Photo: Villa Gate Tuscan Countryside Siena Tuscany Italy

An elegant country villa nestled in the beautiful Tuscan Countryside is secured by a large wrought iron gate at the end of a driveway in the Province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy.

A grand Tuscan villa, nestled amongst its gardens and lush green surroundings, can be seen in the distance from behind its wrought iron gate.

The Region of Tuscany is home to many grand villas, some of them are permanently inhabited, while others are available for rental to tourists on a week-by-week, or even a month-by-month basis.

The term 'Tuscan villa' is now applied to pretty much any large house located in Tuscany, but originally a villa was a Roman country house, built for members of the upper classes. They were used as country homes for the residents of Rome to escape the oppressive summer heat of being in a city.

Villas were often completely self-sufficient, as owners had enough slaves living in and around the grounds, that they could grow their own food and even grow their own grapes for wine, so villas were often located so far apart that they were not easily accessible to each other, because they didn't need to be. ... continue below the picture...

... The idea of this seclusion was attractive to wealthy members of the upper classes, and tourists today still rent villas because they represent the magic of being able to 'get away from it all' for a while.

Closed gate at the entrance to a driveway leading to a villa in the Tuscan countryside, Province of Siena, Region of Tuscany, Italy, Europe.