The Chianti region has long gripped the imagination of travellers, oenophiles and flaneurs, as much for its sense of idyllic escapism as its seemingly endless green vistas. All the more reason to seize the opportunity for an extended retreat in this three-bedroom bolthole in Radda.
In the midst of a vast sweep of vineyards, olive groves and oak forests, Munich-based architect Walter Petri has linked a restored two-storey, 15th-century farmhouse with a new-build to create a sleek modern retreat that nevertheless feels as if it’s always been part of the landscape.
Credit, especially, to interiors studio Holzrausch for walking that fine line between rustic Tuscan tropes and a contemporary read of countryside élan, a balancing act that is quietly articulated in the antique oak floors paired with travertine walls, kitchen and showers lined in Cotto stone, Klaus Lichtenegger-designed tables and chairs, and customised lamps.
The view of the countryside from the living room – whose wide sliding doors open to a stone-clad terrace – is a showstopper, and whilst the fully equipped kitchen encourages communal cooking and meals (there’s even a full sized Berkel slicing machine), the neighbouring winery Brancaia, a short walk away, offers a comforting menu of pastas and grilled meats and vegetables.§
