Casale Dado

LUCIGNANO

At a glance

Surrounded by fields of sunflowers and wheat in the rolling hills of the unspoiled Val di Chiana (the Chiana Valley), this lovely and recently restored classic, Tuscan country house is located between Siena and Arezzo, very near the charming medieval hilltop village of Lucignano.

Casale Dado is a two-story stone and brick farmhouse, typical of the area. It has been carefully restored, retaining the original elements of brick arches, beamed ceilings, and some interior walls of exposed stone and brick. The spacious and comfortable main house totals 338 square meters (approximately 3500 square feet). You enter through a covered portico (porch, with outdoor table for 8/10).

Inside, three large arches divide the cosy, eat-in kitchen, the dining room with table for 8-10, and the sunny living room with large open fireplace. On the other side of the kitchen are a bathroom with shower, a study with desk and day bed, a tv room with access to the garden and pool area, and a laundry room with plenty of storage space.

A stone staircase leads upstairs to the high-ceilinged, airy, sitting room; four bedrooms (2 double bedrooms with queen size beds, 1 with king bed, and 1 with a single bed); two baths (one with shower, and one very large bathroom with shower and separate jacuzzi tub); and a large walk-in closet.

The attached guesthouse (an additional 42 square meters, or approximately 430 square feet) has a separate entrance, two small double bedrooms (both with queen size beds); a small bath with shower; and a kitchen-sitting room.

The appliances are new. The kitchens are fully equipped and suitable for gourmet cooking. All mattresses, couches, and armchairs are new, comfortable, and of high quality. The bathrooms have modern fixtures. All windows and doors have mosquito screens. Otherwise, the house has been decorated and furnished in traditional Tuscan country-style, with characteristic colors, fabrics, and antique pieces for an authentic and comfortable Tuscan experience.

Although easily accessible and not remote (it is 3.5 km from Lucignano, and 5 kilometers from the A1 motorway exit), no other houses are visible from the house or grounds. A 400-meter, private, gravel road leads to the house. The house sits on 1.75 acres (7000 square meters) of private garden, offering several areas for dining al fresco, entertaining, or relaxing with a book and a glass of wine.

The grounds have been professionally landscaped with lawns, roses, lavender, flowers and shrubs of all sorts, pots of oleander and aromatic flowers, set around mature fruit trees (plums, apricots, pears, apples), cypress, and shade trees. The garden includes a productive 50 square meter vegetable and herb garden.  A wisteria-covered loggia (with outdoor pizza / bread oven, dining table and chairs) is located on the side of the house near the pool, as is a barbeque for outdoor cooking. 

The 6 by 12 meter (approx. 18 x 36 feet) swimming pool, with outdoor shower, gets full sun throughout the day. A stand of trees makes a shady spot at one end of the pool, next to the bocce ball court. At the other end of the pool, a rustic pergola covered with jasmine and wisteria offers another space for outdoor dining or dozing.

This is an ideal house for a family with visitors, two families, a group of friends, or those on sabbatical looking for a peaceful place to write and recharge.