Standing square and regal in the midst of 23 acres of parkland, at the end of a long drive lined with cypress trees, Villa Fontana is one of Tuscany’s most beautiful noble houses. For the first time in 500 years, the stucco-fronted mansion near Cortona is on sale – with a price tag of €8m (£6.5m).

The property, which was built in the 16th century (the facade is an 18th-century addition), has 16 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and six grand reception rooms, many with terracotta floor tiles and original features such as decorative plasterwork and fireplaces. The high-ceilinged reception hall on the first floor is decorated with original frescoes of local scenes.

“It takes your breath away, not just the first time you see it, but every time you drive through the gates,” says Nick Ferrand, a director of the Perugia-based estate agency Abode, which is jointly selling the property. “There is nothing else to compare with it in the Cortona area. It would suit anyone looking for a substantial architectural slice of Italy.” Renovation work was started in the 1760s, transforming the house into one of the most striking and important summer mansions in the Tuscan hills, an area that has attracted wealthy holiday-makers for centuries. Today, although perfectly functional, it could do with updating, including a new kitchen.

The landscaped grounds and olive groves include stables, outbuildings and the chapel. To one side of the house is a 1,600 sq ft limonaia, used as winter storage for the many potted fruit trees in the gardens.

The property last changed hands in the 16th century, when it was sold by the Alfieri family to the current owner’s ancestors – who, over the centuries, have included knights of St Stephen and a grand master of the Knights of Malta. More recently, the house was occupied during the second world war, first by the German army, then by the British, whose billeted soldiers are said to have had barbecues in the tower.

Villa Fontana is for sale with Knight Frank (020 7861 1058, www.knightfrank.com )and Abode (00 39 075 573 3941, www.abode.it ). For a video tour of the house, to the strains of Nessun Dorma, go to Abode’s website

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