Holiday home for max. 3 persons
Pratovecchio, Tuscany, (Casentino), Italy

Medieval tower with a panoramic terrace

The medieval watchtower above the Arno Bridge is on the outskirts of the medieval town of Pratovecchio. It was built in the 11th century by the Conti counts and it is the oldest building in town, along with the ancient stone walls of Pratovecchio.

You can spend a fabulous holiday here, transported back to the Middle Ages. After careful restoration, the tower has been converted into an independent and magnificent holiday residence, providing all the necessary comfort and air conditioning. The medieval tower is on three floors and has a total of 100m² of living space, including the terrace. The entrance is on the first floor, accessed up typical wooden stairs (33 steps). The entrance area with cloakroom space provides access to the 20m² bedroom with majestic walls, restored conscientiously. The walls have decorative elements that evoke feudal times and feature typical shooting slits facing the Arno and the garden. The bedroom has an en-suite bathroom (4m²) that takes account of the architectural forms of the tower and provides a WC, bidet, shower and ancient washbasin made of marble. Stairs lead from the entrance area to the light living room (28m²) with an antique sofa, armchairs, satellite TV, a dining table with four chairs, a wall cupboard and a little wooden kitchen unit. The kitchen is equipped with a fridge-freezer, dishwasher, oven, stove with two rings and an antique sink made of marble. The living room-kitchen has stairs leading up to a gallery (10m²) with a comfortable single bed and another bathroom with external decorations portraying the castles in the region. It has a WC, bidet and washbasin. Some steps lead from the gallery to the panoramic terrace. Internet access can be booked for a fee on request.

The highlight of the tower is without a double the magnificent panoramic terrace (35m²) with a view of the Valle del Casentino, the medieval castles of Poppi, Romena and Porciano. The terrace provides a whirlpool, lighting, a hanging garden, a barbecue built of lava rock, drinking water, a dining table and tables. You can enjoy romantic candlelight dinners here under a starry sky.

There is a pool 1.5km away, shared with other guests. The owners receive guests with their specialities prepared on arrival and once a week. There is no washing machine in the tower, but there is a launderette in the centre of Pratovecchio.

The Adriatic coast is about a 90-minute drive away and the Tyrrhenian Sea a two-hour drive away. You can also swim in the lake 1.5km from the centre of Pratovecchio, or in the Arno River in Stia. You can go on trips to the zoo at Poppi, the della Verna pilgrimage church, the Camaldoli hermitage and the Foreste Casentinesi National Park. Florence and Arezzo are a 50-minute drive away, Siena 80km. It is just an hour and 5 minutes by train from Arezzo to Rome with the express train, so it is possible to go on a day trip there.