This romantic Italian villa is perched on a limestone cliff overlooking the Pedernales river approximately 1 mile off highway 71 in the exclusive gated Rivercliff neighborhood immediately adjacent to the Austin Golf Club.  Rivercliff is located approximately 15 minutes from shopping, dining and movies at the Bee Caves Galleria and 20 minutes from Marble Falls in Spicewood, Texas.  Rivercliff is a fantastic, peaceful, and private neighborhood with quick access to Austin work and nightlife.  

This stunning 6.91-acre property has its own private gate within the gated community which leads to The Villa - nestled at the end of a winding drive of crushed granite, set on top of a chip and seal drive outlined with limestone blocks, over 700' from the front gate!  The surrounding acreage is lush with wildflowers and trimmed Live Oaks providing privacy and an intimate setting for entertaining or family activities.  

The modern, 4,307 Square foot Italian style villa with rustic limestone exterior and barrel tile roof features 5 spacious bedrooms with 4 full bathrooms and 1 half-bath (several of the bathrooms display beautifully carved petrified wood sinks that are more than 60 million years old).

Custom upgrades abound - magnificent pecan, white oak and tile flooring throughout the home provide a beautiful canvas for your furniture; exposed reclaimed solid wood beams adorn ceilings in selected bedrooms, hallways, living areas, kitchen, and porch;  curated light fixtures provide the perfect accents for every room; and solid pecan wood doors provide easy access throughout the home.  The main living area boasts arched stone walls; in floor, strategically placed electrical outlets; majestic, stone, wood burning fireplace with gas starter; and sliding doors that reveal a large, covered screened porch with an additional fireplace and 4 high speed, oscillating ceiling fans.  The porch screens are motorized and programmed to automatically close in the event of high winds.  The porch features a new high-end 48" Heston grill / rotisserie, lighted vent hood, sink and prep area for cook outs with friends and family.

The back of the house is orientated Northeast providing a magnificent view of Texas sunsets.  Gourmet, kitchen with stunning countertops, large island, stone backsplash, gas Thermador range, double ovens, lighted vent hood, paneled Kitchen Aid refrigerator and built-in microwave opens into the main living and dining areas. 

Spectacular dining room just off the kitchen with floor to ceiling windows overlooks the gorgeous, negative edge pool that appears to plummet into a peaceful pond. The dining room also features a 1000 pound petrified tree table base with a glass tabletop set under a barreled brick ceiling.  Sliding glass doors from either main living or dining area leads to the pool deck for entertainment access. 

Flooded with light, the owner’s suite presents a spectacular view of the surrounding hill country through the large picture windows. Cozy gas fireplace, and exposed reclaimed solid wood beams add to the ambiance. It’s possible to sleep under the stars while still enjoying privacy when the shades are open. Spacious, pecan paneled primary closet features 3 rows of clothing storage with pull downs for quick access.

In the luxurious, ensuite primary bathroom, enjoy a double slipper copper tub in the cool of the evening while the sun is setting as you take in the view from the picture windows. Separate shower features its own picture window, hand wand and frameless glass door.  Primary bathroom commode with integrated Toto bidet (the 5th office/bedroom bathroom also has electrical wiring for an additional toilet lid bidet).

Guests on the 2nd floor can enjoy the secondary owner’s suite with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.  One of the main floor guest rooms features ADA railings for the commode and shower.  The second main floor guest room doubles as a perfect office with a built-in murphy bed for quick reconfiguration.  Both downstairs guest bedrooms have private baths with shower stalls featuring frameless glass doors.  The half bath has an additional door for access from the pool area next to the separate heated spa.  Whole-house lighting system can be programmed to meet your lifestyle and is part of the Control4 system providing control of lighting, shades, porch screens, front doorbell, and temperature from anywhere in the world via your phone.

For the young at heart - this property is an adventure waiting to be explored.  Plenty of room on your acreage for outdoor sports activities, gardening or possibly even your own vineyard! A fenced vegetable garden has eight separate raised beds allowing you to avoid cross pollinating plants and has consistently yielded a bountiful harvest of carrots, peppers, beans, herbs, potatoes, celery, tomatoes, etc.  The multi-zoned automatic sprinkler system keeps the garden and landscape vegetation around the villa lush.  Several fruit trees provide an abundance of seasonal peaches and figs.

Two large beehives reside on the edge of the property to help pollinate the garden and typically provide 10+ gallons of honey per year (note that an optional turnkey beekeeping service is available to make this effortless).  Landscape lighting provides beautiful nighttime scenes and automatically illuminates this scenic villa.

This property features one of the most unusual and spectacular backyards in the state of Texas.  Venture from the villa down a stone stairwell nestled in between a tight boulder canyon that takes you down to a private grotto.  Cool off on a hot summer day in the stone spa at the grotto base while mist from a 20' plunging waterfall fills the air.  The sound of water falling intoxicates the senses. Imagine being surrounded by the sounds of nature from the lush forest in this private enclave.  Follow the pathway from the spa through the woods to your private concrete road that leads down to the Pedernales River at the base of ancient river cliffs covered in lush forest. Dramatic landscape lighting extends use of the acreage surrounding the villa and grotto throughout the night.

Store your boat year around in your own private covered boat house keeping the boat out of water with the electric lift.  When the lake levels are up, you can take a boat ride and quickly find your way into lake Travis to dine at any number of the lakeside restaurants before heading home after a day of water sports and fun or simply sit on the boat house dock and enjoy the sound of water lapping the shoreline.

The home is optionally fed by a 40,000-gallon rainwater tank collected from the roof or well water system.  Frankly, once you live with rainwater, you will never go back to the city or well water! The property's electricity is supplemented with a 51-panel solar system mounted on a 30' x 60' metal shed roof large enough to store RV's, boats, and lawn/recreational equipment.  The solar panels feed power back into the grid providing a monthly credit towards the power bill.  LED lighting throughout the house helps conserve energy. The garage is equipped with a Telsa charging station and the solar shed has a separate 220v connection to power an RV.  The house employs an aerobic septic system with spray heads that help irrigate the acreage.  

The home was built in 2011 and employs 2x6" construction with foam insulation on a rebar slab foundation.  The three-zone geothermal HVAC system keeps the home at the desired temperature.  The air-conditioned garage has double Carrier split AC ceiling mounted heat pumps keeping this four-car garage/shop area cool in the summer and warm in the winter and features 1/2" commercial sealed flooring providing a cushioned walk which is ideal for a home gym, shop or cars with five 110v 20-amp outlets and five 220v outlets to support the garage shop of your dreams.

Five of the latest LG LED and OLED TVs are mounted in the master bedroom, living room, outdoor porch, two guest rooms and the garage for entertainment.  Spectrum internet, AT&T cable, and Direct TV keep you connected to the world.  Flush mounted speakers in the main living room, dining room, kitchen, primary bedroom and bath, porch and pool area may be complemented with freestanding Sonos players to provide background music for parties and daily enjoyment.  Double pane wood windows provide wonderful natural lighting while automated Luton shades automatically help regulate temperatures throughout the day.