About Fontebonelli

Agriturismo Fontebonelli, Riparbella (Pisa), Toscana, Italia
General Information, Rates, Directions

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Italian cyprus, “Pino” trees, oleander shrubs, all gently bending amongst rolling hills of ancient olive tree groves alternating with rows and rows of grape vines. Sweeping views of the Tyrrhenian Sea, where on a clear day, one can see the islands of Elba and Corsica. The tranquil silence of bucolic farm life, sometimes enriched with cicadas, the occasional owl or a tractor’s hum.

This is Fontebonelli, a 60-acre, certified organic olive azienda and farm in southern Tuscany — the perfect spot for an agro-tourism experience, Italian-style.

Fontebonelli offers four, free-standing vacation houses consisting of five separately rented apartments. The property lies approximately 12 km away from the sea, in the rolling hills of Riparbella above the beachside city of Cecina, just 60 km south of Pisa.

Cecina’s Tyrrhenian coastline is well known for its several kilometer long, extremely clean sand and pebble beaches. Several of these have been given the special designation as Blue Flag* beaches by the European Community’s environmental protection agencies. Well-known Tuscan destinations as Volterra, San Gimignano, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Florence and Elba are all comfortably reached by car for lovely day-long excursions. What’s best about Cecina is that there are no mass tourist buses or large group hotels in the area, allowing it to remain as it has been for centuries.

Fontebonelli lies in the peaceful, rural surroundings of the classic Tuscan countryside, dominated by ancient olive tree groves, approximately 150 meters above sea level. An easily-navigated gravel road leads guests to the property, a bit more than two kilometers from the nearest paved street. One can easily reach the town of Riparbella by car in 10 minutes.

While staying at the azienda, guests can purchase the organic, extra virgin olive oil produced by the olive trees at Fontebonelli. If visiting between mid-October and mid-December, guests may even participate in the olive harvest, done in similar traditional methods as in prior centuries.

For our farm, 2023 was an excellent year for the production of extra virgin olive oil in the area, despite the torrid climate and therefore harvest risk. It was very important to follow the instructions of our trusted agronomist, thanks Annalisa Bioli and thanks to our indispensable Sergio and Tania!

*The Blue Flag is an international award, established in 1987 the European Year of the Environment, which is awarded every year in 48 countries, initially only in Europe, most recently also outside Europe, with the support and participation of the two UN agencies: UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) with which the FEE has signed a Memorandum of global partnership. Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to tourist resorts that meet criteria relating to sustainable land management. Main objective of this program is to address the policy management of many local coastal resorts, a process of environmental sustainability.

General Information

Casa Pendolino, Casa Leccino, Apartment Bellavista and Apartment Buganvillea are furnished in a simple, functional manner, while the furnishings in Casa Bianca and Casa Danilo offer higher quality and more extensive equipment. All apartments offer a fully-equipped kitchen, screened-in windows, CD player, and central heating. All necessary bed and bath linens are provided.

Pets are permitted on request, 30 euros each per week, (max 2 small/medium-sized dogs).

As is typical in the countryside of Mediterranean countries, some neighbors’ dogs remain outdoors at night. Guests may hear the occasional dog, along with cicadas, owls and nightingales at night, and the sounds of tractors working the area’s farms during the day – all belonging to the bucolic life of the Italian countryside.

Depending on summer weather, there can be an abundance of mosquitoes at night. Should guests have sensitivity to mosquito bites, we recommend bringing repellent.

Our houses have neither TV nor wifi access. Should guests require wifi during their stay, there are some vendors offering cost-effective internet access using either a USB stick or a handheld device (www.tep.com is one such vendor).

We will try to meet our guests’ individual travel requirements, and thus we do not require bookings from Saturday to Saturday. For a stay of less than seven nights, however, a fee is charged for the final cleaning (this fee is included in the weekly rental price). This extra fee is EU 45,– for Casa Pendolino and Casa Leccino; EU 55,– for Apartments Bellavista and Buganvillea; EU 65,– for Casa Bianca and EU 120,– for Casa Danilo.

Upon arrival at the property, guests pay a security deposit of €250 in cash. The refund will be made on the day of check out.

Arrival time is after 16:00 (4:00 pm); departures should be made by 10:00 am.

Should guests have any special requests, they should please contact us in advance.

Rates

The current prices can be found under the respective cases and apartments:
Casa Pendolino / Casa Leccinon / Apartment Bellavista / Apartment Buganvillea / Casa Bianca / Casa Danilo

Reservations are guaranteed when we receive 30% of the total rental within 14 days after receiving reservation confirmation. We send out our bank account information along with written confirmation of the reservation. The balance of the rental should be paid by bank transfer either 10 days prior to your arrival, or by cash on day of departure. We are unable to accept credit cards.

The deposit shall be forfeited in the event of a cancellation. Should guests cancel the reservation one week or less prior to arrival date, the entire rental will be due.

Directions

By Car:
From the north: Highway A-12 until it ends, shortly after Rosignano and after the toll to SS1/Aurelia, direction Roma.

From the south: SS1/Aurelia, direction Genoa Take the excit “Cecina Nord/San Pietro in Palazzi”, then take the S68, direction Volterra. After 3.6 km, take a sharp, 90 degree turn to the left onto the gravel road in direction of “Ortacavoli/Badalo/Sorbugnano.

After this turn, please follow the drawing:

GPS: 43° 21′ 32.24″ N 10° 34′ 42.87″ E

By Boat:
The closest major port is Livorno. From Livorno, one can easily travel to Elba, Corsica, and Sardinia, but also to a variety of destinations in Africa. By Train: The closest station is Cecina. From Cecina, there are excellent connections to Pisa, Florence, Rome, Milan, Genoa, and Naples.

By Train:
Next station is Cecina with connection to Pisa, Florenz, Rom, Mailand, Genua, Neapel.

Please note that a car is necessary, in order to reach Fontebonelli

If you have any questions, please contact us.