Nestled in the hills of Tuscany 18 miles (30km) northeast of Florence, are Villa Zingale (the main villa), Villa Antica, Villa Paterno, and Villa Imovilla on approximately 70 hectares of land. The property sits at an elevation of 400m in Caiano, a division of Londa, the gateway to the Casentino National Forest. Abundant surrounding forests coupled with the elevation give it the purest of air on the sunny side of the hillside. The estate is located in the world-renowned Chianti Rufina wine area, the oldest wine consortium in Tuscany. 

The four historical villas range in age, with origins in the years 1000, 1400, and likely the Renaissance. All but Villa Imovilla are restored. Also included in the property are 7 natural springs, countless olive trees, a consecrated chapel, antique furnishings, and ancestral paintings of past owners from the 1700s.

For the past 40 years, the property has belonged to the Zingale family, who have enjoyed the charm of the Italian countryside, a short 45 minute train ride from Florence, and are ready to pass it on to a new property owner.

Villa Zingale
10 bedrooms
6.5 bathrooms
Main Villa + 2 apartments
875 square meters (living spaces)
192 square meters (work spaces)

Villa Antica
4 bedrooms
4 bathrooms
226 square meters

Villa Paterno
7 bedrooms + a loft
4 bathrooms
400 square meters

Villa Imovilla (Partially Restored)
418 square meters

HISTORY OF THE ESTATE

The history of the property is long and illustrious. There once were four castles in the area of Londa, blongingto the Conti Guidi family, dating back to the 1100s. Many years before, across the valley on the plateau where Castle San Leolino stood, Hannibal and his army stopped as they traveled toward Arezzo. In the Middle Ages, Cosimo l (one of the Medici) became concerned that the fortress castles would be used for uprisings against Florence, so he demanded that the nearby castles be dismantled. Some of the foundation of San Leolino remains to this day. It has been suggested that San Leolino and Villa Zingale were once connected by an underground tunnel, creating a sentry post. 

A small pencil drawing discovered in the villa shows a recognizable sketch of Villa Zingale from the early 1600s (it is speculated that something stood on the site for many years before that time). Villa Paterno was built around the same time as Villa Zingale, and the nearby stone homes of both Villa Antica and Villa Imovilla date back to the years 1000 and 1400, respectively. These ancient buildings are documented as part of the historical area of Londa. 

Past owners of the villa have included: Lorenzo di Palla Strozzi from the early 1500s to the 17th century, and then sold to a Medici family member, and later the property passed on by inheritance to the Passerini family who owned it for more than 200 years. Their family included the royal Orsini family of Rome and sometime much later the property was sold to Silvio Gancia of the wine family of Milan, when it was recovered from abandonment after World War II. From the 1960s to the 1980s the Gancia family restored much of it and finally all was purchased by the Zingale family from 1984 to present. The Germans occupied all of Caiano in World War II and used Villa Zingale as their headquarters, housing troops in the surrounding houses. For that reason, the property was never bombed during the war. Since that time, many restorations have occurred to improve various villas on site.

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