Villa La Massa | Grandi Giardini Italiani

History

Villa La Massa is a Medici villa on the banks of the Arno, just eight kilometres from the heart of Florence. A convenient shuttle bus is provided for the use of visitors every hour. The first records of Villa La Massa date back to the end of the XIII Century. In 1525 it became the summer residence of Santi Landini, the famous publisher of the Florentine aristocracy, the villa remained in the hands of the family till 1788, when it was sold to Cardinal Giovanni Rinuccini.

The Rinuccini family lived in the villa until 1826, when Lady Catherine Hombert Ruffié Planche took over. In 1856 the property passed to Countess Bierliska, one of the Russian aristocrats resident in Florence at the end of the eighteenth century together with the Demidoff and Boutourline families. The next owner was John Goldsmith and, finally, it was transformed into a “hotel de charme” in 1948 by the Sears family.
Villa d'Este bought Villa La Massa in 1998, reviving its original aristocratic splendour.

The villa is surrounded by ten hectares of park. Each path leads to the River Arno and offers a splendid view over the Chianti hills.
The Iris garden is a place of inspiration. The Iris collection in the garden is the emblem of the “garden” which opens out as a belvedere over the river: different iris varieties grow luxuriantly together with agapanthus and peonies. In the garden there are magnificent olive and lemon trees.

Hospitality

A member of The Leading Hotels of The World, Villa La Massa is a luxury hotel that joined the Villa d'Este group in 1998.
The 51 rooms at Villa La Massa, all different from each other, are spread over five buildings in warm yellow and earthy pink tones: the Villa Nobile, the Villino, the Mulino, the Casa Colonica and the Limonaia. The spacious and elegant suites have a large and comfortable living room separated from the sleeping area, ideal for relaxing and spending good times with family or friends. Outside the window, the view of the park, the Chianti hills or the Arno is incredibly beautiful.
Situated within the park of Villa La Massa and surrounded by the Chianti hills, Villa Hombert is an ancient and typical Tuscan country building that has recently undergone a complete transformation and now houses three private flats spread over 300 square metres.

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Restaurants & Bar

Villa La Massa offers its guests different dining options for the various moments of the day. The Verrocchio with its panoramic position on the Arno River and the view of the Tuscan hills all around, appreciable both from the wonderful terrace and from the majestic windows inside.
Chef Stefano Ballarino offers a classic Italian menu with contemporary notes, where the selection of locally sourced ingredients prevails, with the main protagonist being the organic extra-virgin olive oil from the estate's olive trees. The bistro L'Oliveto offers a more relaxed atmosphere. Here guests can enjoy traditional Tuscan dishes with 0-km products. The outdoor terrace is perfect in the warmer months for a cool lunch by the pool, enveloped in the colours and scents of the Tuscan countryside. The Bar Mediceo, in the heart of the main villa, is an intimate and comfortable place to meet and sip an aperitif or one of Villa La Massa's signature cocktails. The 15th-century wine cellar preserves the finest labels and is the ideal place to taste Tuscan wines paired with typical cheeses and cold cuts or to host private dinners or wine tastings.

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How to get here

By plane
280/5000
Distance from Florence International Airport: 30 km
Distance from the International Airport of Pisa Galileo Galilei: 94 Km
Distance from the International Airport of Bologna Guglielmo Marconi: 100 Km
Distance from the International Airport of Rome Leonardo Da Vinci: 307 Km

By train
Santa Maria Novella Railway Station in Florence is at only a 20 minutes car drive from the hotel.

By Limousine
Our Concierge will be happy to give you all the assistance necessary if you wish to organize to be driven from or to the airport or station.

By car
Driving along the A1 highway, exit at ''Firenze sud'' and follow the signposts for Bagno a Ripoli - Pontassieve. On the highway heading towards Pontassieve, at the Candeli traffic-light turn left into Via della Massa. The hotel provides a spacious car-park, attended and free of charge.

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl