Archive for 'Villas and Farmhouses'

Rental Date: Saturday 25th of September 2010.

Renter: David W. (Westwood, MA, United States).

Renter Rating: 5/5.

We rented this unit for ourselves and our nephew and niece who were traveling with us. We were looking for a comfortable space with adequate privacy, as well as convenience to local sites. This place was perfect.

First, the host and hostess, Luigi and Silvia, are delightful. They were friends by the end of our week. The farm is just two minutes from San Gimignano, and located conveniently for easy access to Volterra, Siena, Florence and beyond. The setting is great--vineyards and olive groves, a great patio, a pool (too cool to use while we were there, but lovely).
If you like cats the place is great, because there is a large family of kitties. They never got in the way.
Make sure you visit the wine shop in San Gimignano or Volterra that is run by Podere la Marronaia.

We will go back! Thank you.

Please visit Podere La Marronaia: Green for more details about this accommodation. Visit this page for other villas in San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy.

Rental Date: Saturday 18th of September 2010.

Renter: Dan F. (Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia).

Renter Rating: 5/5.

We recently stayed at Palazzo Rosadi (4 adults, 5 children) and found the property to be exactly as suggested by previous reviewers. It is a beautiful property, the grounds and views are stunning, and the Palazzo itself offers very good accommodation. The photographs on the internet give a sense of it but it is even better in reality. The bedrooms and bathrooms are excellent, and the kitchen has been recently updated. The welcome from Signor Rosadi was as described by others - extremely warm and helpful. We took up many of the local dining suggestions provided by Signor Rosadi - La Pieve Vecchia in Monterchi in particular was fantastic - and he was always happy to provide suggestions when venturing further afield, and help on other matters such as the logistics of purchasing a local SIM card. The children loved playing in the forest and by the pool (rescuing frogs from the swimming pool was a particular favourite). As it was late September it was a little too cold to enjoy the pool to the fullest, but we are already contemplating a return visit earlier in summer one year just to enjoy it. The villa was a little further from town than we expected - it is only a 5 minute drive but too far to walk - but Monterchi itself is a very pleasant little town. We arrived in time for the annual polenta festival which was a highlight. Monterchi is in the very far east of Tuscany, on the border of Umbria, so it took a little bit of time to get to some places in Tuscany (1.5hr drive to Siena, 30min drive to Arezzo and then 45min train to Florence, 1.5hrs to Montepulciano), but there is plenty to see and do in the immediate vicinity. Anghiari is a beautiful town 20mins away, and Sansepulcro (25mins) was a very handy spot for bigger supermarket shops and other services (gym, computer / electrical store). Gubbio in Umbria (1hr) was a favourite. Signor Marcello's supermarket in Monterchi was a delight - as suggested by Signor Rosadi we mentioned to Signor Marcello that we were staying at the Palazzo and were greeted with a very warm greeting and a complimentary glass of Signor Marcello's home produced wine at his little bar inside the supermarket. This villa really is worth visiting, it is spectacular and the owners are delightful - it will not disappoint. Dan F., Melbourne, Australia

Please visit Palazzo Rosadi for more details about this accommodation. Visit this page for other villas in Monterchi, Tuscany, Italy.

Rental Date: Saturday 25th of September 2010.

Renter: Robin S. (Milton Keynes, United Kingdom).

Renter Rating: 4/5.

We stayed for one week at Le Rondini (Pogetto di Montese).
The initial impression is quite stunning as the property has an amazing picture postcard view of San Gimignano. The actual property is very typical Tuscan - not luxurious by any means but quite comfortable. The living room area is detached from the bedroom/kitchen and we found this quite inconvenient so did not really use it that much. The shower room is a bit cramped and a bit dim (could do with some new lighting).The owners were very friendly and if you stay here earlier in the year you can take advantage of the vegetable garden.The overall impression is one of tranquility and we loved the location but would have preferred something a little more modern. It is situated quite some distance from the town of San Gimignano and so a car is essential.

Please visit Poggetto Di Montese for more details about this accommodation. Visit this page for other villas in San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy.

Rental Date: Saturday 2nd of October 2010.

Renter: David L. (Derby, England, United Kingdom).

Renter Rating: 4/5.

This property is one of two stylish barn conversions next to the owners house. It is simply but comfortably furnished for six people (except there was only seating in the lounge area for four). The building is cut into the hillside with the bedrooms downstairs. This no doubt keeps them nice and cool in summer, but when we were there they suffered from damp despite central heating. Castelnuovo has all amenities and is very central for the Garfanana region, but bear in mind the property is a quarter of a mile up a steep and narrow poorly surfaced lane, but by the same token has spectacular views of the mountaneous countryside around. We particularly liked the roofed terrace area at the rear of the property for sunbathing and al fresco meals. The log fire came in useful on cool October nights and Paulo kindly supplied logs for us.

Please visit Villa Il Nido for more details about this accommodation. Visit this page for other villas in Castelnuovo Di Garfagnana, Tuscany, Italy.

Rental Date: Friday 24th of September 2010.

Renter: Olleke P. (Heiloo, Netherlands).

Renter Rating: 5/5.

Great!!!

Please visit Villa Fabbroni: La Fattoria for more details about this accommodation. Visit this page for other villas in San Polo In Chianti, Tuscany, Italy.