Villa Mangiacane
5 Star*****
Via Faltignano, 4
50026 San Casciano - Florence

Villa Mangiacane is a stunning 16^th century Renaissance villa perfectly poised amid rolling Tuscan hills, built by the venerated and powerful Machiavelli family overlooking the city of Florence and rich with the warmth of a private home. It offers gourmet cuisine, spa and wellness therapies and cosseting accommodation with delicate Italian and African accents in an expansive 20   hectare estate comprised of vineyards and olive groves.

Villa Mangiacane's executive chef Massimo Bocus offers a culinary experience borne of his deep love for Tuscan cooking a respect for fine seasonal ingredients and an intuitive understanding of traditional cuisine Classic meats and fishes are elegantly interpreted to render gourmet fare delicately balanced by Villa Mangiacane's own wines. Signature dishes include red tuna fillet in sesame crust with extra virgin mash and tomatoes with orange marmalade, as well as braised beef calf cooked in white wine vinsanto and shallots. Lunches can be enjoyed al fresco, overlooking the Chianti Countryside or lazing around the pool in the summer. Meals are served in the formal dining room, the Vinoteque cellar and during winter, around the fire in the Villa's Kitchen. In-room and private garden dining can also be arranged upon request.

Villa Mangiacane boasts its own library, 3 pools, restaurant and a set of bi-level suites, complete with an opulent Royal Suite. Art forms an intrinsic part of the estate. The garden is enriched with Isaac Kaan's bronze sculptures and Shona Art and the villa interior is adorned with frescoes by the hand of Michelangelo.

They say every land holds a story in its heart. Mangiacane’s has waited five-hundred years to be told.Villa Mangiacane is the story of the ancient and powerful Machiavelli family, how they courted power and distilled it into their home. Villa Mangiacane boasts its own library, a luxurious pool and a set of bi level Suites, complete with a decadent Master Suite. Eighteen additional suites have been opened in recently restored vineyard villa. Both Villas have been completely and perfectly restored, with the idea of offering a new concept of a luxurious hotel. From the beautiful gardens that surrounds the villas, in which nature and art are well balanced (the garden is enriched with Isaac Kaan’s bronze sculptures and Shona Art), to the 17th-and 18th-century frescoes that adorn the suites, Villa Mangiacane’s guests will be immersed in history and culture.

Villa Mangiacane is more than a hotel, it is an informal luxurious private home set amongst acres of vineyard, olive grove and majestic forest where a few privileged guests can enjoy authentic Tuscan villa living, savoring the ambience and the wines and olive oil produced by the estate - a magnificent 16th century villa that bears the unmistakable hand of the Renaissance master, Michelangelo. Enjoy the breathtaking view over Florence - a mere 12 kilometers away - with the cupola of the Duomo centre stage. Relax amid friendly, dedicated staff, attentive but not intrusive. The time and space to do as much or as little as the guest desires.

26 suites and rooms are featured and high-quality service is never lacking. Suites look out beyond the Villa’s private gardens to the enchanting Tuscan landscape. Villa Mangiacane boasts an exclusive restaurant, 3 swimming pools,a  fitness centre as well as the newly opened Nadushka Spa!

The Pools
Villa Mangiacane’s boasts 2 open-air swimming pools replete with spectacular views - lazing in the pool, guests have panoramic views over the beautiful hamlet of Sant’ Andrea and the picturesque gardens and vineyards.

NADUSHKA SPA
May 2007 has welcomed the opening of the luxurious spa at Mangiacane were the romance of the Taj Mahal finds its way in the Heart of Tuscany. The spirit of love and the passion of art echo through this elegant retreat. Set amongst the Tuscan landscape of vineyards and olive trees this unique environment offers the perfect sanctuary for total relaxation and rejuvenation. Naduschka Spa utilizes the exclusive range of holistic beauty products from the reputable “Officina de’ Tornabuoni”. These natural therapeutic products are locally produced using mostly plants and herbs from the Tuscan countryside. Our holistic, total approach to beauty and wellbeing enables us to offer our clients an experience which will soothe both body and mind. 

The indoor wellness area includes the following facilities:
 *An indoor heated swimming pool
*Steam room
*Sauna
*Relaxation area
*Treatment rooms including a double treatment room
*Small gym
*Recreational facilities include cycling, jogging and vineyard hiking       

Wine
The Villa Mangiacane’s 247 hectares are situated in the communes of San Casciano Val di Pesa and Greve in Chianti. The vineyards – at altitudes of 250 to 300 metres – are on clay soils, rich in scheletro and stones in Greve, cooler and deeper in San Casciano. The estate currently has 41 hectares planted to vines – Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino and Merlot – of which 30 hectares were planted in the 1980s at densities of 3,000 plants per hectare; the remaining 11 hectares have been planted since 1992, at a higher density of 5,680 plants per hectare. The vineyards’ diverse exposures (north to north-west in the San Casciano area, and south in Greve) create different microclimates, guaranteeing the wines more complexity and character.

Olive Oil
For Tuscans, luxury is made of simple pleasures;  wine, a little fresh farm-bread and a lot of olive oil. Villa Mangiacane makes its own Olio d´Oliva, famous for its distinctly peppery notes. Mangiacane Extra Virgin Olive Oil is part of its history, as is evident from the ancient measuring casts and old frantoio with its big wheel, still on display. Villa Mangiacane’s olive groves cover approximately 20 hectares of the estate’s gentle hills. The 6,000 trees are divided between the Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino and Pendolino cultivators. Since 2001 the Villa has been pressing the olives in its own mill: this ensures that batches of olives are picked and pressed within the same day – usually between the end of October and beginning of November – and their fruity oil bears witness to this, famous for its distinctly peppery notes.