Il Tiglio means lime tree and it must be a really historic name as there’s - sadly - no sign of the tree. To make up, there are plenty of olive trees, vines and oak woods in the area. There’s no telling how old the house is but the more recent extension at the lower end of the building bears the date “1839”. As additional space was added for later generations of children, it’s safe to assume that the core of the house was already standing in the late 1700s.

Il Tiglio must be just about the last unrestored casa colonica in Chianti! The seller reckons it has 30 rooms which is something of an exaggeration. The plans show 13 on the lower floor, 9 on the upper floor and 2 in the loft but they’re so full junk it’s difficult to check! Some of the rooms are so tiny they could easily be knocked together.

The views from the house are superb: the land gently slopes away from the house then gradually rises up to the Monte dei Chianti hills. There's a fine view of the fortified village of Starda. The seller is including a nominal amount of land in the price but he has up to 20 hectares in total comprising 1 hectare of vineyard, 6 hectares of olive grove, with 700 olive trees, and 13 hectares of woodland.

The property is accessed along a well maintained “white” road and is more-or-less at the centre of the “Golden Triangle” (Florence-Siena-Arezzo) - what better location could you ask?