#1440 Trial Member

Under the Tuscan sun


House • Poggibonsi Italy

    8 Guests  
    2 Bedrooms  
    4 Beds  
    2 Bathrooms  
    2 Car spaces 
    1 Car available  
  Primary home

Exchange types accepted

  Simultaneous  
  Non-Simultaneous  
  Non-Reciprocal & Globe  
  Hospitality  

Statistics

Listed  February 2019
Views  6610

General overview

My house is perfectly located at the end of a white road on the top of an hill, in the best position between Florence and Siena, along the border of the well known Chiantishire. Surrounded by vineyards, olives and cypresses, with a monumental castle just at the end of the garden, it grants you peace and relax, completed by all the modern amenities you could desire. Public transports, shops and delicious restaurants are reachable by a pleasant walk but the village and all the traffic remains hidden in the lower land, confirming you the sensation to be in the middle of nowhere. Gorgeous, stunning, small jewels like San Gimignano, Colle Val d'Elsa, Certaldo, Castellina in Chianti, Monteriggioni are reachable in less than 15 minutes by car, train or bus. We welcome people of all race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, and/or sexual orientation

The space

Two double bedrooms, plus a sofa bed in the living room, two full bathrooms, it can easily accommodate a large family. The garden is not fenced but the road is private and safe.

Notes

previous swaps: 07/14 Provence 08/14 Berlin 08/15 Barcelona 04/16 Bagni di Lucca 06/16 Agistri 08/16 Amsterdam 08/16 Croatia 08/16 Croatia 04/17 Verona 05/17 New York 08/17 Normandie 12/17 Paris 04/18 Cervia 06/18 La Spezia 08/18 Ireland 08/18 Copenhagen 12/18 Prague 05/19 Padova 06/19 Villasimius 08/19 Algarve 08/19 Lisbon 08/19 Venice 08/19 Granada 09/19 Genova 12/19 Marrakech 05/20 Isola Elba 08/20 Chamonix 08/20 Muenchen 8/21 Chamonix 12/21 Madrid 8/22 Iceland

Features


Washer
Washer
Dishwasher
Dishwasher
Oven
Oven
Microwave
Microwave
Fridge
Fridge
Iron
Iron
Hair dryer
Hair dryer
TV
TV
WiFi
WiFi
Bed sheets
Bed sheets
Towels
Towels
Fireplace
Fireplace
BBQ
BBQ

Travel Styles

    Weekend
    Adventure
    Budget
    Family
    Romantic
    Sport and leisure
    Foodie
    Relaxing
    Eco
    Village
    Remote
    Culture
    Hiking
    Cycling

House rules

    Unsuitable for infants under 2
    Suitable for children ages 2-12
    Pets not allowed
    No smoking

Allergens

    Cat free
    Dog free
    Carpet free
    Smoke free
    Fragrance free
    Low allergen
    Hypoallergenic

