Along the Tuscan Coastline, on the beautiful cliffs of Argentario not far from Talamone e Orbetello, we find this 16th-century tower, finely restored and converted into a luxury home. The villa offers a total of 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms with beautiful outdoor spaces and terraces with breathtaking view over the sea. A stone staircase leads directly towards the sea.
Services are all available in the nearby town of Talamone (5km; 15') but from the property it is very easy to move around the many historic cities of Tuscany (Orbetello, Porto Santo Stefano, Grosseto, Terme di Saturnia, Siena, Montalcino…).
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING, STATE AND FINISHES
The tower (350 sqm – 3,766 sqft, 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms) is laid over three floors plus a beautiful rooftop panoramic terrace:
- Ground floor: ample living room with original fireplace, hallway, kitchen with dining area, bedroom with en-suite bathroom, single bedroom with small en-suite bathroom, two double bedrooms and bathroom;
- First floor: living room with sea view; from here one can exit out onto a beautiful panoramic terrace (roughly 200 sqm) with view over the Tuscan archipelago;
- Second floor: master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet;
- Third floor: terrace with breathtaking view.
The tower has been recently restored and converted into a beautiful luxury residence. Nowadays, the villa boasts beautiful finishes mixing typical features of 16th-century fortifications with services and comforts of modern life. Vaulted ceilings and wooden elements have been successfully preserved wherever possible, while in other spots high-quality materials have been used to preserve the charm of the building. Among the most beautiful features we must mention the stone scarp (needed to survive naval artillery), the vaulted rooms on the lower floors (used in the past as storage rooms and cisterns) and the beautiful 18th-century original wooden staircase leading to the upper floors.
HISTORY OF THE TOWER
In the long war between Siena and Florence, the latter was supported by the Spanish crown, which had great interests in Italy. With the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1557 all the domains of the Republic of Siena were split among the victors and Spain was given control of a coastal region (known as State of the Presidi, Estado de los Reales Presidios in Spanish) which included territories from the Argentario up to the now-called Talamone, also including a portion of Elba Island (Porto Azzurro).
The tower can be dated with a good approximation to 1565: the Spaniards exploited the strategic location of the State of the Presidi to establish control over Central Italy and for this purpose they built a series of fortified towers to protect the maritime routes leading from Naples to Genoa along the Tyrrhenic coast.
In 1783 the tower was in less-than-optimal structural condition and a few works were done: the wooden staircase leading to the first floor dates back to this period. In 1806, after the annexation to the Kingdom of Etruria, a survey was carried out to establish if the tower could still be used as a coastal artillery battery but the building was in such a bad the shape that it was deemed unfeasible.
EXTERIORS
The tower is located on top of the cliff, with an incredible view over the underlying sea. The estate covers a total surface of roughly 50.7 hectares (125.3 acres) where an ample forest grants excellent privacy.
All around the tower one can find ample paved terraes and garden overlooking the sea. Wooden pergolas offer pleasant shaded places to relax in the open.
A stone staircase (roughly 50 steps) leads directly to the sea through the rocky cliff. A beautiful rocky beach is located just 500 m from the villa and is easily reached on foot.
Exteriors have already been deemed suitable for the realization of a swimming pool with solarium and a private helipad for even quicker access to the property.
USE AND POTENTIAL USES
T
Legal references
Characteristics
Energy and Risks
