Villa le Barone is now a proud member of Schloss Hotels and Herrenhäuser, an association which gathers historic hotels in the geography of the former Austro Hungarian Empire, under the umbrella of Historic Hotels of Europe.
Villa le Barone is also a member of Abitare la Storia. All members in those groups have many points in common: a story to tell, the will to preserve a cultural heritage for future generations, the desire to share this patrimony with guests.
At Villa le Barone, the owners, heirs of Marchioness Marie Blanche Viviani Della Robbia, born de Larderel, will tell you how this Lady not only was a writer, held a literary salon in Florence, but also managed alone Villa le Barone, as an agricultural estate. They will tell you about François de Larderel, of French origin, who did the first geothermal drilling in 1833.
He was the first one to use geothermal energy in an industrial way, and gave his name to a Tuscan village, close to Volterra, now named Larderello. It is in Larderello that later on, in 1911, the first power plant producing electricity from geothermal energy was built. You can visit the geothermal area from Villa le Barone, and you can sleep in the room of Marchioness Marie Blanche, which has kept its original furniture.
Villa le Barone Guests feel at home rather than in a classical hotel. They find in this historic country manor an enchanting atmosphere, elegant accommodation, and a typical and tasty cuisine!