If you come from Florence (or from the highway A1, Firenze Sud), take the road SS67 until Contea (30 Km from Florence), than take right, towards Turicchi/La Rata. Continue for more or less 3 Km, go by the road sign “La Rata” and continue on the right for another Km. When you see on your left an ancient Villa (Villa Ginori della Rata), you’ve reached our house.

Florence, Valdisieve and Mugello can be easily reached from the village of Contea by bus or train.

We are in the centre of a historical area, rich of culture, of beautiful natural sites and food and wine traditions. Near our house you can find Etruskan traces (rests of a fortress in Frascole, of a temple in Vicchio, and a small Museum in Dicomano), medieval churches, “borghi” and castles (Turicchi, Castiglioni, Vicorati, San Leolino, pieve di Dicomano, pieve di Pomino, pieve di Rincine).

Mugello, where Giotto, Beato Angelico and the Medici family had their birth, is very rich of history and of sites worth-seeing. In Valdisieve, with its gentle hills and its wine traditions, you can go down the road of Vino Chianti Rufina e Pomino, visit the winecellars and the Museum of Chianti Rufina in the beautiful Villa Pantellini in Rufina (15th century). Excellent restaurants, butchers and food shops can be found in this area. A typical product of Londa is a specific variety of peach: la pesca regina di Londa (it ripes at the end of the summer).

You can often find village fairs e “sagre” where it is generally possible to eat local food and delicacies (just to list a few: Bacco Artigiano in Rufina, Toscanello d'Oro in Pontassieve, Fiera di San Martino e Festa del Corso della Nave in Rufina, Festa della Mongolfiera in Londa, Fiera di Maggio e di Ottobre in Dicomano, fiera del tartufo in Borgo san Lorenzo, fiera dell'artigianato MAZE in Vicchio).