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Customer Reviews

Overall:
Fabulous! Beautiful views, so many different places to take it all in. The Villa is centrally located for travel to Siena, Florence and of course Monteriggioni. The Villa has elegant furnishings. We had to address one of our companions as "Lady" beginning shortly after our arrival.
Enjoyed Most:
The many outdoor sitting areas to have morning coffee or evening wine and take in the view! We used it all, the pool area, the terrace, the tree-lined front garden and even the area just off the kitchen.
Enjoyed Least:
We would have liked a change of towels on cleaning days. We tried to wash them, but with no dryer and at first we couldn't find the drying rack, we had to resort to using the pool towels.
Surrounding Area:
I would recommend a visit to Monteriggioni. An incredible walled village with great vistas, shopping and restaurants.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Staggia Senese is the nearest town. The road leading to the Villa is not walker-friendly, although we saw many people running on the road.
Tips or Restaurants:
They apparently don't use wash clothes in Italy, so if you can't live without one, bring one along. Again, the restaurants in Monteriggionni are wonderful, the "steakhouse" in Staggia Senese is really good, although the night we ate there we were the only patrons (even at 11pm). YOU MUST HIRE A CHEF. Chef Mattisse fed us at the Villa on our first and last night, what an experience!
Directions:
We used a GPS, and along with the written directions, found the Villa with no problem.
Check In Out:
The owner was easy to work with, he let the Chef in because we hadn't arrived yet. He was eager for our stay to be wonderful, and it was!

Donna, June, 2012

Overall:
Wonderful location. Beautiful house and property. Extremely helpful owner and caretaker.
Enjoyed Most:
The 18th century house is a pleasure to inhabit. The location is perfect for access to cities and hill towns, not to mention fattorie and restaurants--you might mention a nearby restaurant, Vallechiara accross from Lilliano, 10 min. from Vianci. Wonderful setting and food, but not obvious.
Enjoyed Least:
The chemicals in the pool were a bit harsh.
Surrounding Area:
Wineries, wonderful hill towns, Castellina etc.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Staggia, excellent coffee bar and panificio--the restoration of the castle is also interesting.
Tips or Restaurants:
Yes, I'll mention again the restaurant Vallechiara which is located on a small lake in a gorgeous gorge of vineyards and olives. You have to take the white road opposite Lilliano. The food is more than traditional Tuscan and the people are wonderful. For our money, the best restaurant was Albergaccio in Castellina, though pricey.

Alan, July, 2008

Overall:
We thoroughly enjoyed the villa and our stay! We had a lot of people coming and going - and everyone really loved the villa.
Enjoyed Most:
The location. The caretakers on the 3rd floor were wonderful.
Enjoyed Least:
A few things didn't work, but we called the number you gave us, and people came right away to fix them.
Surrounding Area:
Central location for day trips.

Jane, July, 2007

Overall:
I will come back. It so easily became HOME for me, that I felt when I left that the next guests were intruders! Again, it was so much more than I imaged in every way.
Enjoyed Most:
EVERYTHING! The villa was more enchanting and scenic than I could have imagined. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. Each bedroom comfortably served our guests. The kitchen, though small and simple, was often filled with happy people and delectable smells. We had many meals on the spacious veranda. The pool area was also larger and so enjoyable. People used it in the AM and in the PM. The friendly caretakers provided an added delightful authentic experience. She watered all the plants daily, and he helped with the pool cleaning. The Italian people in the towns. Though it took several times to receive their hearty smiles and greetings, it was priceless when it happened. The LOCATION was excellent. 1 hour from Florence, 20 minutes from Siena, and in great proximity to so many gorgeous locations.
Enjoyed Least:
Nothing. Only two guests complained about the bedding and mattresses. Out of 22 guests. Though no one complained and we all came to live and love them, the roosters and chickens were noisy, sometimes night and day!
Surrounding Area:
The countryside, which was magnificently viewed from all windows as we are on top of a hill. I came to love the Tuscan countryside more and more. No pictures can do it justice. I shall attempt to show you our pictures! The food was always outstanding. I choose the more simple dishes, but all were made with such fresh ingredients. We all laughed about how we could never eat in an American Italian restaurant again.
Nearby Events or Locales:
I walked to Staggia each morning. It took less than an hour when I took the direct route, though I took longer as I stopped each morning in town at my favorite bar for my coke and sweet roll. By the time I left, the owner had offered me a job. I also walked the long way to town, entering Staggia from the back. That walk took 1 hour and 15 minutes, but the countryside was more peaceful and lovely. We could not enter the fort, built in the 1200's, but it was wonderful to see and walk around.
Tips or Restaurants:
The town had two great restaurants. We traveled everyday to some incredible town, where we never had a bad meal. We used a guide book at times, but most often we just stopped at any bar or restaurant when we were hungry. We hired a personal chef for one evening, and he recommended a town by the sea. It was almost 2 hours southwest, but worth the trip. It was a change from all the ancient walled cities.
Check In Out:
The villa was cleaned spotlessly.

Jane, June, 2007

Overall:
We loved staying at the villa. The pool was lovely, and the housekeeper extremely friendly.
Enjoyed Most:
It is a magnificent house, very beautiful and spacious enough to allow for privacy even with a large number of people.
Enjoyed Least:
The kitchen is small and poorly equipped. For example, there were only six wine glasses for a house that sleeps ten people. There was no radio, no telephone, no CD player or method of listening to music.
Surrounding Area:
The surrounding area is spectacularly beautiful, and the location of the house allows for easy day trips to nearby towns and villages. We went to Florence, Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, and the Chianti villages, among other places.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Staggia and Castellina Scala are the nearest towns and are about equidistant---not really within walking distance, but an extremely short drive, for groceries or coffee.
Tips or Restaurants:
The closet good restaurants, and also the best gelato that we found were in Castellina in Chianti. As there is no house phone, an international cell phone is a good idea. A small radio or CD player would be nice too.

Andrea, June, 2005

Overall:
The villa is heaven. It was a lovely and gracious home that exceeded our expectations. I was amused at how much of a home it became for the eight of us even though it is so grand and none of us ordinarily inhabits a villa! It was large enough so that we all had a sense of our own space. Since we were there in October, we did not use the pool, but it is a lovely part of the grounds.
Enjoyed Most:
I liked the view from my bedroom the most. I felt like I was in a Merchant Ivory film. Also, the bed linens were very nice.
Events or Locales:
All of us really liked Volterra. The villa is close to Siena, and I highly recommend several trips there and San Gimignano as well.
Tips or Restaurants:
One of the top 10 restaurants in Italy is in nearby Colle, and is called Arnolfo (or close to it). That was a wonderful place, and an absolute treat. I was not too crazy about the restaurants. We enjoyed cooking at home. Bring an Italian cookbook and shop at the nearby Coop for ingredients.

October, 2003