The archetypal Florentine villa wears a patina of age, often applied at great expense with a damp sponge — and this, for some reason, is what passes for authenticity. Villa Le Maschere takes a different tack. In their vision, you get closer to the past by turning back the clock — and by cleaning away the ravages of time, you reveal a much more authentic picture of Tuscany, a timeless version, one that allows guests to inhabit the place itself in the present, without the distance of the intervening centuries.
By now you’ve undoubtedly seen those familiar white Greek statues painted over in vivid colors, in reference to how they would have looked at the time. Think of the bold patterned facade of the Villa Le Maschere this way. The building’s interiors are meticulously restored as well, and the frescoes, the columns, the tiles are in impeccable condition. The only departure from Renaissance correctness is in the fixtures and some of the furnishings — surely we’re right to regard flat-panel televisions, modern luxury beds and functional modern plumbing as improvements rather than intrusions.
Three restaurants, one of them in the old wine cellar, serve the finest in Tuscan cooking, and the subterranean spa opens directly onto the outdoor swimming pools. It’s a comfortable enough hotel that one could quite happily shut oneself in for the duration of a stay. Not that anyone actually would — not twenty miles outside of Florence.
How to get there:
Villa Le Maschere Resort is approximately 30km from central Florence and the Florence airport, 15 km from the Mugello Circuit, 12km from an 18 hole international golf course, and 6km from the village of Barberino di Mugello. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
author watson@mouselink.net, source www.tablethotels.com