Villa Petrolo

We went to look for a medieval tower said to have spectacular views over the Arno Valley. But when we got there we found that the tower itself is only open at weekends and the base of the tower is thickly wooded - so no views at all.

On the way down I stopped to take a photo of this beautifully located villa. I loved the clouds still hanging over the Appenines in the background. The name of the villa was Villa Petrolo, so I googled it, and discovered that it is where David Cameron stayed for his Tuscan summer holiday a couple of years ago. It's nice but not swanky like the palaces where Tony Blair used to stay with his Italian cronies. It's big enough for a prime minister's entourage and it's easy to make secure as the approach is narrow and you can see for miles. A French prime minister stayed there the previous year for the same reason. Another famous guest was Jamie Oliver who used it as his base for training his 15 apprentice chefs.

The owner used to be an artist but now he runs the wine estate and agroturismo business and gives all the profit to AIDS charities in Africa.