Dates of Availability

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Neighbourhood

THE CITY OF POGGIBONSI Poggio Bonizio first becomes known towards the end of 13 C as a town at the point where the rivers Staggia and Elsa meet, on the famous via Francigena. Poggio Bonizio was destroyed in the 1270 by Guy de Montfort, a legendary figure even in Tuscany - he merits a cameo role in Boccaccio's Decameron as well as Verdi's Sicilian Vespers. The town was rebuilt in the lower valley, on the site of the village Marturi. The modern town, much damaged by bombs during the second world war. Joseph Heller's first bombing run was over Poggibonsi on 24 May, 1944. Poggibonsi is nowadays the biggest industrial area of the Valdelsa. In the city centre we can find the two churches of San Lorenzo and the Choral, the Town Hall with the mayors' crests standing next to a battlemented tower. Sites of interest are the Fonte delle Fate (fairies' fountain) of the 13 C, by Balugano da Crema, with its beautiful ogival arches and the unfinished fortress, designed in 1478 by Giuliano da Sangallo at the request of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In the 14 C Convent of San Lucchese, first belonging to the Camaldolese order and then from 1213 to the Franciscans, there are frescoes of the 14 C and 16 C and a urn containing the remains of San Lucchese, patron of the town. THE CASTLE A donation made by count Ugo of Tuscany to Benedictine monks give us the first date (25 July 998) in the history of the Castle that, with its towers and its crenellated walls, majestically dominates the hill of Poggio Marturi in Poggibonsi. Although nothing of the ancient manor remains after the rebuilding in 1886 (except for the cloister dated XI century),the “drawbridge”, walls and belvedere still have the atmosphere and charm of the Middle Ages. SAN GIMIGNANO San Gimignano rises on a hill (334m high) dominating the Elsa Valley with its towers. Once the seat of a small Etruscan village of the Hellenistic period (200-300 BC) it began its life as a town in the 10th century taking its name from the Holy Bishop of Modena, St. Gimignano, who is said to have saved the village from the barbarian hordes. The town increased in wealth and developed greatly during the Middle Ages thanks to the "Via Francigena" the trading and pilgrim's route that crossed it. Such prosperity lead to the flourishing of works of art to adorn the churches and monasteries. In 1199 it became a free municipality and fought against the Bishops of Volterra and the surrounding municipalities. Due to internal power struggles it eventually divided into two factions one headed by the Ardinghelli family (Guelphs) and the other by the Salvucci family (Ghibellines). On the 8th May 1300 Dante Alighieri came to San Gimignano as the Ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany. In 1348 San Gimignano's population was drastically reduced by the Black Death Plague throwing the city into a serious crisis which eventually led to its submission to Florence in 1353. In the following centuries San Gimignano overcame its decline and isolation when its beauty and cultural importance together with its agricultural heritage were rediscovered. The construction of the towers dates back to the 11th and 13th centuries. The architecture of the city was influenced by Pisa, Siena and Florence. There are 14th century paintings of the Sienese School to be seen and 15th century paintings of the Florentine School. CERTALDO certainly of etruscan-roman origins, the town has developed mainly thanks to its position along the Francigena Way, and it was contended by Florence and Siena, in particular during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Interesteng is the historic relation to the nearby Semifonte, populated sind 1181: when Semifonte became a thorn in the side of the powerful Florence Republic, it was completely destroyed in 1202, and most of its inhabitants fleed to Certaldo, where they contributed to the town development, leading to the construction of new homes on the Certaldo Alto hill, until the latter was completely constructed. In the place of Semifonte today a small beautiful chapel remains, built in 1597, which reproduces in 1:8 scale the dome of Florence Cathedral, and is placed in the current San Donnino, a few km from Certaldo, in the florentine Chiantiside. "Certaldo is a Castle of Val d'Elsa placed in our county ... in which he used a long time to go every year one of the friars of St. Anthony’s brotherhood, whose name was Friar Cipolla, perhaps more for the name than for any other devotion gladly welcomed, as it is known that the land produces onions that are famous throughout Tuscany." So wrote John Boccaccio, in the sixth book of the "Decameron." VOLTERRA Volterra is a town of stone, because the streets are made of stone, its towers and buildings are made of stone and its walls austere are made of stone. Everything is made of a yellow-gray stone called ”panchino”, which often emerge shells of rare beauty. And of stone, of Alabaster, is also his handicraft COLLE DI VAL D'ELSA The origin of Colle Val D'Elsa dates back to the Etruscans and then to Romans, establishing itself as a real town of Middle Ages, starting to play to a big role in the history of municipalities and between guelfi and ghibellini. In fact, its central position between the Republic of Siena and the Signoria of Firenze, made it an inviting pray and often Siena and Florence would fight for its possession. Among the most famous war episodes we remind you the battle of 1269 between guelfi and ghibellini, that shows the never ending enmity between Siena and Florence. A battle that is surrounded by a mystic and legendary aura, an enthralling story that sounds like a romance. The popularity and the legendary component that surrounds this particular historical event, is also due to Dante, who writes about this battle in the XIII canto of the Purgatory of his "Divina Commedia" consecrating it as immortal. Even nowadays, walking in the alleys of the medieval village of Colle you could read the famous words of Dante in a marble memorial tablet, to whom Colle wanted to show its appreciation. "Eran li cittadin miei presso a Colle in campo giunti co' loro avversari, e io pregava Iddio di quel ch'e' volle. Rotti fuor quivi e volti ne li amari passi di fuga; e veggendo la caccia, letizia presi a tutte altre dispari, ..." Only after the decline of the Republic of Siena in 1555, Colle became a town and Diocese, imposing itself in the industry and in the commerce. For centuries it remained famous for the production of paper, activity substituted in the 19th Century by the new industries of iron and glass. The glass production became so important that Colle was called the "Bohemia of Italy". Nowadays, Colle Val d'Elsa is become the "Home of lead- crystal glass", with the 15% of the world production, and over the 95% of the italian one. Also, among the famous personalities born here, it needs to be remembered Arnolfo di Cambio, sculture, architect and author of the most important architectonic buildings such as the Duomo in Firenze.

Nearest airport

Pisa, Florence, Rome; Bologna

Getting around

Even if the village is only 1 km away, since the house is on the top of an hill, a car is needed

Map of Approximate Location

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Trial Member

Desi

My name is Desi, I'm a single mother of two gorgeous boys aged 18. We are enthusiast travellers and another community has given us great opportunities to increase our experiences together. We completed 30 wonderful swaps in the latest eight years on other platforms and we are now open to know and meet other communities. We welcome people of all race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, and/or sexual orientation
Travelling group
LGBTQ+ friendly
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Desired Destinations

Open to any destination
Can travel at any time