| Date | Rating | Comment
[Guest Comments: 5 positive, 0 negative]
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| 10/20/09 |
Positive
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| Il Poggiolo was everything you think Tuscany to be. From the views, informative hostess and wonderful accomodations made the holiday unforgetable. We stayed for a week at the clean and well equipped villa. We did day trips by car and train. Everything was convienent and accessesible. Sara was very informative and gave us alot of information of the area. We would recommend this accomadation for a Tuscany experience. Thanks Sara and family. |
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Allan and Sharon Kelly, Sherwood Park Alberta
780-464-3637 |
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Homeowner Response:
You certainly managed to "do" Tuscany when you were here, and you lucked out in terms of weather, so your travel stars must have been right!
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| 09/28/09 |
Positive
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Absolutely beautiful, a magical place, a rare experience. It is very quiet and romantic. We traveled with three kids- ages fourteen, nine, and five- and everyone was very happy and ready to go back to Il Poggiolo any time.
Sara’s house is beautiful, charming and very cozy. It is like a scene from a movie “Under the Tuscan Sun’. Our children loved the house and surroundings. For our little girl it was a perfect place for imaginary play, for the older one a peaceful and serene environment for reading and relaxing, and for our son-the nature and animal lover- it was a perfect place to explore. The house is located within a decent distance to Siena, Pisa and Florence. It is about an hour and a half from one of the beaches we visited.
Our kids didn’t want to eat out they begged us to cook and eat dinner in the house (not typical for them, they always love to go out to eat when we home in NJ).
Sara is very helpful, attentive, a very nice woman. She greeted us with a welcome basket and a smile. She made sure we had everything we needed during our stay. She had books for kids and adults, maps of Italy and attractions, dictionaries, toys, board games, and a fully equipped kitchen. Our stay was pleasurable, educational and relaxing. Thank you, Sara!
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Julia and Henry, New Jersey |
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Homeowner Response:
You were wonderful guests, and the children a delight. I am so glad the little lizards let themselves be caught, and the hibiscus flowers were out in full bloom for your stay. Now we just have to figure out how to transport the Montevarchi gelateria to New Jersey...
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| 09/28/09 |
Positive
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| We spent a week in Fienile and truly fell in love with Tuscany. The accomodations were very clean, modern, and spacious for 4 people. There were rooms we didn't even use. We did cook a lot and admired how well equipped the kitchen was. It was great having Sara next door. All of our questions were answered, drawing from her vast knowledge of the area. Our privacy was always respected. The location of the villa was excellent. We did many day trips and particularly enjoyed the smaller midieval villages. We will always remember and treasure our sun filled days in Tuscany. |
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Jill and Gary Hill, Edmonton, Alberta
780-908-4001 |
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Homeowner Response:
It was a joy to have you as next-door neighbours. Your appreciation of the smaller treasures in addition to the usual art centers was wonderful. Thank you for the kind words!! Sara
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| 04/26/09 |
Positive
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Dave and I and my sister and her husband spent a fantastic week here and Sara was such a wonderful hostess. The bedrooms are spacious and very cozy. This place was just what we wanted. Peace and quite, with the sound of the distant trains at night, rolling through the valley below. THE WHOLE EXPERICNCE WAS ROMANTIC!!
We think back to our stay and every so often write Sara with questions and to just say hello.
The drive thru the farms and gardens to eventually reach the house was beautiful and so italian. Off the beaten track, away from the crowds. The kitchen was divine and we cooked and cooked and cooked. One night we were told to go to San Gusme for a special evening, and it was pure magic. We would have never discovered it if it was not for Sara and her lovely daughter's recommendation. From here, we easily drove to the most wonderful villages and vineyards.
We speak of our time here often and hope to return one day soon. Ciao!
S.Tuzzolino and family. |
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Tuzzolino Family, Seattle |
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Homeowner Response:
You were a great group to have, full of energy and ready to try everything. Even your enthusiasm about the local Coop supermarket was heart-warming (admittedly, it is a very good little market). Do come back and go again to the thermal baths, and have dinner at San Giusmé! Sara & Kyra & Allen
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| 07/23/08 |
Positive
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Wonderful Stay!
To say our stay at the Il Poggiolo Fienile was great
is an understatement. Considering that Marie
sprained her ankle badly before we even got to the
place, we thought we were about to experience a
boring staying-in vacation. But Sara was so nice
and helped us arranged everything we needed for a
comfortable and eventful stay (i.e. hospital visit,
wheel chair, pain pills, and boxes full of movies).
They really went above and beyond what's usually
expected.
The house itself was immaculate, and everything
was so new. we stayed in for the first two days and
found everything we needed (and loads more we
could've used if we were more skilled in the
kitchen).
