Summary
Il Mulinaccio is located between Radda in Chianti (7km) and Gaiole in Chianti (3km) on the SP2 road, 1.5km from the junction with the SS408 road from Montevarchi to Siena. The property is on a tar road, which those familiar with unpaved access will appreciate.
Description
380 sqm (4090 sqft)
Bed linens & Towels supplied
Il Mulinaccio is located between Radda in Chianti (7km) and Gaiole in Chianti (3km) on the SP2 road, 1.5km from the junction with the SS408 road from Montevarchi to Siena. The property is on a tar road, which those familiar with unpaved access will appreciate.
There are two dwellings at Il Mulinaccio – the main villa with 5 bedrooms which has origins dating back to the 10th century and a second building which has been converted into two large self contained one bedroom apartments. Downstairs the rooms have tiled floors with brick built vaulted ceilings in the living and dining rooms. Upstairs the floors are cotta tiles dating from the 16th century with magnificent chestnut beam and brick ceilings.
The house had its beginnings as a watchtower to warn the nearby castles of hostile movements in the valley. Later it was acquired by the Ricasoli family who converted it to a mill, utilising water from the stream and serving the needs of local farmers. The Ricasoli crest is still fixed into the main front facade of the house.
The main front entry to the villa opens from a terrace facing the apartments and overlooking the gardens and leads into the living room. This is the most comfortable room in the house. With its large open fireplace and easy lounges it lends itself to long evenings enjoying the local Chianti wines and peccorino cheese. There is a 32” flat screen TV with Sky satellite service and a DVD player in the living room.
To the left hand side of the living room is a doorway into the Dining Room. If Tuscan villa dining roomyou feel the need for formal dining this is the perfect setting – under the magnificent brick ceiling, on a tiled floor and bathed in natural light through the huge arched window sits a magnificent dining table, which tells tales of many memorable evenings.
In the wall behind the table there is a wood fired oven, which will bake 200 loaves of bread should you ever have the need. Great for pizzas and, we are told, great for a lamb or a pig! Around the room are artifacts belonging to the history of Il Mulinaccio.
The dining room also gives access to the staircase that leads to the upstairs bedrooms.
This double bedroom to the right of the landing has two windows with views over the gardens and the stream. It is furnished with a double bed, sofa, large wardrobe and chest of drawers. It also has a private ensuite bathroom with shower.
Access to the large downstairs Giotto bedroom is off of the dining room. This room has an interesting rounded ceiling. It was built in the 10th century over a mound of earth which was then removed. This room was the base of the original tower when it was built as part of the region’s defences and communications. Later it housed the mill. This room is furnished with a double bed, a single bed and a single lounge bed. It is an ideal family bedroom. There is a bathroom on the ground floor.
This twin bedroom to the left of the landing has twin beds, a third single bed, a large wardrobe, a couch and two windows with views over the grounds. This room uses the main bathroom.
This double bedroom is through the sitting room to the right and has a double bed, large wardrobe and views over the gardens. It has a private ensuite bathroom with shower.
The handmade original stone staircase has been carefully restored, and this leads from the main dining room, upstairs through a brick archway to the first floor landing. This level of the house retains the original 16th Century terracotta floors and the traditional beamed ceilings with terracotta typical of farmhouses in this region.
From the first floor landing area, there is access to two of the bedrooms, the family bathroom and the upstairs sitting room. The sitting room has a comfortable sofa and a desk, a Bose music system and a laptop computer connected to ADSL internet and printer. The walls have fitted shelves and freestanding bookcases filled with books, all arranged around the focal point of the room which is the enormous original open fireplace with an iron stove.This is the ideal place to escape if the company is too convivial.
This bedroom is to the left of the sitting room, and is a very bright spacious room, with three windows overlooking the gardens and rolling hillside in the distance. There is a queen bed, a large wardrobe, and 2 chests of drawers. It has its own private ensuite bathroom with shower.
The bedrooms all feature quality Swedish duvets and pillows all with Swedish cotton covers. The duvets are adjustable in thickness to suit the changing seasons.
A second entrance is through a set of traditional wooden doors, which open directly into the large kitchen which adjoins the living room. In Chianti, families do a lot of living in the kitchen. It is the heart of the house where the most of the cooking and eating is done. That makes it important that it is a welcoming, and homely place.
At Il Mulinaccio the kitchen is everything you could ask for – plenty of room for food preparation on thick, Carrara marble bench tops, plenty of room for pots and pans and all the kitchen paraphernalia, plenty of room for keeping food and wine and, most importantly, plenty of room for sitting round the table.
The fully fitted kitchen has wooden units with a built in oven and separate hobs, a large freestanding fridge with freezer section and a dishwasher. There is a built in glass and crockery cupboard set into the wall on one side, and a dining table and chairs sit in front of a wooden dresser at one end of the room. The kitchen is fully equipped with crockery, cutlery and glassware as well as normal appliances like toaster, kettle and blender. It includes quality pots and pans for those who wish to cook seriously.
The laundry is conveniently located off the kitchen as is the downstairs bathroom with shower.