A chance to sample Italian village life

by Kathy, U.K.

Originally published on Slow Travel

###Location

Casina di Rosa is in a lovely ancient hilltop village, Civitella. It is nestled into a hillside of houses, providing privacy at the same time as involvement in the village. There are beautiful views from many different vantage points in the village. It is delightfully untouristy, and so it provides a chance to sample Italian village life as it is now and perhaps has been for a long time.

###Nearby Amenities

We decided to do all our shopping in the village. Two lovely old fashioned bakeries and the village shop provided everything we needed, and there was a great ‘deli’ at the bottom of the hill, and the market on Wednesday, and the fish van on Thursday for treats (and a butcher’s if you eat meat). The general store near the butcher’s where bus tickets are sold was very helpful. The two very simple bars in the village were great for coffee or a drink.

###The House/Apartment

The house has nice living space for two people, with windows in each room and sunshine and views too. It was easy to use and live in.

###Garden

The tiny patio outside the front door (and at the top of a run of steps) had two chairs and a small coffee table and was fun to use for a snack or a drink. The jasmine smelled sweet and the passers by, on their way to the shops, were fun to watch.

###Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The house was very clean, well organised and welcoming, upon our arrival. The furniture was comfortable and ample.

###Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The bedroom had a good sized double bed, which was comfortable; there was good quality bed linen; and the dresser and the armoire, bedside tables and lighting made the room functional as well as pleasant. The bathroom had a window, a shower, and even a hair dryer. For a small house it was a nice bathroom.

###Kitchen

The table in the kitchen is in front of the window which looks out to the Tuscan hills (in the distance) – it is ideal for an evening meal. The gas stove was perfect for our cooking, and we found everything we needed in the kitchen was provided.

###Problems or Bonuses

We used public transport for the first half of our week, and enjoyed the experience. We arrived on the first day by bus from Grosseto, and we had two day trips to Siena on the bus, which worked perfectly.

The house has a wonderful set of guides to the region, so you don’t have to buy your own, and instead can spend time perusing the (18) guidebooks provided while you are there.

The village is a rural one with outlying farms on the periphery. Apart from occasional dogs barking at night, it was extremely quiet almost all of the time, and always by 9:30 at night.

###Agency and Representatives (and price)

The owners have an excellent website with much detailed information, all of which proved to be completely accurate. The owners were very helpful, collecting us from the bus stop and taking us to the house to show us around on the day we arrived. The owners’ apparent good relations with various shopkeepers in the village helped to make us feel that the villagers welcomed us.

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

We would recommend the house, especially to anyone wanting a taste of Italian rural village life without the tourist effect. It was all quite charming and memorable.

###Things to do in this area

There are so many things to do which are close by. The website details local sites; and the owners recommend local restaurants and amenities. The experience of being in the region, the village, and the house is worthy of a visit.