Le Stabbielle is a very old Italian 4-story Tuscan farm house positioned high on a mountainside facing west across a deep valley with spectacular views over olive groves, vineyards, fields of sunflowers, and wooded hillsides. Fruit trees and flowers surround the house. Across the valley, a tiny village of ancient (perhaps Etruscan?) origin sits perched mid-way up the mountain beneath the setting sun.
When Le Stabbielle's Canadian owners, one of whom is an artist, discovered the house they immediately fell in love with its location and the surrounding views. They purchased the house, which had not been lived in for over 40 years, in 1991.
Le Stabbielle has now been restored and modernized. Outside, the country house maintains the essence of its original appearance. Inside, rooms were created and stair cases built while at the same time we preserved its ancient beamed ceilings and tile floors. The house, which originally had no electricity or water, was fully wired and plumbed with a constant supply of pure water from a new well. Spread over its four floors, Le Stabbielle now boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 living rooms (each with a large walk in fireplace), a large and fully equipped kitchen, and a separate dining room with a wet bar, fridge, and small stove. Outdoors, we added a west-facing pergola which we use for outdoor dining in nice weather.
In the late 1990's, we built an in-ground swimming pool which is positioned to take full advantage of our western exposure. The pool has spacious open patio areas as well as its own pergola to give protection from the mid-day Tuscan sun. Beside the pool, we also added a wood burning bread and pizza oven.