Villa Cypress

Villa Cypress is a 6 bedroom historical villa in the countryside of Montepulciano, a vibrant city at the heart of the Siena region of Tuscany. The villa has breathtaking views of Montepulciano and is surrounded as far as the eye can see by vineyards that produce some of the finest wine in the region. The beautiful panorama also includes views of Cortona and the historical center of Chianciano Terme, a city of thermal baths built on ancient hot springs. Encircled by cypress trees, inspiring its name, Villa Cypress offers guests an authentic Tuscan experience. Encircled by cypress trees, inspiring its name, Villa Cypress offers guests an authentic Tuscan experience.

Villa Cypress was built in the 1850’s and was originally part of a large estate of Montepulciano. The estate was owned by a wealthy family that produced wine and olive oil for the region. Today, the owners of Villa Cypress carry on the tradition, producing a boutique wine and also cultivating olives and a large fruit orchard (with five types of fruit each in several local varieties).

As part of the experience, visitors of Villa Cypress are invited free of charge to take part in a wine tasting with the owner, who not only makes wine but is a graduated sommelier trained in Montalcino, Tuscany.

Also, guests will find a welcome basket of breakfast items and snacks for the first full day. And guests are also encouraged to sample fruits directly from the trees of the orchards, of which there are fruits that mature May through October. All cultivation processes of grapes, olives and fruits are strictly organically.

Villa Cypress has recently been carefully restored, respecting the traditions and original materials of Tuscany and the Montepulciano area. The villa has been returned to its prime, uncovering the span of arches, terracotta tiles and chestnut beams of the 1800’s. The villa is decorated with a timeless, classic Italian style that combines country charm with modern luxury such as air conditioning,spacious bedrooms, and tiled showers.



On the ground level, guests will enter through arched doors and find several large open areas to be used for entertaining and family time. At the front of the house is a Great Room which has two separate areas divided by an arch the entire width of the room. There are several sofas and chairs and the walls feature bookcases and shelves made of old chestnut beams recovered in the renovation. Guests will find this a comfortable area to visit with each other over a glass of wine, play games or watch a DVD or curl up with a good book. There is also a dining room area that seats 12 for formal meals, and also serves as the Enoteca where guests will enjoy wine tasting events.

The large family style kitchen attached to the Great Room features a stove with 6 burners, dishwasher and large refrigerator. There is a table that seats 12 so guests can sit around the kitchen together while preparing a meal. The kitchen has several large windows that overlook the garden, terrace and pool area and have views into the surrounding vineyards.

The kitchen leads out through a large arch door with four glass panels to the main terrace, where guests will enjoy a large table to linger over long meals on warm summer nights. There is also access to the pool, which is 10x5 meters and has several deck chairs and covered seating areas. The pool is in an excellent position on the property with views of Montepulciano and vineyards of the valleys and benefits from sun exposure all day until sunset. There are several other patios and terrace areas all around the property with table and chairs to enjoy a glass of wine, or the sunset, as the property faces Montepulciano in the west and has a spectacular sunset every evening.

Also on the ground floor of the villa are three large bedrooms, all air conditioned each with their own bathroom. Bedrooms have queen sized beds, which can be separated if guests prefer twin beds. The largest bedroom on the ground floor is a suite with seating area that has a full sized sofa bed, allowing the room to sleep 4 for a family with children. The bedrooms are spacious and all decorated uniquely but in classic Tuscan style. All bathrooms are very comfortable and have spacious walk-in showers.

The upstairs can be reached by both a large internal and external staircase made of original travertine marble. The upstairs is spacious with open plan living room and kitchen (fully equipped including dishwasher) with high ceilings made of chestnut beams with terracotta tiles. There are 13 windows upstairs with panoramic views and sun all day. Guests will find two large bedrooms, both air conditioned each with own attached bathroom. The largest bathroom has both a large corner bathtub and walk-in shower, with two windows that have spectacular views.

The sixth bedroom is inside a cottage that is next to the property, although not attached internally. The bedroom is very large, and sleeps up to four with a normal queen sized bed, and seating area that includes a full-sized sofa bed.

Villa Cypress is ideally located in Montepulciano, referred to as the gem of Tuscany, a place that has been used as the backdrop for several movies because of the beauty of the city and surrounding landscape. The road that leads to the villa is particularly beautiful, and is part of the Strada di Vino Nobile (touristic scenic wine road). Montepulciano is one of the closest cities in Tuscany to visitors flying into Rome.

Montepulciano is famous for its wine, the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, considered one of the top three reds in Tuscany along with Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino. Visitors of Montepulciano can enjoy local specialties such as handmade pici pasta that compliment Vino Nobile. Montepulciano is within 45 minutes of the Chianti region and Montalcino for guests that want to experience other top winemaking regions of Tuscany. Villa Cyprus is also 20 minutes from Pienza, a beautiful historical city known for its cheese, the Pecorino di Pienza.

The historically most important cities of Tuscany - Florence and Siena - can be reached by car in 1.5 hours and 45 minutes respectively. Other cities of interest such as Pisa, Cortona, and San Gimingnano are all easy day-trips and can be reached by car, train or bus from Montepulciano.

