Villa Il Fiorentino is a very beautifully furnished luxurious Provençal villa (3500SF) set in manicured gardens inside a seven-acre private hilltop estate within a small gated enclave a few minutes from Saint Tropez and Gassin villages: lovely views of the surrounding hills, the sea, and the coast towards Pampelonne.

Access is by a quiet country road bordered by vineyards and forest near the Château de Minuty: a narrow paved road forks off and, as the road rises through the enclave, there are enticing views of the sea and neatly planted vines.

High wooden gates open onto a very long oleander-bordered drive meandering through the private estate, past the tennis court, and on to a gravel "cour d'honneur" in front of the villa; archway screening off and giving access to the guardian's house; discreet parking for about ten cars.

An arched internal corridor, guarded by two ancient stone lions, leads through the villa and gives access to the back garden: halfway through on the left, the main door; on the right, access to one bedroom and the owner's atelier.

The villa comprises a magnificent entry hall (300SF) with cathedral ceiling, hanging chandelier, large Aubusson tapestry, cloakroom, staircase to the upper master bedroom, access to the kitchen, and double doors to the main living room.

Very charming fully-equipped modern Provençal kitchen (350SF) with fitted cabinets, wood surfaces, and sliding glass doors to a long wide cloistered terrace flanked by mature citrus trees in elegant jardinières.

Gorgeous living room (650SF) with very generous seating area around a sensibly large antique coffee table in front of an elegant stone fireplace: built-in extra seating areas; open plan to a charming study with office area, TV, and lovely stone fireplace; twin sliding glass doors to the cloistered terrace.

The entry hall staircase leads up to a mezzanine area giving access to: master suite comprising large master bedroom (450sf) with Venetian four-poster bed and big horizontal picture window giving one hundred and eighty-degree views of the hills and the sea over the garden; large walk-through dressing room to a large marble full bathroom with twin vanities; glass door to a private terrace with sea and garden views.

The wide cloistered terrace (about 400SF) is very elegant and has a nice seating area: at the far end, there is a beautifully frescoed wall; to the left, short corridor to a double bedroom with curtained-off walk-through dressing room to a full bathroom and French windows to the garden; to the right, short corridor to a larger bedroom with three single beds, curtained-off walk-through dressing room to a full bathroom, and French windows to a private terrace.

Off the internal corridor: en-suite twin bedroom with French windows to the garden; large private artists atelier; on the back-garden side, large paved terrace with round mosaic-topped breakfast table in the shade of two ancient mulberry trees.

The bedrooms are all good-sized in the 200SF-450SF range, and their bathrooms are all beautifully tiled WCs, bidets, and towel warmers.

The villa was lovingly constructed many years ago using very high quality materials from several century-old houses, and the décor is quite simply exquisite: white walls, beamed ceilings, ceilings with "plafond à la française",and ancient flagstone floors.

The furnishings are an inspired marriage of the very finest high-quality modern furniture and antique pieces; fine artwork, water colors, old botanical prints, giant designer lamps, "bibelots", coffee-table books, small statues, glassware and a host of very desirable collectables all go to create an absolutely wonderful atmosphere.

The villa is very well equipped with good quality dinnerware, cutlery, glasses, and household linen; WIFI/ADSL connectivity; air conditioning in the master bedroom suite; ceiling fans and natural thick-stone cooling in the other bedrooms; alarm system.

The staff is made up of a full-time housekeeper, a very competent part-time cook, and a resident guardian.

The landscaped garden around the villa--certainly one of the finest in Saint Tropez--is mainly flat and made up of lawns, flower beds, rose beds, ancient olive trees, cypresses, maritime pines, thick hedges, bowers, walkways, flagstone-tiled pathways, a beautiful lily pond, ancient garden sculpture, and a host of other refined features.

The swimming pool area is exceptional: the massive ultra-shallow entry heated child-safe swimming pool (50ft x 26ft) has a polished mica-and-concrete base, giving it a very appealing green-water look: it is bordered by paved sunbathing areas which are, themselves, flanked by low hedges and lavender beds; overflow at one end guarded by massive stone lions.

The large pool house is fully equipped: large elegant twin-double bedroom with en-suite shower bathroom (doubles as a pool shower); extensive covered terrace with big professional fire barbecue, summer kitchen, and dining area overlooking the swimming pool; extensive al fresco dining area with teak dining furniture under vine-covered-gazebo-style shading near to three mature quince trees.

A few minutes walk from the main house: full-size "Greenset" tennis court - recently resurfaced - providing a hard court with a slight "spring" to it; a professional's delight.

The villa was constructed over a period of several years in a Florentino-Provençal style using a great deal of "materiel de récupération" from older houses and, as a result, it has the lovely patina of an ancient bastide while offering all the ease of a totally modern home.


Saint Tropez centre is a 10-15 minute drive depending on the time of day; the medieval hilltop village of Gassin is about five minutes away; ancient Ramatuelle village is about 10 minutes drive.

Using a back road to the Route des Plages, all the main beach clubs including Nikki Beach and Club 55 are within a 10-20 minute drive; la Mole and Hyères airport are under the hour.

Villa Il Fiorentino is a world-class home and ideal for a large family or group seeking total peace, absolute privacy, security, and great beauty within minutes of the boutiques, restaurants, bars, and all the excitement of Saint Tropez village.