Our centuries-old farmhouse villa, one-time Customs post and our home for part of the year, sits secluded in its own gently-sloping grounds astride the old border between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the then -independent state of Monte Santa Maria Tiberina in the upper Tiber Valley below the Apennine mountains.

The garden merges seamlessly into the surrounding countryside. While the house is by no means isolated,    it is completely private and many guests have commented on its special aura of peace and tranquillity.     The perfect place to wind down. Or celebrate. Or to feast on culture or nature.

Roses, lavender, honeysuckle and rosemary scent the air. Wild flowers abound - with many varieties of orchid in early summer. Birds galore: goldfinches, harriers, redstarts, buzzards, doves, long-tailed tits and many more. Lizards, hares, black squirrels, hedgehogs, porcupines, deer and wild boar share the property. Also a multitude of butterflies, fireflies, bees, hummingbird moths and other insects.

Steps lead past rose-clad pergolas, shade-giving trees and flower beds to the 10x5m “no goggles needed” swimming pool. There are exceptional views over the painting studio in the barn and up across a patchwork of fields and woods to the historic hilltop village of Monte Santa Maria Tiberina.

​

The house is protected and private but far from isolated,

with the main motorway from Bologna to Rome a quick 10 minute drive away.