Timbers Company Launches Castello Di Casole Luxury Resort and Residence in Tuscany

Authentic Tuscan farmhouse villas are restored to original grandeur for ownership opportunities at n

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. October 14, 2008

CARBONDALE, CO, August 17, 2005. Vacation home ownership is among the hottest contemporary travel trends, as individuals with the financial wherewithal seek out fractional and whole ownership opportunities to plant their roots in distant lands. With the top-end of the second-home market currently bubbling, Timbers Company of Carbondale, Colorado and SV Capital of Denver (SV/ Timbers) have joined with Italian partner, The Antonello Family, to launch Castello di Casole, a new five-star luxury resort and residence club in the heart of Tuscany. Located within easy proximity of Siena and Florence, the low-density, 6,000-acre historic estate offers buyers the dream of owning an authentic Tuscan estate without the usual nightmare hassles of second-home ownership.

Castello di Casole's initial phase is seeing the restoration of the estate's ancient "Casali" farmhouse villas, maintaining their original charm and further enhanced with sumptuous designs, top Italian furniture and fine points. The restored villas will range in price from $5 million to $6 million for whole and fractional ownership. Five Casali are scheduled for completion by September 2005, with two more anticipated by the end of 2005. An additional ten Casali will be built in 2006 along with the restoration and completion of the property's centuries-old Castello (castle) on its commanding Tuscan hillside location. The Castello will open in less than two years as a luxury boutique inn of approximately 30-40 suites, with fine dining and a lavish world-class spa.

Castello di Casole will also include nine new villas by designed by Italian architect Alessandro Mendini. Located nearby the Castello complex, these ultra-contemporary, bright red brick residences will offer a single bedroom, sitting room and full-bath, as well as expansive porches from which to soak-up Tuscany.

The historic 5,500-acre estate can be traced back to the ancient and noble Bargagli family of Siena. Extant vineyards and olive groves throughout the estate are being cultivated and harvested, with extra virgin olive oil and Chianti wine created on-site for members. Myriad indulgences include fine dining at the property's cafes; bi-lingual concierge; airport transportation; personal automobiles and drivers; pools, fitness and wellness spa; biking tours; personal chefs; cooking schools to inspire culinary creativity; and guided day trips to Siena, Florence and other nearby villages.

"It's one thing to live the authentic Tuscan lifestyle, another to indulge it - which is precisely the opportunity we're offering," says David Burden, President of Timbers Company. "Castello di Casole is an enchanting residence for selective people, and we're certain they'll take advantage of it every way they can."

The estate's farmhouse villas will range from 4,000 to 7,000 square feet and reside on 20 to 50 acres. Each villa will have its own layout, color scheme and stunning views. Constructed in traditional Tuscan style without wood or nails, the villas are being created using indigenous building materials recycled from the property's ruins, including ancient stone, traditional terra cotta roof tiles, Murano glass and Carrera marble. Stylish features lend a traditional Italian air, such as barrel-vaulted and exposed-beam ceilings, wood-burning outdoor fireplaces, and Italian-tiled infinity swimming pools. Family photos on the walls, refrigerators stocked to personal specifications, and sunflowers from property's Tuscan garden will anticipate arrival.

Timbers Company's reputation for developing small private luxury resort properties precedes it, forged at upscale addresses such as The Timbers Club, a magnificently appointed, ski-in/ski-out private mountain residence club in Snowmass, Colorado near Aspen, which sold out 288 residential memberships within two years of its opening in 2002. Other standout Timbers Company properties include the oceanfront Esperanza - An Auberge Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and The Rocks Luxury Residence Club at Pinnacle Peak in the desert bliss of North Scottsdale, Arizona. The company also has projects in the works in the Virgin Islands, on the Mexican Mayan Riviera, and in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.