Welcome to Your Private Retreat in Tuscany – Villa Ardore
In the heart of Tuscany, less than an hour from Florence, and nestled amid vineyards producing the region’s most renowned Chianti Classico wines, an unforgettable travel experience awaits at Villa Ardore.
Featuring eight bedroom suites and a separate studio office, each with en suite bath and, offering a private Roman spa for daily personal indulgence, the villa offers discerning travelers a secluded luxury accommodation where they can relax and rejuvenate after a long day exploring Florence or Siena or tooling around the Italian countryside.
An Idyllic Location, Perfect for Gatherings
Take in breathtaking vistas over grapevines and olive trees from a large, heated infinity swimming pool. Views of the ancient walled town of San Gimignano and its 14 towers can be seen along the horizon.
For gatherings, enjoy spacious lounging and dining areas, colorful gardens, and a large center terrace suitable for weddings, birthdays and special life events. The expansive pool deck also features a covered pavilion with an illuminated bar and comfortable seating areas perfect for hosting friends and family. This space is also outfitted with a dishwasher, refrigerator and ice maker.
Nearby Villa Ardore you’ll find world-class wineries and Michelin-starred restaurants. Discover the architectural medieval towns dotting the Tuscan landscape. Want a larger city experience? Siena, Castellina-in-Chianti, Radda and Greve are among the many idyllic destinations in Tuscany, where history buffs, gastronomic adventurers and vinophiles alike come to experience Italy’s rich heritage.
Ardore [noun] enthusiasm, feeling; to love with passion!
The Vacation Villa that Passion Built
Villa Ardore is the passion-project of American attorney Christian Scali and screenwriter Stephen Lewis. The couple had searched for over a year for the right property, falling immediately in love with Ardore. Next came a year-long renovation full of painstaking details and sweeping vision. $1.5 million in upgrades later, the end result of those efforts can only be described as spectacular.
Located just minutes from the charming town of Castellina-in-Chianti, with its cobblestone streets and 14th century castle, near two Michelin-rated restaurants, trendy boutiques and art galleries, Villa Ardore is approached by one of Tuscany’s famous ‘strade bianche’ (white roads), that winds through picturesque vineyards and fairytale woodlands. As travelers come upon the artisan-created gates, it is immediately apparent they have arrived somewhere very special. The trees reveal the magnificent stone 6-bedroom suite farmhouse and 2-bedroom suite dependance and a breathtaking view of the Tuscan countryside.
One of the best parts of Villa Ardore’s hospitality is its personal curator, Francesco Goracci. In classic Italian style, his warm personality and charming smile greets guests as they arrive with a special aperitivo prepared just for them and a welcome tour of the property. Francesco is as present as guests’ desire. His knowledge and love for the area is contagious and he is always willing to share that genuine love with guests.
Some guests find themselves bringing Francesco—Franci to his friends—into the fold and making a life-long friend. Others enjoy their privacy and are content knowing that he is just a text or phone call away if they need anything. Throughout the stay, guests can enjoy as much or as little privacy as they desire, the villa being theirs to enjoy in its entirety for the duration of their stay.
“We wanted to create a place that felt intimate and comfortable with a relaxed elegance that would make guests feel as though the villa is their home in Tuscany,” recounted Scali. “And as well, to help them curate their vacation itineraries to create a truly bespoke travel experience.”
Villa Ardore provides guests a personal travel curator to help plan excursions to regional sites and to schedule a variety of entertaining activities, creating a fully-curated vacation that is all their own.
Exemplary Luxury
The property’s living space encompasses two buildings. The main structure is an artfully renovated 6-bedroom Tuscan farmhouse with grand common areas to gather in, a reclaimed antique Parisian bar for a nightly aperitivo and a curated 500 bottle wine cellar.
The second building, the dependance (cottage), includes two large suites on its main level, one with its own fireplace and a second with a Manhattan kitchen.
Accessible from the exterior stone terrace on the lower level of the dependance is the property’s private Roman spa with 10-person whirlpool, lounging beds, dry sauna, sensory shower, and Turkish steam bath. There is also a large professional kitchen suitable for preparing group meals for weddings, reunions, or important birthdays; and in which Italian and regional Tuscan cooking classes and demonstrations can be organized.
A large stone terrace connects the two buildings and allows guests to gather in relaxation with a glass of their favorite Chianti Classico or a refreshing limoncello by the firepit.
Still more outdoor entertaining space is found at the loggia dining area and adjacent pizza oven, where guests can enjoy a private chef prepared dinner al fresco or, get their hands in some dough and learn the art of pizza making with a local area Pizzaiolo.
The loggia also serves as the gathering place for a variety of bespoke activities, wine tastings, classes and demonstrations that can be arranged with Villa Ardore’s travel curator during pre-arrival planning.
The property’s well-manicured grounds include a heated saltwater infinity pool bordered by majestic cypress trees which is separated from the farmhouse and dependance in its own intimate setting. The pool area includes an outdoor shower and a large pavilion with an illuminated bar for private events.
