Art in Villa le Barone: Arno Boueilh’s exhibition

Arno Boueilh exhibition at Villa le Barone

Art is everywhere at Hotel Villa le Barone with 18th and 19th century paintings and authentic furniture in the lounges and bedrooms. But this year one of the lounges is transformed into Art Gallery with the exhibition of Arno Boueilh until August 30, 2018.

Whether in the rooms or in the lounges, the hosts of Villa le Barone, who has kept the charm of a family home, are indeed surrounded by portraits of ancestors, original paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries, and others This is a unique place to stay … The landscapes of Chianti around the Villa are also real paintings, which inspired so many painters!

And this year one of the salons of Villa le Barone becomes Art Gallery with the exhibition of paintings by Arno Boueilh until August 30, 2018. Arno Boueilh is a young French painter, former student of Pierre Gilou, who shares his life between Naples and Paris. After a degree in Fine Arts at Paris I University, he joined the Beaux-Arts in Paris (Ensb-A) and Art-Décos in Paris (Ensad). When he left the Arts Déco, he decided to devote himself entirely to painting.

Arno Boueilh exhibition at Hotel Villa le Barone

Arno has won numerous awards in France and Italy, including the most recent in 2017 from the André and Berthe Noufflard Foundation. He has exhibited in various Art Galleries in France in Paris and in the provinces, as well as in Italy.

Hotel Villa le Barone is pleased to honor the works of the painter Arno Boueilh to the delight of his guests!

Renewable energy, geothermal energy

Geothermal springs in Sasso PisanoTuscany in roman maps

Do you know that geothermal energy supplies almost 30% of the electricity consumed in Tuscany? And do you know that this source of energy is renewable and emits very little CO2 (a greenhouse gas leading to climate change), when power stations transform it into electricity? If you stay in Villa le Barone or in Vecchienna, you will be able to discover the sources of geothermal energy in Tuscany!

The geothermal zones around Larderello, Monterotondo Marittimo, Sasso Pisano and Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina are to be visited: you will discover new landscapes, with lagoons, fumaroles, small geysers, warm waters. You can also visit the very interesting museum in the village of Larderello, which tells the history of geothermal energy since Antiquity.

Evidence of geothermal activity dates back to the Greco-Etruscan-Roman era, and Etruscan and Roman baths have been found in Sasso Pisano, where Vecchienna is located. They appear on a Roman military map of the 3rd century. Baths and hot springs in the region were also used in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The industrial use of hot springs began in the early 19th century under the leadership of François de Larderel, a Frenchman who developed techniques for extracting boric acid from geothermal fumes. This product was once used as a food preservative. It is also François de Larderel who gave his name to the small city of “Larderello”, as he was the young entrepreneur to develop the region. Later in 1904 Prince Ginori Conti used the pressure of geothermal vapors for the first time to make electricity.

Museum in Larderello: geothermal energy produces electricity

The first power station was then built in 1913. This whole story is described in the very didactic museum of Larderello. Tuscany is certainly the cradle of the use of geothermal energy, but it is also exploited in many other parts of the world. A book recently published by Raffaele Cataldi and Mario César Suàrez Arriaga tells the long relationship between humanity and geothermal energy in the world.

If you stay in Vecchienna, our farm in Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina, you can discover geothermal energy, fumaroles, geysers, you can also visit the Museum of Larderello and swim in the hot springs of Sasso Pisano. And Larderello is only 1h30 from Villa le Barone.

Sports at Hotel Villa le Barone

Sports in Tuscany at Villa le Barone: swimming in the infinity pool

A holiday in Tuscany that allows you to play sports, relax and discover the art of the Renaissance? At Hotel Villa le Barone, you can play tennis, swim in the superb heated infinity pool, use the fitness room and the fitness trail, go for a walk, go cycling… and there is a golf course nearby! It’s also a central location from which you can take day trips to discover the wonders of Tuscan art.

Would you like not to have to choose between discovering the treasures of Tuscan art, playing sports or relaxing? Then, come to the Hotel Villa le Barone. You will find a superb tennis court with spectacular views of the Chianti hills. No need to bring your rackets and balls, they can be provided for you. You can also swim in the heated 17meters infinity salt-water pool (so without the inconveniences of chlorinated pools). Moreover the panorama from this pool is stupendous. Just lie down, enjoy the Tuscan sun, immerse yourself in the beauty of the rose beds, dream while listening to the birdsong or to the bells of the Romanesque church of San Leolino: it’s Paradise! You can also use the fitness room with its bike and treadmill, again with a view… Furthermore there is a fitness trail with stations offering different exercises and giving the possibility of discovering various aspects of the gardens at Villa le Barone.

Sports in Tuscany à Villa le Barone: the tennis court

We have also prepared for you hiking and cycling itineraries through the vineyards, olive groves and woodlands, to allow you to discover other aspects of Chianti and Tuscany. We have two mountain bikes available for our guests. And after your sports efforts, relax on one of our many terraces!

We are waiting for you at Villa le Barone  so you can relax, practice different sports, and admire the Tuscan art all at the same time!