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Good Morning In Italy:

I wanted to thank you on behalf of myself and my new wife for a fantastic trip!

Every place we stayed was amazing. One of our favorites was Villa Il Tesoro at the end.

The villa and staff were by far the friendliest and most accommodating we have ever experienced!

The small town of Montaione was incredible as well. The people at Palazzo Mannaioni and the restaurant were memorable... The food at the restaurant was the BEST Italian food, and a must is to have Tirmisu after dinner...

Thank you again for all your help. You and your staff made this honeymoon the most romantic experience any new couple could dream of!!

Tante Grazie
Jeffrey S.

PS. although the trip was amazing my spelling of these Italian words never improved....

Hello!

I have been meaning to write and tell you how happy we were with the two hotels we booked through your site, and the car rental as well.

My husband and I traveled to Italy in September. After five glorious days in Venice, we picked up the rental car and drove to Tuscany. We stayed at Palazzo Mannaioni. Our room was beautiful, the staff was helpful and the restaurant was superb. We ate there two of the three nights of our stay. The breakfasts were also wonderful. We drove through the beautiful hills to several towns and enjoyed everything about Tuscany!

We then traveled on to Spoleto where we stayed at Palazzo Dragoni. Again, our experience was wonderful. The view from our room was breathtaking!  More great breakfasts, and a staff that went above and beyond!  Our plan was to drop off the rental car and take the train to Rome. To our chagrin, we learned that the rental office was nowhere near the train station, in an industrial part of the town. No problem!  said our host as he picked up the phone, arranged for the rental company to pick up the car at the hotel (for a modest cost we were happy to pay, ) and he then arranged for a cab to pick us up and take us to the train station!

While Palazzo Dragoni did not have a restaurant, Spoleto has so many wonderful restaurants!  We thoroughly enjoyed exploring Umbria!

My only regret is that we found your website after I had booked hotels in Venice and Rome! Since we love Italy passionately, we are planning another trip for next September/October. This time we would like to go to the south -- Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi coast, Sicily.

Thanks so much!
Karen M.

Dear In Italy,

We just returned from an amazing trip to Italy and Greece. My husband arranged the Greece part and I handled Italy with heavy reliance on your website for booking car, rail and hotel. The clincher was, while still in the planning stages, I was consulting with a friend who had just returned from Florence. She could not say enough wonderful things about their guide Elisabetta. With confidence, I moved forward, using InItaly as a resource. While our trip had many highlights, we fell in love with Tuscany and enjoyed our stay at the Palazzo Mannaioni...wonderful staff, comfortable room, charming town with great local restaurants. Your directions to Montaione were better than anything I printed off MapQuest. Once we checked in, we were provided with a good local map that got us around easily. Can't wait to go back and meanwhile, will sing your praises to anyone who is planning a trip to Italy!!

Geoff and Julie K.

Dear Initaly,

Our trip to Tuscany was great. We thoroughly enjoyed Palazzo Mannaioni – their rooms, staff, and location – all were great. It was a great location from which to see most other aspects/towns in Tuscany. I am highly recommending them to friends of mine who are planning similar trips.

Again, thanks again for a wonderful vacation.

Hi,

We returned safely home and had a wonderful time. I planned this trip for 11 people, with your help and suggestions, and everyone loved it. It could have not been better. All the accommodations were wonderful and comfortable. The people could not have been more friendly or helpful.

We flew into Rome, rented 3 cars and drove 3 1/2 hours to the Palazzo Mannaioni. It was a little challenging driving, but was well worth it to have a car. The town is very small, but quaint. The restaurants were very good. The restaurant in the Hotel was under renovation, so they sent us to a couple in town, you could walk to. The weather was quite mild, and they have air conditioning, but not like ours. The pool was very nice, and was supposed to be heated, but it was a little cool. We went to Pisa, which is a challenge to find your way out of town. We had 3 maps, all with different towns on them, but we managed. We got lost and laughed a lot. The wine and olive oil are not to be missed. The food everywhere was great. We went to see our relatives in Sassalbo, which is near Massa Carrara.

It was a wonderful trip, and we hope to do it again in a couple years. Thanks for your help and suggestions.

Sandy

Hello Julie,

I want to thank you for your wonderful web site. I am very grateful to have found you. This was our first trip to Italy and your site made our experience so easy and wonderful. We booked the Castello in Venice which turned out to be much more than we expected. The location was very good and Nicola and Martina were more than helpful in every way. Palazzo Mannaioni was absolutely beautiful in Montaione. Everyone we encountered were gracious and accommodating in every way.

I thank you again for being so efficient, every hotel had our reservation and we did not have any problems with our whole itinerary. This was the most wonderful vacation, and I have been telling everyone I know about your web site and all the information you have included which makes booking a trip to Italy very easy.

Until our next vacation, Ciao!
Judy R.

Dear In Italy,

Once we found it we loved it. It was a very charming environment to stay in. Driving out of Florence was a nightmare but once we got on the FiLiPi autostrada we were OK. The room we were in was very nice and quite big. The village is so quaint and picturesque. Exactly as I pictured it to be. Also there were some real nice restaurants inside the walls. La Piccola Osteria was nice, food was good and dining is an all night affair. Also outside the walls is a little pizzeria called Erasmus. It is a small little Mom & Pop operation but the food was excellent. Pasta sooo good, Pizza excellent, delicious little breads baked with salt and olive oil drizzled along the top. Lots of the townfolk go in there for takeouts and for Pizza. Another restaurant outside the walls within the town called Carpe Diem. A little more upscale in terms of menu. They served very authentic northern Italian cuisine. The food was 4 stars including the service. The Montaione location is good for traveling to the hill towns San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena but traveling to Florence required a little more time. We had to drive to a little town called Castelfiorentino and then took a train into Florence. The train ride took around 40-50 minutes. If your focus is on spending more time in Florence, then I suggest a place a little closer to Florence would be the way to go. The breakfasts at Palazzo Mannaioni were generous and the staff, Marta, Daniela and others were very nice. We spent 6 nights there and became very accustomed to the lovely village and the surrounding town. I hated to leave there plus after six days there, the sun finally peeked through!

