I'm writing this to say a big thank you to the owners, Silvia and Luigi and to their family for making our stay so wonderful at this lovely podere.

Our apartments were very clean and welcoming. They are simply furnished in keeping with a rural working vineyard but each are very comfortable. There were absolutely no problems with plumbing and the shower in our yellow apartment was new.
Our family took over all three apartments. Each apartment has its own identity. It should be borne in mind that this is a working farm, it is deliberately simple but with enough modern conveniences, and for that reason it is charming and authentic, in true Tuscan style. There are farm cats and well-trained dogs (none of which bother guests, the occasional feline visitor will sneak in when a door is left open but is easily shooed out).

You are allowed to feel totally at home and the owners are always helpful and on hand if needed.

It is like living in a painting, the spectacular views both over the front (looking out across most of Tuscany) and to the rear down to the pool and across a lovely valley filled with vineyards.

Thank you once again. We will be back!

Useful Info:

We have walked the stretch to San Gimignano several times and can say with confidence it is a 35 minute walk to the San Matteo gate in the city wall at Via Francigena and 30 minutes back again , slightly downhill. It's a nice walk too. On the way don't miss the podere's winery, Sosta Alle Colonne just as you enter the town. It's a superb setting in another podere to try the excellent wine. Try the white, Visila, and the red, Intenso. Recommended.

If using a car town is 5 minutes away. Follow the road around the town wall following signs to any of the four car-parks, P1-P4. These vary in price. P1 is the cheapest. It is down a slight hill but there is a park and ride or a 5-7 minute walk to a town gate. One can drive into the old town but it is not for the faint-hearted as the streets are packed with visitors- there is no parking allowed there.

For shopping we drove 18 minutes to the PAM supermarket in Poggibonsi which is larger and has everything you need.

Superb restaurant- Cum Quibus
Walking tour of the town- Special Days Travel Agency (near Cum Quibus).

We had such high expectations about this place having spent a considerable amount of time researching properties in the area. We arrived at about 5pm to find that our flat was not ready. We had emailed in advance twice to ask about arrival time but received no response. Sadly, once having gained access, we felt very disappointed with the accommodation. We found it was grubby & in need of a good clean to get rid of the many cobwebs and the bird's nest in the bathroom. When I touched the shower head, the bracket fell off the wall, one of the side lamps was faulty and dangerous, the shower tray overflowed as it needed unblocking, the lead to the fridge was faulty resulting in it intermittently turning off. The cutlery and crockery was grubby and had to be washed - unfortunately by hand as when we used the dish washer, the crockery was just as dirty after the cycle had finished! Some of these issues were resolved when we complained, but we felt that we shouldn't have had these problems in the first place and it put a dampener on the start of our holiday. We appreciate that the property is old and rustic and in true Tuscan style, but there is no excuse for uncleanliness and we felt there was a general lack of care and basic maintenance. The property would greatly benefit from some attention to detail - a bit of a spruce up with some fresh paint, a deep clean & replacement of the sad and faded paintings on the wall


I will not dwell long on the cats except to say they were a permanent fixture & were constantly trying to gain entrance to our accommodation.


The flat would benefit from some sort of information book, usually found in rental properties, giving information on the accommodation, local amenities (location of supermarkets, parking in San Gimignano, recommended restaurants, doctors etc) & suggested places to visit in Tuscany.


On the positive side, the setting itself and the changing vista from dawn to dusk were wonderful, from misty mornings to spectacular sunsets. Each flat had tables & chairs in their allocated area to either sit and enjoy the day or to admire the view over a glass or two during the evening. However, we couldn't live outside 24/7! We made the best of things, but, to be honest, if we hadn't paid for the accommodation, we would have left & found somewhere else. It was such a huge disappointment.

We revisited Tuscany with friends having holidayed in the area 25 years ago.
We chose the accommodation carefully looking for two ensuite rooms and walking distance to SG
The accommodation is certainly not in walking distance to San Gim as suggested by the website.
When we arrived we quickly evaluated that both showers were broken the toilet in the downstairs bathroom didn't flush and the electricity supply to the fridge was faulty.
The owners did quickly rectify the issues, however the accommodation was not very clean and we had to ask for clean sheets and towels even though we paid for cleaning as part of the hire cost.
On the positive, whilst remote the grounds and pool were great, the perfect location to share evenings outside sipping wine and reminiscing with friends.
Not quite the Tuscan dream we imagined