12 bedrooms farmhouse, 700 m²

Peccioli, Pisa (province)

Nestled in the beautiful hills of central Tuscany, a short walk from San Gimignano and Volterra, this prestigious property overlooks an exceptionally unspoiled landscape. It is adjacent to the exclusive Castelfalfi Golf Club. The complex consists of three units for a total of 700 square meters. His 8-hectare farm includes 6 hectares of organic olive groves (Bio certified) and an orchard. A harmonious garden designed by a famous landscape architect surrounds the villa and a breathtaking infinity pool with mother-of-pearl mosaic stands on the edge of the hill. The current owner took almost 3 years (2009-2011) to completely renovate the property to the highest and modern standards.

The restructuring focused in particular on the following aspects:
- Uncompromising respect for Tuscan heritage;
- Implementation of eco-friendly technologies;
- Minimization of operating costs;
- Maximizing automation (user friendly home with minimal maintenance and human involvement);
In addition, the renovation paid particular attention to some aspects of the modernization of an old Tuscan farm:
Treat the surface foundations of the building. In the past, building a solid and deep foundation was a secondary priority, as survival and the return on investment in the short term were the farmer's main concerns;
Manage the humidity of the ascent. As cattle occupied ground level, rising humidity was not considered a health issue at the time.
Tackling soil erosion. Most of the Tuscan soil consists of clay, which, if not properly modeled, erodes significantly during heavy rains.

UNCOMPROMISING RESPECT OF TUSCAN HERITAGE
The renovation employed only skilled local labor and proven artistic experience for the restoration of all visible details, such as masonry and painting. In addition, the reconstruction of all the ceilings complied with the original construction techniques, that is, with brick vaults in the former stables, and with flat bricks (cooked) and chestnut wood beams in other areas.

RENOVATION DETAILS
"Concept "Zero Footprint
The all-electric system of the property discards the use of fossil energy. To minimize operating costs and balance energy consumption, a solar power plant was built on site that produces more than 30 kilowatts per year. This, combined with advanced green technologies, has given this property the coveted certificate of energy performance "A".
Examples of green technologies implemented are:
- Closed-circuit vertical geothermal system (600 m of drilling), combined with high-yield redundant heat pumps, to heat/cool buildings;
- Heating/cooling in the shape of a floor pyramid;
- Double-flow ventilation in all units;
- Insulation in thick wood fiber panels;
- Advanced ventilated roof (13 different layers, including Gore-Tex);
- Polarized windows with low emissivity;
- LED lamps for all heavily lit areas.
In practice, the combination of these technologies allows for a comfortable indoor air temperature of 22 degrees Celsius during the winter at a fraction of the usual cost and about 10 degrees Celsius of difference between indoor and outdoor air temperatures during the summer at almost no operating cost, thus avoiding the installation of conventional air conditioning systems that consume energy.
Centralized design
All four units share the same utilities, which reside in a single technical room, but separation equipment has been installed to allow each unit to operate independently. This design reduces maintenance costs while improving overall reliability.

Water management
To avoid the possibility of irrigation deficiencies, three independent water sources have been installed:
1. Drinking water is provided through a connection to the public network. Two small intermediate water tanks have been installed to streamline the supply.
Hot water circulates permanently through highly insulated pipes (1c of temperature loss per kilometer) to improve occupant comfort. At regular intervals (once a week, at night), the temperature of the hot water rises to about 70 degrees Celsius for a short period of time in order to ensure a water free of bacteria. In addition, a water softener removes limestone, since public water is relatively hard.
2. Rainwater is recovered from roofs and redirected to a very large storage tank, reinforced with concrete, with a colossal capacity of 170,000 liters. The water is then filtered twice (25th and activated charcoal) and then redirected to the toilets and washing machines or filtered a third time (5th) and sterilized by a U.V. lamp before being redirected to the swimming pool. Needless to point out that the quality of this water is excellent, even if it is not intended to be drinkable.
3. A large pond containing about 900,000 liters of water is strategically located at the top of the estate. Its water is distributed in every area of the garden through underground pipes. The garden, with about 7,000 plants, boasts a fully automated irrigation system that requires minimal human involvement.

Structural stability
The refurbishment incorporated the northern European-style foundations to ensure maximum structural stability and avoid the humidity of ascent. In fact, in addition to fully meeting seismic requirements, these foundations offer excellent performance against ascent moisture, thanks to their advanced type of underground ventilation and the presence of Vandex dust, which vitrified the concrete. In addition, micro-pallets have been added to the foundations to reduce the compression load and thus improve the stability of the soil in the areas where it was deemed necessary (i.e. the converted barn that is on the edge of the hill).

Security
While the area is considered safe, the following infrastructures have been installed:
- CCTV system with numerous cameras (12);
- Advanced alarm system (with mobile communication);
Safety-proof glass.
Telecommunications
The estate is connected to the Internet via high-speed WI-MAX (8 mb/s). Two underground fixed lines were installed during the repair of the access road. Therefore, broadband Internet is also available through ADSL.

Pool
The infinity pool is the property's masterpiece. The pool is located on the edge of the hill and offers stunning views of the surroundings. In addition, sunlight is superbly reflected on the water thanks to the iridescent properties of the pool's mother-of-pearl mosaic.
If its size (14m x 7m) makes it undeniably a large swimming pool, its constant depth (1.25m) allows you to practice most water sports, including swimming.
Like all other systems in the house, the water treatment of the pool is fully automated and can be carried out with both salt and conventional products. Finally, but not least, the water is heated through the house's energy-efficient geothermal system.