The poolside terrace affords a spectacular view of the vineyards below—a view that guests find stunning by day, but equally beguiling in early evening… as the pool’s westward facing infinity edge provides for nightly performances of Tuscany’s vibrant sunsets.
Villa Ardore’s grounds also include a bocce court, herb garden, culinary garden and a well-tended chicken coop from which guests may select their own freshly laid eggs for breakfast. The absence of neighbors makes this property a private escape for guests to whom privacy is important, whether seeking the tranquility of uninterrupted relaxation or in preparation for a secluded special event.
Villa Ardore’s charm is its relaxed and approachable luxury. Each of its six bedrooms is finished in traditional Tuscan style, with heated terracotta floors and wood beamed ceilings. Modern conveniences of air conditioning, meshed Wi-Fi service and USB ports at bedside have been added for guests’ convenience. Guest rooms offer hand-tufted king or queen beds and comfortable side chairs for reading. Some offer private balconies; all offer captivating views of Tuscany’s rolling hills.
Uncommon Common Areas
Villa Ardore’s farmhouse includes a gourmet, chef’s-level kitchen that, like the bedrooms, marries distinctive old-world charm with modern conveniences. An 8-burner gas stove with double ovens, microwave, warming drawer and two dishwashers make prep and clean up another part of the fun of living in a home away from home.
The villa’s grand living room with traditional Tuscan fireplace is perfect for relaxing with a vin santo, and guests often gather at the adjacent antique Parisian bar for pre-dinner cocktails or evening nightcaps. A wine cellar featuring some of the region’s best Chianti Classico and Brunello vintages, offers a curated selection of wines for purchase, and a large formal dining room further enhances the villa’s entertaining options for guests.
Conscious of maintaining the authenticity of the property’s heritage yet wanting to provide connectivity and modern conveniences to their guests, the proprietors of Villa Ardore designed and installed custom made mirrored televisions in the bar and dining room. The televisions are invisible unless in use to stream sporting events, news, or the hottest, can’t-stop-binging series. The dining room also serves as a gathering space suitable for corporate retreats, with its seating for 16 and smart mirror-tv on which company presentations can be shown.
Just off the dining room is the loggia terrace with wood fired pizza oven and views of the adjacent woods and the valley below. The terrace is large enough to host al fresco dining for groups yet maintains an idyllic Tuscan countryside ambiance. Villa Ardore’s travel coordinator or Francesco can schedule cooking classes, special dinners, and pizza-making experiences on the loggia.
Also on the ground floor is the farmhouse’s studio office with separate entrance and en suite bath. As an office, this suite provides a relaxing and private area for calls or other work that requires quiet contemplation or privacy. Playwrights, authors, and screenwriters can tap into their muse in this inspirational space with outdoor terrace and tranquil views of the valley and San Gimignano in the distance. For groups needing an additional bedroom, the studio accommodates with a comfortable inner-spring sofa sleeper.
On the second floor of the farmhouse, leading to the bedroom suites, guests pass through a cozy second living area with a fireplace for chilly nights and another mirror-tv for movie watching or gaming.
From Relaxed Contemplation to Energetic Adventuring
All around Villa Ardore there is natural beauty to soothe the traveler’s soul. Glorious fruit trees laden with tart, juicy lemons, sweet oranges and plums, flower beds filled with blossoms of every color and herbs and ripe vegetables within easy grasp. Life-long memories await to be captured, with each day’s sunset evoking cinematic excellence, quiet pathways to explore and intimate vignettes to stumble upon and call your own secret ahh-spot.
When quiet relaxation gives way to exciting adventure, Villa Ardore offers an ideal location to explore the medieval wonders and charming villages of Tuscany. Guests can go wine tasting in an actual castle, ride horses through woodland and valley or drive vintage Fiats around the countryside.
Villa Ardore’s travel curator or Francesco can also arrange for some unique experiences in Florence, just 45 minutes away. From a guided walking tour of the city and a visit to one of its magnificent museums to securing dinner at an acclaimed restaurant, all planning and reservations can be facilitated for guests as part of the villa’s bespoke travel curation experience.
Spend the day with a private shopping concierge visiting the city’s exclusive designer boutiques or, for the ultimate in fashion luxury, be treated to a custom shoe fitting with renowned designer Luca Villani, who has crafted shoe designs for celebrities like Madonna, Pam Anderson, and Miley Cyrus. The sky is virtually the limit of what is possible during your visit.
Live with Ardore
While generally serving to accommodate one group at a time, the villa offers some themed weeks throughout the year when guests can meet new friends in a shared experience at Villa Ardore. It was important to Villa Ardore’s proprietors when creating this private space to allow guests the luxury to be themselves. Whatever guests are celebrating, whether it be a milestone life event or a local celebration, such as the Palio, fashion week or pride week, all guests are free to be themselves.
Guests leave Villa Ardore with a passion for the private, understated luxury and authentic experiences they had under the Tuscan sun and newfound friends in Italy.
