Cenno – The House

Cenno is a very simple, unsophisticated and typical Tuscan farmhouse, with worn flagstone steps, beamed and tiled ceilings, open fires and wooden shutters at the windows, with views out over the garden and fields up to Castel del Piano and down over the valley to the hill top villages of Monte Giovi and Monte Lateroni – arguably, the most wonderful view in this part of Tuscany.

The house is split into two parts. The upper apartment, the Top Floor Flat, has two double bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen/living area with an open fireplace, and one bathroom. There is central heating and a washing machine. It has its own separate entrance and drive and garden terrace.

The Main House, on the lower two levels, has two double bedrooms and one small single room and two bathrooms. There is a farm kitchen with open fire grill, a dining room that seats ten and a sitting room with open fireplace. It too has central heating and a washing machine, and also a dishwasher. It has its own terrace and garden.

Set slightly apart from the house is a barn – The Studio, which is split level and can act as an additional double bedroom to either section of the house. It's a great spot to admire the view. However, there is no bathroom, therefore, if it is used, the ground floor bathroom in the Main House is just across the bottom terrace or the Top Flat is just up the stairs and across the top terrace. Underneath The Studio is a summer lunch room - The Limonia, with barbecue fireplace, which makes an additional dining area.

Although there is no conventional swimming pool at Cenno, it is bliss to cool down from the summer heat in the substantial outsize, waist high paddling pool (not suitable for toddlers) on one of the lower terraces. For those that relish a ‘proper’ swim, there is an open-air pool in Castel del Piano or the spa baths at Bango Vignoli.

The terraces are part-shaded and ideal for those perfect Italian meals and there is nothing more relaxing than having a glass of wine and a dish of olives while watching the sun go down behind Monte Giovi.

The Valley:

In every light and at every time of year, the road down the valley beckons, but just remember that the climb back up again is steeper than it looks and a bottle of water and a hat are essential in the heat of summer. This valley of vineyards and olive groves is a riot of wildflowers in spring. You can either walk down the valley from the road or take the ‘donkey-path’ from the top terrace – this route winds down through Cenno’s sweet chestnut woods to the unpaved road below. Upon reaching the road, turning left leads you to the road proper and left again up towards Castel and Cenno (45 minutes). Turning right takes you on a longer (2 hours+) wonderful walk, to the tiny hamlet of Tepolini, down to the river or ever which way the fancy takes you - you can’t go wrong, it’s all gorgeous!