Villa Nina

Set at three hundred metres above sea level on the emerald hills of the Chianti countryside, Villa Nina is one of Tuscany's most quietly extraordinary estates, a place where Florence feels close enough to touch, yet the world feels very far away. Built in the eighteenth century and set within 32 acres of private parkland and ancient forest, this exquisitely restored manor house carries centuries of Tuscan character in every stone. 

The interiors were reimagined by celebrated Italian designer Ilaria Miani, who wove together a remarkable collection of family antiques, inlaid Tuscan tables from the 1700s, Venetian carved armchairs, terracotta floors worn smooth by time, with bold contemporary art and modern comforts. The result is a home that feels both deeply rooted and entirely alive. Across the ground floor, the first floor, and a romantic tower suite, the villa sleeps a generous group in elegant double bedrooms, each with its own distinct personality. Salons open onto the gardens, and every window frames a view of rolling vines and silver olive groves. On the first floor, the Belvedere living room offers a sweeping 360-degree panorama of the valley, one of the finest private views in all of Tuscany. 

Outside, the estate is a world unto itself. A century-old heated swimming pool, framed in local pietra serena stone and shaded by umbrella pines, cypress, and lime trees, invites long, unhurried afternoons. A private tennis court stands ready for the spirited, while a red clay court for a game of bocce pays homage to the Italian way of life. A neoclassical open-air theatre, adorned with period statues, gazes directly upon the dome of Brunelleschi's Cathedral — a setting of almost theatrical improbability. 

The estate also produces its own award-winning olive oil from over a thousand trees, and a small bioactive kitchen garden yields organic seasonal produce for the table. Florence lies just eight kilometres away, and the great treasures of Tuscany, Siena, San Gimignano, the Chianti wine road, are all within an hour's drive. Yet Villa Nina is the kind of place that makes departure feel like a small defeat.