Sara suggested many great places to visit (the Uffizi
in Florence, San Giovanni, Asiano) all were very
wheel chair friendly. Without her, we couldn't have
had as good of a vacation as we had.
We will definitely go back as there are still so many
things to see. The Piggiolo was very convenient to
every place we wanted to go as Montevarchi is very
central to florence, siena, and all the towns in
Chianti. We are looking forward to many more
relaxing, romatic vacations there in Tuscany.
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Anonymous
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Homeowner Response:
You two were troopers and it was your intrepid spirit as much as wheelchair-friendly itineraries that made your trip. Hope to see you some time in the future .... and for your sake without the crutches !!
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| 09/23/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
My stay in the Casa Colonica at Il Poggiolo
Bucolic, comfortable, elegant. No better words to describe this place than as a little bit of heaven nestled in the Tuscan hills. A great location, equidistant from Siena and Florence, and within easy reach of lovely little historic towns to explore. It is a short drive to the market and to the train so you don’t have to deal with the traffic in Florence.
Il Poggiolo is a welcome respite after a long day of urban sightseeing, a place to refresh, restore, and relax. If you travel with kids, as I did, it is a great place to let the kids unwind for a day in between sightseeing trips. Just out the front door are miles of charming country walks, past vineyards, olive groves, fields of sunflowers, quaint stone farmhouses, and villas framed by cypress tree on hilltops, watched over by mediaeval towers on even higher hilltops.
Fabulous food is found at local markets. Make your day’s picnic with fresh focaccia bread still warm from the baker’s oven, juicy ripe tomatoes picked that very morning, mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk, boar-meat salami, a basket of wild strawberries, and a bottle of local wine that is not sold outside of the valley……Nirvana.
Il Poggiolo is a magical place for both kids and adults. Rain or shine as you look out over the beautiful hills you see a landscape that is the same as those painted in Renaissance paintings. On quiet summer days you can hear the sheep bells from across the valley.
The owners are very pleasant and helpful when you need them, and respect your privacy when you don’t. They provide a basket of guidebooks and maps for you to look over and borrow during your stay. They are available if you need a personal recommendation for a local restaurant or a sightseeing idea….or a bit of disinfectant and a band-aid.
The Casa Colonica, where I stayed with my family, is a lovely part of an old Villa: it is beautifully decorated, the beds are most comfortable, the kitchen well outfitted. I also saw the Fienile, which can accommodate more people and is quite elegant. Both the Villa and the Fienile are listed as historic buildings.
I have been coming to Tuscany for years, and thus can assert with the wisdom of long experience that Il Poggiolo is an amazing, magical place, unrivalled for the quality and size of the accommodations, amenities, and location.
In fact, Il Poggiolo is Tuscany’s best kept secret.
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Parker Storms and family
USA
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| 01/06/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
As we leave Tuscany we want to share some of our memories and impressions with others who might visit Il Poggiolo. Imagine a commodious half of very large casa colonica that welcomes you with flowers, the makings of a meal and a spacious kitchen as fully equipped as any North American home. But there is a big difference that constantly reminds you that you are in the hills of Tuscany. This lightsome house is filled with the richness of antiques against a background of arched windows and doors upstairs and down, all of which have views of treed hills, vineyards, olive groves and winding tiny roads. If you are on a writing mission your computer and other necessities are equally at home. If you are touring, you are within easy distance of endless sites of interest. Imagine that this house is up a country road and that it is surrounded by cypress trees and other beautiful vegetation through which you can see other colonicas spotted here and there across the hills. All this privacy and the vistas collaborate to create a quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of the nearby tourist magnets such as Florence, Siena, Arezzo, Lucca and Pisa.
The two very knowledgeable owners of Il Poggiolo will point you in the direction of nearby villages - Montevarchi, San Giovanni, Bucine, Torre - all of which offer little-known beauty and most of which offer Italian staples and luxuries. If you are willing to travel a bit further there are half-day adventures to beautiful areas like the Vallombrosa, which is a forest, topped by a beautiful monastery. Loro Ciuffenna is a small medieval town built on a ravine with cascading water rushing through it. In the central piazza you can sit with a coffee and eat some of the best gelato in the world while listening to the many sounds of the river. [...] A brief talk with the owners (both professional historians) will acquaint you with special itineraries, such as the route that connects seven Romanesque churches.
After all this feasting on painting and architecture you then return to the wonderful house and its mixture of night sounds such as the hooting of owls, the singing of nightingales. Each morning the wonderful light of Tuscany is announced by a distant rooster's praise of dawn. And all this doesn't even constitute half of the area’s treats. Don't just imagine Il Poggiolo. Experience it, as our family has [as guests] over a period of 15 years. It has become a special place for all of us and remains in our minds as we go on about our University chores. We hope that you find it as special as we have.
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Profs Diane and Ron Reichertz
Montreal, Canada
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