COTORNIANO, CASOLE D'ELSA, SOLD by Romolini Immobiliare - 2019

This podere is split into two units, divided by a square with steps.

On one side we find the manor house (villa), made up of a wonderful 3-story villa (2,500 m² – 26,900 ft²) fitted with servants’ quarters (located in the rear of the property) and a stable with a storage room for carriages.

The other half of the podere includes a 14th century church (140 m² – 1,464 ft²), the old school on two floors now used as a residence (first floor) and as working quarters (ground floor, including carpenter’s shop, blacksmith forge and farrier’s workshop). The other country house hosts a residence and another stable.

Finally, there are two independent buildings, currently used as warehouses or storage houses.

This podere is made up of a compact group of 3 buildings, which follow the incline of the hill and thus their entrances, even if all located on the ground floor, have different heights.

Here we find an almost completely ruined building, probably a former storage house, with several other structures looking like silos for grain.

Across the road, we can find a derelict building, probably a former storage house or a garage. The main body is made up of an L-shaped building on two floors (apartment on the first floor, stable and warehouses on the ground floor) with a small annex used as a storage house. The apartment is the only part actually used, the rest of the Podere is almost completely abandoned.

Located at the feet of a hill, just below Podere N°1, this podere is made up of a main building on two floors: on the ground floor we can find a storage house and a stable, on the first floor a residence occasionally used by the owners. The annexes maintained their original destination: a barn, a firewood shed with oven and two small ruined shed leaned against the buildings.

For Podere N°1 conditions are pretty good if we take into account that several building have been shut for several years. The villa was restored in 1944, but it is clear that it was neglected in recent years. The church is plagued by water seepage and humidity left marks on the walls. The only inhabited buildings are the old school and the country house, while the villa is only rarely used by the owners.

Buildings are made in stone and masonry, plastered on the higher floors of the manor house. The villa has been reinforced with burrstone buttress. Openings on the buildings are pretty traditional, with rectangular or round-arch windows. Cornices are made up of masonry, but there are still some wooden epistyles. The internal courtyard of the villa has been partially closed with glass-windows mounted on aluminum frames (to be removed). The main façade of the villa boasts travertine trabeation and cornices. Wrought-iron grating are also present.

The church is characterized by a single hall plan (aula) with gabled façade. The tympanum above the entrance contains a statue of Madonna and child.

The Podere N°2 is in precarious conditions after years of being uncared-for. Just the main building, including the apartment occasionally used, is in habitable conditions. Roofs are in good conditions, probably following a recent and partial restoration. Walls are made up of stone and masonry, while some of the rooms (easily recognizable by the reinforced concrete beams) and the staircase leading to the apartment from the outside have probably been added in the fascist era (1922-1944). The openings are traditional in shape, with masonry cornices, but the storage house boasts some wooden epistyle. Some of the openings have been closed, while others have been enlarged over the course of time. Fixtures, where existing, are made up of wood.

The Podere N°3 has recently undergone a conservative restoration, but walls are cracked in several points, mainly on the side towards the slope. The barn is in precarious conditions and restorations are needed in the shot time. The two annexes (leaned respectively against the barn and the residence) are in bad conditions, the roofs being completely missing.

Buildings are made almost entirely of stone, with flagstone corners, but traces of past restorations are still visible. Cornices are made out of masonry, but some of the buildings boast chestnut epistyles. Fixtures, where present, are made up of wood. The external staircase has been built with inappropriate materials and thus its demolition (and eventual reconstruction) is advisable.

The manor house is enriched by a nice Italian garden, which needs some care to be restored to its original beauty. The property is then surrounded by a park.

The land included in the property covers 160 hectares and is mainly covered in woodlands (130 ha). Then there are 30 hectares of mixed land, including arable land, grazing land and a small olive grove (in the Podere N°3).

The property, thanks to its ample size, is perfect for anyone looking for a complex to start a hosting business in the beautiful Sienese countryside. Part of the buildings is still inhabitable, despite some restorations needed to bring the property back to its original beauty. Ruined (totally or partially) buildings can be recovered and earmarked to guest houses. It is however possible for the owners to keep living in the complex, keeping the manor house (or part of it) for themselves and leaving the rest to guests. Part of the woodland surrounding the property can be converted into arable land and used this way, planting more olive trees or starting a vineyard.

Town with services (13km ; 20’), Colle di Val d’Elsa (27km; 30’), Siena (33km; 45’), San Gimignano (41km; 50’), Montalcino (60km ; 1h 15’), Firenze (82km; 1h 20’), Montepulciano (87km; 1h 15’), Pienza (93km; 1h 20’)

Firenze Peretola (89km; 1h 10’), Pisa Galilei (105km; 1h 50’), Bologna Marconi (171km; 2h), Roma Fiumicino (245km; 2h 50’), Roma Ciampino (268km; 2h 45’)