History
Villa Il Colto stands on the very top of a hill which has existed since prehistoric times when the valley at its feet was an immense marshland. At the time of the ancient Romans, it was known as being a rich patrician abode along the road to Le Ville
Due to its dominating position, it was subsequently transformed into an ancillary look out tower to the nearby Castel S. Maria in Ganghereto. In the year 1000 the tower was turned into a farmhouse with surrounding cultivated land and passed into the hands of the noble family Ubertini who had some lateral additions built to it.
The house is mentioned in a document dating back to 1230 as part of the lands of the hospital belonging to the little parish of Badiola in Montemarciano supplying food to the pilgrims heading to S. Maria in Mamma in that locality. In 1337 the original settlement of Castel S. Maria was demolished in order to build the present Town of Terranuova, later named Bracciolini in honour of the famous classical scholar, Poggio Bracciolini, who was born here.
From the 14th century to the 1980s
Some people in town still have vivid memories of various episodes connected to the times of the Second World War, when the house was used by the Allied American Troops as their Headquarters.
In 1983 the Villa started undergoing a vast renovation and has been a private dwelling until 2006, when its present owners, after skilful architectural work, transformed it into a perfect place to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of the Tuscan countryside amidst the comfort of all the necessary modern conveniences such as telephone, independent heating, satellite tv, Internet, etc...
The house is mentioned in a document dating back to 1230 as part of the lands of the hospital belonging to the little parish of Badiola in Montemarciano supplying food to the pilgrims heading to S. Maria in Mamma in that locality. In 1337 the original settlement of Castel S. Maria was demolished in order to build the present Town of Terranuova, later named Bracciolini in honour of the famous classical scholar, Poggio Bracciolini, who was born here.
From the 14th century to the 1980s
various owners came into the possession of Il Colto among whom some descendants of the famous Medici family from Florenceat the beginning of the present century. Legend has it that during the Middle Ages an unnamed owner who was an expert in officinal and ornamental plants delighted in planting and budding new ones here, which may be proved by the huge number of types of plants (at least 200) that can be found on the property: apples, pears, plums, figs, pomegranates, strawberry, cherry and nuts trees, olive groves, century old oaks, cypresses, willows, fir trees, cedar of Lebanon, etc.
Some people in town still have vivid memories of various episodes connected to the times of the Second World War, when the house was used by the Allied American Troops as their Headquarters.
In 1983 the Villa started undergoing a vast renovation and has been a private dwelling until 2006, when its present owners, after skilful architectural work, transformed it into a perfect place to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of the Tuscan countryside amidst the comfort of all the necessary modern conveniences such as telephone, independent heating, satellite tv, Internet, etc...