More locally, visitors of Villa Cypress can enjoy nature on long countryside walks and bike rides. In neighboring Chianciano Terme, guests can enjoy spa treatments and in the thermal baths. This is a wonderful place to discover the beauty of Tuscany!

Rooms

Rooms

Living, Library, Dining, Family Room, Kitchen, Terrace, Study, Balcony,

Bedrooms

Bedroom 1 - King with bathroom ensuite
Bedroom 2 - Queen with bathroom ensuite
Bedroom 3 - Queen or 2 twins + sofa bed with bathroom ensuite
Bedroom 4 - Queen or 2 twins with bathroom ensuite
Bedroom 5 - Queen or 2 twins with bathroom ensuite
Bedroom 6 - Queen or 2 twins+ sofa bed

King size bed: 180 cm, Queen size bed: 160 cm, Double bed: 140 cm, Twin bed: 80-100 cm

Bathrooms

Full bathroom with tub (with wall mounted shower) - 1
Full bathroom with shower - 5
Half bath (WC) - 1

Prices

Price for Villa Cypress

Details

Reviews

Mary, from NY

My friends and I had an amazing time during our stay at Villa Cypress. The villa itself is clean and very comfortable with plenty of common area space. We saw no signs of the bed bugs that another reviewer mentioned. The views from the villa are simply wonderful and one of the best parts of our holiday was drinking wine as the sun set over the vineyards and the lights of Montepulciano came on in the distance. Incidentally, the wine we were drinking was from the vineyards we were overlooking which made the experience that much more special. Even though the villa is located in the countryside, it wasn't far from Montepulciano itself and other villages such as Cortona and Pienza. What really distinguished this villa from others that I have stayed at or have heard of is the helpfulness of the owners, Maurizio and Jennifer. Not only did they organize a day of wine tasting for us, but they also offered us restaurant and shop recommendations and went out of their way to accommodate special requests. I would highly recommend staying at Villa Cypress and would definitely stay here again when I next visit Tuscany.

Matt from Boston, USA

The location of Villa Cypress is something out of a fairytale - set amidst hundreds of acres of vineyards, accessed via a winding gravel road, with clear views of Montepulciano to the west, Chianciano Terme to the South and the twinkling lights of Cortona that can be seen at night to the Northeast - be prepared to never want to leave. The Villa has been beautifully restored by the owners, Maurizio and Jennifer, and provides all the amenities you can imagine - large kitchen, spacious bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, swimming pool, all sheets and towels provided, etc. Our group of 14 stayed here for 2 weeks - we had more than enough space to spread out - there were rooms we were not even using. The upstairs is like a separate house with its own kitchen, dining area, fireplace and living room along with the 2 large bedrooms. We really didn't need to use the extra kitchen and living room there since we were eating most of our meals out back with the whole group. Since we were there in the August heat, the pool got a lot of use - the kids loved it as did some of us larger kids. Maurizio gave us a tour of his vineyard (i.e. our backyard) along with a tasting of the results of his hard work - we loved his wines and his enthusiasm (and the grappa). He also provided tons of useful tips for things to see and do and even used his influence to make us reservations for 14 at the best steak restaurant in Montepulciano. Towards the end of our trip, after having seen some of the world's finest art, cathedrals, castles, after having eaten outrageously good food, when asked what was the number one highlight of the trip, my wife answered: sitting right here in this villa in this beautiful tuscan countryside, every evening sharing this with our friends and family - and everyone agreed.

Julian from Seattle USA

My family and my in-laws had a sensational time at Villa Cypress in October 2011. When we arrived, Maurizio, the owner, was kind to pick us up at the Chiusi train station with a couple of vans. At our arrival, we were amazed by the panoramic views, 360 degrees of vineyards and hilltop medieval towns on the horizon. My in-laws defined the views as breathtaking. After the check-in, we were surprised by the meal already prepared to us by our host – a large tray of yummy lasagna!!! The property, we were told, was a wine producing estate, and we convinced the owner to show us his winemaking facilities, which are a few miles from the vineyards. It was one of the highlights of our trip as Maurizio allowed us to participate in the selection of grapes that would be used for the sweet local wine called Vin Santo. He also gave us a long explanation about how the wine was made in details. After an hour making wine we returned to the villa to an evening of winetasting. After 2 bottles we made a family pact: we will be back in a few years’ time to taste our selection! On Monday, our rental car was delivered to us on the spot and we were able to tour the local towns of Montechielo, Montefolonico, Pienza, and Montalcino. The next day we toured Montepulciano, which was our favorite hilltop town! In Montepulciano, we recommend the local cheese called “pecorino” and the wonderful leather shops, especially the shop “Toscani”, which has several pictures of famous celebrities who visited Montepulciano. Every night we spent at the Villa Cypress, cooking at the very large, and fully equipped kitchen, which has large glass paneled doors that open to a large tiled terrace with views over our host’s vineyards and, on the horizon, the lovely town of Cortona. The setting was also spectacular for our cooking class. The views, the tranquility and privacy of the villa, as well as the warmth of our host and of all the locals who welcomed us, made it a trip of a lifetime for my family.

Map

Location :  Montepulciano

Photos