Villa With Covered Pool And Garden On The Outskirts Of Florence

Just a few kilometres from Florence's city centre, in one of the most secluded and historically prestigious residential areas of Pian di Ripoli, a neighbourhood comprising stately villas and farmhouses sloping down towards the Arno, this 550-sqm villa spread over two floors is one of the most unique residences available on the outskirts of the city. With a modernist design dating from the 1960s and 1970s, it is the result of a project that has successfully combined the volumetric simplicity of late 20th-century architecture with interiors of great character and a garden designed by Pietro Porcinai, one of the most important figures in 20th-century Italian landscape architecture.

The villa’s long glass façade is its most distinctive architectural feature: it opens seamlessly onto the wooden terrace with roller blinds and onto the garden, creating a continuity between the interior and the landscape which, when viewed from above, presents the image of an almost transparent residence, integrated into the greenery that surrounds it. The conservatory-veranda is the most original space on the entire property: the walls of gilded wooden slats, the sliding glass ceiling, the big tropical plants and the white stone sculptures create a transitional space between the interior and the landscape, temperate and pleasant in every season.

The sitting room, with its white marble fireplace, terracotta walls, high ceiling and large windows overlooking the park, is furnished with Persian rugs, white damask armchairs and a collection of equestrian paintings in gilded frames, setting the decorative tone of the residence: a sophisticated blend of classicism and 1970s modernity, full of character and coherence that extends to the dining room, adorned with a fine chandelier.

The bedrooms are distributed between the main floor and the upper floor. Two double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms are located on the ground floor; on the upper floor, the master bedroom features a walk-in wardrobe, a private bathroom and a double terrace overlooking the garden and the hills surrounding Florence. The basement completes the villa’s facilities with a two-room staff apartment, comprising a bathroom and laundry area, connected to the main house and accessible independently.

The indoor swimming pool with a retractable glass roof is one of the property’s most distinctive features: the retractable roof extends its use well beyond the summer season and, in the winter months, transforms the poolside into a space visually integrated with the garden under the filtered light of the glass. The garden, covering approximately one hectare, is the work of Pietro Porcinai: the large English-style lawn arranged in sloping terraces, the sculpted hedges, the stone basins, and the splashes of colour from azaleas, wisteria and flowering plants bear the mark of one of the most refined landscape architects of the 20th-century Italian tradition.