Le Pavoniere Golf & Country Club Est. 1995

Occupying part of what was originally a Leopoldo dei Medici estate, La Pavoniere's 19th century villa and surrounding parkland can now boast an excellent Arnold Palmer designed 18-hole championship golf course. Although the terrain here is essentially flat, with the beautiful Tuscan hills rising up a kilometre or so to the south, Palmer has incorporated excellent earthmounding to ensure a thoroughly absorbing, well-defined and top-quality layout. Always presented in excellent condition, the profusion of stylish bunkering, deployment of several small lakes connected by sizable water ditches, and plenty of grassy rough lining the good-width fairways, will all test your course management and full range of shot-making. A handsome double-row of mature birch trees separates the opening 8 holes from the final 10. More recently, many additional trees have been planted, but not to detract from the generally open, linksy feel which characterises this wonderful golf course. An array of Tuscan-style brick walls and bridges are used around the water hazards, not least fronting-up the greens at the par-4 2nd, testing par-4 4th, long par-3 5th and excellent par-4 18th holes. With plenty of woodland (and no roads or housing) around the course perimeter, La Pavoniere's quiet and natural environment bestows on this Tour-quality championship layout all the charm and beauty that you come to expect in "bella" Toscana.