Welcome to Villa Cafaggiolo.

The estate has been the Pucci family home for nearly 40 years, and we take the utmost pride and care in maintaining our family Villa residence, in Florence, Tuscany.
Villa Cafaggiolo is located in the Chianti Rufina area, only 7 miles east of Florence, (1 mile from the small village of Rosano; 2 miles from the big village of Pontassieve).
The Villa rises up out of its ancient solid walls, positioned harmoniously on the crest of one of the beautiful hills that embrace Florence.

Cafaggiolo: why this name? Which is the etymology?

The hill where the Villa sits is named Cafaggiolo (as was indicated on the ancient cadastral maps); so to respect the original name of the site, we named the house: Villa Cafaggiolo.
The word Cafaggiolo has ancient origins. It comes from the Longobards (Germany) that used the word “Gahag”- to indicate “a large wooded area, fenced by hedges”.
As the vulgar tongue developed, the word “Cafagium” was used to indicate a “Beechwood”. Subsequently, centuries ago, the word “Cafaggiolus” took on the meaning of: “a delightful, fenced beechwood  property, owned by Aristocratic families, used as hunting estate”.
Finally, in modern time, the word was modified to: “Cafaggiolo”.

History of the Villa

We spent long days in the historical archives in Florence to find out the story of the villa and to know when it was constructed.
The villa is an ancient stone farmhouse that dates back to Renaissance times.
The original building dates back to the 15° century, but through the years there have been many changes and the actual aspect of the Villa is that of the early 1800’s.
It was part of a huge estate, named Fattoria Belvedere (Farmhouse Beautiful View), owned by an Aristocratic, landowners family.
The estate was composed of hundreds of hectares of land cultivated with olive groves and vineyards and by several farmhouses and barns scattered through the Belvedere property.
Across the centuries the Fattoria Belvedere estate has been split and some houses, barns and pieces of land have been sold.
Some of these became small working farmhouses where farmers and peasants used to live, without running water or electricity, until the beginning of World War II.
The occupation of the families, was dedicated mainly to agriculture and raising livestock.
During the centuries, many of these farmhouses were abandoned.

In 1973, the Pucci family purchased one of these abandoned farmhouses, located on the hill of Cafaggiolo, in order to satisfy their desire to escape from the bustle of the city.
We spent years restoring every detail of the house, always sensitive to the natural environment; we carefully transformed the abandoned farmhouse into a country villa first, and later into a cozy, charming holiday villa.
To restore its antique splendor, the farmhouse was remodeled respecting the previous traditions of the farmers, preserving all its original features and without spoiling the beauty and authenticity of the original building.
Part of the house was carefully dismantled in order to re-use whatever possible antique piece (like roof tiles, wood beams, terracotta tiles, stones…); otherwise the building material was bought from other old farmhouses.
We slowly improved the internal and external aspects of the Villa and the garden.
This work lasted for years; then at the end of the seventies, once everything was finished, we moved to Cafaggiolo from Florence and a new chapter of our lives began.
For the first few years we lived in the whole villa,but later we decided to divide it into apartments and to rent them to foreign visitors.
Again, we started a careful renovation .We built the swimming pool and converted the big family villa into several delightful holiday apartments.
We added comfort to the farmhouse’s interiors and exteriors, with modern conveniences, while cherishing the different types of stonework that reveal the villa's long and varied past: thus giving our guests the best of  Tuscan country villa living, but with the all the modern facilities.
Finally we opened the business and thanks to all our satisfied guests, we still manage the whole business ourselves, with that warm and intimate atmosphere that only a family- run property can provide.
Today Villa Cafaggiolo offers a warm and elegant atmosphere for the discerning traveler.

Villa Cafaggiolo: our philosophywwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

The villa is still our family home; we live here in a detached apartment and we're pleased to open our home to a select number of guests each year.
We'll be here to welcome you when you’ll arrive. We'll give you the insider's guide to Tuscany, including personally arranging trips to local wineries and places off the beaten track from Florence to Siena, Pisa to Lucca…
We want to offer our guests not only a simple holiday, but a real Tuscan experience. We want to share with you the genuine atmosphere of the past .
Tuscany is an old land, deeply marked by the time and the people who have lived here, who have left us  inestimable riches in art, culture and traditions.
A farmhouse holiday in Tuscany is ideal for those who love nature and beautiful landscapes, for those who need restoration from the stresses of daily life, for those who love dinners with friends and for those who like take pictures at sunset.
During your stay you can visit the most important cities of art and also the lesser- known medieval hamlets, tasting and buying genuine products directly from the surrounding farms ( such as extra- virgin olive oil, Chianti wine, sweet Vin Santo wine and vegetables, eggs, cold meats...)
A farmhouse holiday  above all can create friendships between people from different countries and allows an exchange of culture, language and cuisine.
We enjoy this life!
We enjoy the opportunity to meet people from all around the world.
We enjoy the opportunity to speak with all our guests and we enjoy talking to them about Tuscany, its history and legends, its art, wine and food.
We have met many guests during these past years and shared with them our love for Tuscany. Many of these guests have arrived as clients and left as friends.
Some have chosen to celebrate at Cafaggiolo their birthdays, anniversaries and weddings.
From the day of your arrival, we’ll be available to answer any questions and make you feel at home in our house. Whether you come in search of art treasures, to celebrate a special occasion or simply to relax by the swimming pool, you'll find what you are looking for.We encourage you to dip into our traditions and live our lifestyle for a time. You will take home an unforgettable experience.
We look forward to meeting you, making your holiday as unforgettable as possible and sharing some Tuscan hospitality together, whether it be a drink, a meal or a conversation in the gardens.

Make our home, your home base for visiting Florence and Tuscany. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww