Typical Tuscany!

by Loudens, New Zealand

Originally published on Slow Travel

###Location

Casina di Rosa is in a perfect location. It is in a small peaceful village, Civitella Marittima, on the top of a hill. The streets are narrow and steep, the views are magnificent – typical Tuscany!

###Nearby Amenities

In the village there is a small general grocery store, butcher, bakers, an ATM, tobacconist, two bars/cafes and a fantastic restaurant – La Locanda nel Cassero, where the service, food and price were perfect!

There is easy walking access to buses.

There are two supermarkets and other stores at a town that is about 10 minutes drive away.

###The House/Apartment

The villa is an old stone house. It is small, but was perfect for the two of us. It is in great condition. It has a fully equipped kitchen, a delightful bedroom, a lounge with two couches and heaps of useful books on the region.

The bathroom had recently been refurbished and was in great condition. And there is a washing machine in the laundry!

All the rooms had fantastic typical Tuscan views.

The photos on the website definitely matched the real thing!

###Garden

The outside area isn’t large … a porch at the front door and steps leading to the narrow road front. It was great to sit out on the front steps or on the deck chairs, drinking the red wine hosts Gloria and Marcel had left for us, watching Italian village life go by. It was perfect.

###Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

All the furniture was in perfect condition. Everything was clean and tidy. It all felt so homely.

###Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The bedroom was delightful and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was in great condition … clean and everything worked like it was supposed to!

###Kitchen

The kitchen was great … in fact a lot of the kitchen utensils looked brand new! Once we had stocked up on groceries we were able to cook full meals. The kitchen is also equipped with some basics, (i.e., oil, salt and pepper etc.). The pasta and sauce left by Gloria and Marcel were delicious.

###Problems or Bonuses

Surprises – good – the gift basket left on the kitchen table – red wine, pasta and sauce – and chocolates in the lounge. The information left by Gloria and Marcel was incredibly thorough and helpful … a map of the village, restaurant information, bus details, information about local attractions.

Surprises – bad – not knowing (or forgetting) that the Saturday that we arrived was a public holiday and that shops were closed on Sundays but never mind – we ate at La Locanda nel Cassero and ate the pasta and sauce Gloria left us and with Gloria’s help we managed to get some milk for coffees.

###Agency and Representatives (and price)

Gloria and Marcel are fantastic to deal with!! Gloria speaks English, and a few other languages, and was incredibly polite and prompt replying to my emails.

By the time we finally met, I felt like we were long lost friends. When we arrived they met us at the village and took us up to the house, showed us around and made sure we were able to contact them in case we needed anything during our stay.

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

Yes – we would stay here again and yes, I would recommend it to others. The only thing to bear in mind is that you have to hire a car to get there and get out and about.

Driving on Italian roads is an adventure all on its own!

###Things to do in this area

Things to do … oh my goodness where do we start?

Our favourites were a town called Grosseto – a beautiful town well away from the tourist rat race. The beach is also beautiful and well worth a visit! We loved San Galgano – a roofless abbey. Tourist books say its a long way out, but from the village it is a beautiful easy drive. Bagni di Petriolo is also a great place (we went there twice) – it’s a natural hot spring that has lots of pools all different temperatures. The scenery is gorgeous!

Of course, you can also drive to Siena and San Gimignano. We took the bus to Florence so we didn’t have to worry about parking (smart move!) It pays to book tickets in advance for the major attractions in Florence, or wait for hours to get in, or not bother.

We also visited Monteriggioni – a medieval hilltop town – Massa Marittima and Montemassi.

There is so much more to do there – we could have spent another week there quite easily.