10 Bedrooms - Villa - Tuscany - Sales (ZPOC-T1473487)

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The Castle of Montauto is one of Tuscany´, s most notable properties thanks to its striking combination of medieval, renaissance and baroque architectural styles and artwork. Located just 12km from the centre of Florence the castle has over 1,000 years of history, protected walled gardens, a private chapel and remarkable frescoes throughout. Records in the State Archive state that the castle was built in 964 as a military garrison and was involved in the notorious conflicts between the Guelfi and Ghibellini. The castle is a particularly interesting structure from an architectural point of view as it combines military and villa styles with a central fortress flanked by elegant 16th century stucco villa facades. It was during the 16th century, when the castle was owned by the Ciaini family that the stucco villa facades were added to the existing stone fortress and tower. The Ciaini family were one of the wealthiest Florentine families of their time and were known for their patronage of the arts and architecture. They appointed Domenico di Baccio d´, Agnolo, one of the most renowned architects of the period, to design the new villa. The interior decoration of the castle, with breathtaking frescoes in all the state rooms on the ground floor, is thanks to the Niccolini d´, Agnolo family that purchased the property from the Ciaini family in 1572. Giovanni Niccolini d´, Agnolo was a well respected Senator and like so many of the other political leaders of his time, when not embroiled in the complex politics of 16th century Florence, he studied archaeology as a pass-time. Many of the frescoes found throughout the castle make reference to his interests. There are also several important crests in the castle which combine the crest of the Niccolini d´, Agnolo family with the crest of the Salviati family (Giovanni wife´, s noble family). There are 1400 sqm of floor area with interlinking state rooms on the ground floor that open onto frescoed loggias and the central courtyard from which the views of the surrounding countryside can be enjoyed. The first floor of the castle is divided into three units which could be united if required. The ground floor of the castle requires no restoration having been rewired and modernised in the past few years. Remarkably the frescoes remain in pristine condition after several centuries and require no restoration. The first floor requires some renovation and modernisation, in particular the central stone tower. As the property is ´, vincolato´, (listed) any restoration would be overseen by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage with changes being restricted to the castle´, s existing layout or a proven previous layout. An architect would need to be appointed to coordinate a restoration and would be obliged to work closely with an officer from the local office of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage (see information overleaf). Frequent visits would need to be made by the officer to the property to inspect the progress of the restoration. The castle sits in a dominant position on a hill with 8 hectares of surrounding land with a range of rare trees, many of which are several hundred years old. Not only is the castle listed but also the garden within the original walls, this means that no trees can be removed, no features added nor the layout/landscaping altered. Within the grounds is a chapel which is still consecrated and used for private services and weddings. In the chapel one finds a fresco attributed to the School of Vasari and above the main entrance of the chapel is a terracotta relief by the School of Luca della Robbia. & Lifestyle ActivitiesRuralHistoric SitesComplexHillsAmenities and ServicesSchoolsProperty CharacteristicsListedGround Floor1st FloorProperty FeaturesGardenCourtyardLandscaped GardensViews

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