NEWS FROM FATTORIA DEL COLLE
Camera dei Vignaioli, restoration of the panoramic swimming pool, starry sky for wedding dinners … many small things to add charm to Fattoria del Colle
Panoramic swimming pool before the restoration Fattoria del Colle
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini
In truth, the Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda, in the most beautiful Tuscan countryside, is loved because it hasn’t changed, because those who come back after twenty years find their memories …. However, updates are essential to keep alive a small hamlet with four hundred years of history. And here is the news for 2023.
CAMERA DEI VIGNAIOLI
The Vignaioli room is located on the ground floor in the building formerly called Podere Ginestreto and built over two hundred years ago. Externally it has two large brick arches over the lane which crosses the Fattoria del Colle and is now used for outdoor seating. Presumably in the past it was a stable or a warehouse for carts, plows and other agricultural implements. More recently it has been used as a canteen for the winemakers who cultivate the most precious things on the farm: the Sangiovese vines. This is why it is called the Grape growers’ room. It is furnished with a small sofa, a chest of drawers and an authentic antique wardrobe that give a lived-in feel to this room, restored in 2023 and equipped with air conditioning and Wi-Fi.
As is well known, Tuscany protects historic buildings and landscapes. For this reason, the restoration of the Camera Vignaioli was a real puzzle and only after many attempts did the definitive project arrive. One of the arches was reduced (the other had already been closed in the past) using ancient bricks and this made it possible to create an entrance to the bedroom and bathroom. The result seems very trendy with the shower cubicle separated from the bathroom, but, in reality, it derives from the need to respect the existing volumes.
PANORAMIC SWIMMING POOL AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE
All three swimming pools at Fattoria del Colle are surrounded by greenery but one, the smallest, is particularly panoramic and loved by tourists who enjoy a spectacular view over the Valdorcia and the Crete Senesi.
For this reason it was the first to be restored with a new sand-coloured sheet, a travertine border and an arrangement of the solarium in local travertine. Even the obligatory fence around the pool has been replaced by posts and metal mesh in order to reduce the impact on the landscape and adapt to the country but refined style of Fattoria del Colle.
THE STARRY SKY FOR WEDDING DINNERS
In the road in front of the old farmhouses, luminous chains of small light bulbs have been positioned, resembling those used in the old peasant festivals. These will allow for table-setting as if under a starry sky with a romantic effect, very suitable for wedding dinners. In this way, the farm will have three highly suggestive areas for nocturnal banquets: the restaurant terrace, the road and the grove where there are the lights arranged by Philip Robinson, set designer of the film “Four Weddings and a Funeral”.
NEW KITCHEN FOR VILLA ARCHI
Villa Archi now has a new functional and trendy kitchen. We opted for a very modern style because the villa sleeps 14 (5 bathrooms and a swimming pool) and therefore needs practicality and space in the area where meals are prepared.
VISITS TO THE HISTORICAL ROOMS OF THE VILLA
After the stop imposed by the pandemic, guided tours of the historic rooms at Fattoria del Colle have resumed, including the sixteenth-century kitchen, the coat of arms and billiard room. When possible, the tour also includes the Grand Duke’s room created for Peter Leopold of Habsburg and his lover Isabella.