The view from the Zoli Country House may be among the most beautiful in the world – valleys, mountains, olive groves, vineyards and Tuscan villages. Our family of seven (six adults and one high school junior) spent one month in this spacious villa during late March and April of 2015 and we each kept returning to the yard to take in that wonderful view.
If you have dreamed of renting a villa in the Tuscan hills the Zoli Country House is it. First of all the villa is huge! There are four bedrooms, two living rooms, two baths and a kitchen with the biggest fireplace you have ever seen. The eating area features a dining table worthy of the Waltons and where we enjoyed many Tuscan inspired meals. Secondly, the villa is ancient. The floors are tile throughout and the walls must be a foot thick. You will swear that you have been transported back in time.
There are many areas to enjoy outside with seating areas located on several different levels of the yard.
We have tried to take to heart the admonition to “live like a local” and we certainly did that during the month that we stayed in Fornello.
When we first arrived we had the feeling that perhaps we had chosen a place to stay that was just too remote, too far out from Florence and Fiesole. The roads are narrow and not well maintained and even though Fornello is just 17 miles from the Florence airport it takes an hour to drive there. However, as we adjusted to our life in the countryside that feeling went away and we embraced the quiet life of a Tuscan village. You cannot have the experience we had if you stay in an American type hotel in the middle of Florence.
A few other thoughts:
• Having a car is mandatory. There is a bus that passes the villa several times each day but we could never figure out the schedule and it takes an hour to get to Florence on the bus.
• You will also need a GPS.
• The town of Sieci is six miles away and you can purchase groceries, fill with gas and take the train to Florence from there. Parking at the train station is free and the cost of the train to Florence is 2.50 Euro each way.
Finally, Marco and Maria and their family (owners of the villa) were so kind and helpful both during the months leading up to and during our visit. We very much appreciate their hospitality and friendship.