it light and spaciousness.

Like all rooms of the house, the living room has a tasteful a mix of art and antique and modern furnishings, and comfortable sofas, a corner fireplace and sound and video equipment make it a natural place to enjoy each other's company. On this floor there are a studio, a bedroom with a small double bed, a shower room and the master bedroom, which has a door leading out to table and chairs on the wide vine-covered terracotta walkway that fronts the house.

This walkway wraps around the house and forms a wide patio outside the living room doors and the entrance to the wine cellar, where excellent Allioni wine is aging in oak barrels. From here stairs lead first up to the furnished loggia, which is effectively an outdoor summer dining room, and then further up to the swimming pool set within a sculpture garden. Equipped with lounge chairs on a wide flagstone deck and table and chairs under the stone pool house nearby, the pool area is the ideal place to relax and take in the view below, as well as a glass of wine and the sunset.

The owner may be in residence in the studio apartment above the garage when guests visit, but as she is an excellent resource, this could well be an advantage in learning about the area and arranging for a catered dinner or cooking lesson. She has her own garden area and guests have exclusive use of the swimming pool.