308 Sorono Drive

Hand-cut cedar beams run the length of the kitchen and keeping room, and arched Pella doors open to Juliette balconies and a flagstone terrazza where the lights of downtown Greenville come up at dusk. This is 308 Sorono, a Tuscan villa the original owners built in 2007 after traveling through Europe to source its materials by hand. You cannot measure a home like this against today's construction.

The craftsmanship sits in a different category, and you feel it the moment the front door swings open. Inside the gates of Montebello, in the village section known as Villaggio, the home reads like a piece of the Italian countryside set down above the Blue Ridge foothills. Gracious gas lanterns flank the arched doors leading to a two-story foyer with an iron-railed staircase setting the tone at the door.

Imported lighting, hand-forged ironwork, travertine and oak floors, and arched doorways carry through every room. Ceilings reach eleven feet on the main level, framed by extensive crown and trim. Wrought-iron Juliette balconies sit behind the arched doors.

The detail is relentless, and none of it is decorative filler. The main level lives around light and gathering. The living room and keeping room open through walls of glass, each anchored by a fireplace, with the beamed kitchen at the center of it all.

That kitchen was built for people who cook and host in equal measure: a Dacor range with six burners and a pot filler, a Dacor wall oven, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a Bosch dishwasher, and a floor-to-ceiling pantry. A wet bar with a Sub-Zero wine chiller sits ready for the evening. This is a kitchen made for Sunday mornings with the coffee on and for holidays with a houseful, the kind of room that pulls everyone in and keeps them.

Three fireplaces warm the home, in the living room, the kitchen, and outdoors, so the gathering carries from the hearth to the terrazza without anyone reaching for a coat. The primary suite is on the main level and opens directly to both the splash pool terrace and the adjacent hot tub terrace. Dual vanities and a makeup vanity, a double tiled shower, a soaking tub, and travertine floors give it the feel of a private retreat.

The walk-in closet runs two full levels. A second guest suite or study sits on the main floor with its own full bath. Upstairs is a guests' sanctuary: two private bedrooms, each with a full bath, one opening to the expansive upper loggia and its long view of downtown Greenville, Paris Mountain, and the Blue Ridge foothills, plus an office/den and loft.

The lower level is built for a second life of the house. There is room for a media room or theater, a fitness area, a full bath with a steam shower and a walk-in sauna, and generous storage. Two garage bays open off the rear alley on this level, and a two-car garage serves the main floor, four bays in all.

Throughout, smart-home systems handle security and whole-house entertainment, and a central vacuum runs the home. Outdoor living is the signature. The flagstone terrazza carries a heated pool and fountain, a built-in hot tub, a firepit, and an outdoor kitchen with a grill, a burner, a beverage chiller, and a pizza oven, all framed by three loggias, one of them screened.

A glass of wine on the terrace as the sun drops behind the foothills is the daily reward here. A walled courtyard gives the dogs a yard, and the HOA keeps the lawns. Montebello is gated and amenitized, with a clubhouse, pool, and racquet courts, and the Villaggio section is its most social address.

Furman University and the Swamp Rabbit Trail are close by, and award-winning downtown Greenville is roughly eight minutes away. Homes of this provenance do not come to market often.