Pleasant views and a small sunny courtyard

by Devon and Anne, New Zealand

Originally published on Slow Travel

###Location

Casina di Rosa is located in one of the many delightful hilltop towns that decorate the hills of Southern Tuscany. The apartment is in a quiet location with pleasant views and a small sunny courtyard. Civatelli Maritima is easily accessed from Highway S223 which joins Grosseto to Siena.

###Nearby Amenities

The village contains a number of shops for supplies such as meat and bread and two supermarkets are nearby at Paginico six kilometers towards Grosseto. In the village there is an excellent restaurant and the surrounding villages and towns contain many more.

###The House/Apartment

The apartment, which adjoins only one other premise, was built by the owners Grandfather and is totally in the style of the village where the family has lived for many years.

###Garden

The small courtyard is very private and a wonderful sunny place to eat breakfast and watch the comings and goings of village life.

###Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

All facilities in the apartment were comfortable and clean. Everything you need for an extended stay is provided and the extra touches of fresh flowers, wine, pasta and chocolates reflect the owners attention to detail.

###Bedrooms/Bathrooms

One room has a double bed, which is very comfortable. The lounge has a sofa bed, which we did not use. The bathroom is modern and well equipped.

###Kitchen

We ate in on many evenings and enjoyed putting our recently acquired Italian cooking skills to tentative use. The kitchen area is compact but perfectly suited to the task.

###Problems or Bonuses

Make sure the damper in the chimney is open before you light the fire! We produced a lot of smoke but little heat until that trick was uncovered.

Gloria and Marcel could not have been more helpful including becoming heavily involved in the secret preparations for Devon’s birthday. For a great night out ask Gloria about the spa facilities and restaurant at nearby Santa Maria.

###Agency and Representatives (and price)

Our hosts were wonderful and arranged a rendezvous from where we were escorted to the apartment. Both speak great English (well one is Canadian)! and have a wealth of knowledge about the area. We look forward to their company again.

###Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

We stayed for two weeks and had a good look around so may not stay here again but we would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a well priced, comfortable base in Southern Tuscany. We explored from Siena to Lucca in the North, across to Cortona and down to Orbetello in day trips with great ease.

###Things to do in this area

Be sure to go to the restaurant in the village and to Santa Maria if you have time. A half day cooking lesson and meal was a special delight.