So Julie, thank you for all of the information you provided us with to enable us to enjoy our trip to Italy. The contact information, having the phone numbers was a great help for calling to confirm our res'. Info on the surrounding areas, what to look for, where to eat, where to catch a train, directions, suggestions for Museums and sights to see could not have been better. In Italy is the place to go to when planning a trip to Italy. I will definitely book through In Italy when we return there and I wish we were going back tomorrow. We should have booked all of our accommodations through your web site.

Thank you again In Italy Online!
Rich & Lorraine W.

Hi, Julie:

Palazzo Mannaioni in Montaione was great. It worked really well for what we wanted to do. It was close to the other sights we wanted to see like San Gimigniano and Siena, and a pretty quick drive to and from Florence. Montaione was a lovely little town--not much there but what was there was adequate. We found a wonderful osteria, a pizza/pasta joint, and an irish pub all within a block or so from the hotel--very convenient when we came back from driving around unfamiliar roads of Tuscany all day and wanted to stay close to "home" after dark. The hotel restaurant was also very good--comparable to any highly rated restaurant anywhere else. Our room was lovely--good size, warm, cozy and comfortable with the wood beams and dark furniture. It had all the amenities we needed, including a shoeshine machine right by the elevators. The view was lovely from our room even though we only had one small window. (You did see the parking lot below, but who cared when you saw hills and valleys unlike anything you've ever seen before just by looking a little higher up!) There was a good-sized pool with a nice little bar outside. Service was very friendly and accommodating even with a very small staff. Buffet breakfast (included) offered good selection of hot and cold items. Loading and unloading baggage was rather inconvenient if you didn't want to pay $15.00/day for underground parking. But the staff did try their best to make things easier for us, so we didn't mind the extra time/effort it took to get our luggage to the room from the car.

It's a small European hotel with a small staff, but that was part of the charm. It wasn't luxurious, but it was very clean, nicely furnished, well maintained and they made every effort to make us feel comfortable during our stay. Overall, it was a very nice hotel, and we would not hesitate to stay there again or recommend it to friends. We had a wonderful stay at the Palazzo!

Lorna & Joe R.

Ciao

We had a wonderful time in Italy....everywhere. Palazzo Mannaioni was very nice and a cute little town. The dinner at the Palazzo was wonderful. The countryside was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. Taking the road to Volterra and San Gimignano was definitely a highlight. We also traveled in Umbria and liked that very much also.

I hope we will be going back in the near future and will give you a call. Thank you for the Palazzo Mannaioni.

Sincerely,
Susan & David M.

Dear In Italy,

The Palazzo Mannaioni was superb. The hotel is a treasure and not terribly difficult to find if you come via San Gimigiano. There are always signs to help. We arrived and they immediately came out, took the car and parked it and carried the bags to the rooms which were charming and beautifully furnished. One was a bit larger and complete with authentic beamed ceiling. We celebrated my son's 16th birthday in their restaurant and were quite impressed with the food and service. The town is definitely untouristy, which we loved, and the fact that the hotel has a fabulous pool (with bar service) makes it a real gem after walking the streets of Florence or Lucca all day! We found a restaurant in town, the Carpe Diem, which was wonderful and had gorgeous views. We were sorry to leave.

Ciao,
Michael R.

Hi,

Just a quick note, now that we are finally facing "reality" back from Tuscany. Thank you so much for making our accommodations work so smoothly for us!

The PALAZZO MANNAIONI was more than we hoped for. As soon as we arrived and saw our room and the beautiful town, we asked if we could extend our stay! We were graciously accommodated. The hotel was wonderful, the management and all employees were gracious, friendly and very helpful and the food was superb.

I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to experience Tuscany at its finest. Again, thank you. We know we will use this website again-when we next visit Italy.

Sincerely,
Sandi W.

Dear Julie and the entire Initaly staff:

I just returned from a grand trip to Italy. It was absolutely fabulous! My travels began in Sorrento, with day trips to Capri, Pompeii, Positano and Amalfi. We then continued to the Tuscany region. From there we continued up to Firenze and finally sojourned to Roma. This is the 3rd trip I've planned and researched completely on my own via the internet. Navigating to www.Initaly.com was the best "one-stop" search I've ever made for travel plans. Such tips as being informed and having the ability to pre-book reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia Museums are essential in July (we smirked when we saw the 2+hour line around the museums and we walked right up to the front of the line!). Another great tip was pre-booking our train tickets with specific seats on the Eurostar for several of our journeys. Once again, we did not have to wait in any long hot lines at the train stations.

We chose to reside at Palazzo Mannaioni in Montaione. This newly renovated historical residence was breathless. We shot a roll of film just inside our room. It was the finest 4-star accommodations we experienced throughout Italy. The staff all spoke English and were friendly, eager to make our acquaintance and assist us. We had a meal at their award winning ristorante which was heavenly. Palazzo Mannaioni was well located for taking day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and Arezzo. The success of our trip was due in great part to the recommendations, seamless reservations and information provided by Initaly.

With all best wishes,
Donna W.

Dear Ghia,

Thank you for your e-mail. We enjoyed our trip to Italy very much. We spent 21 days touring Rome, Capri, Tuscany (San Gimignano, Siena, Florence, Pisa) and Liguria (Cinque Terre, San Remo).

We enjoyed our stay at Palazzo Mannaioni very much. The staff were kind and helpful and the accommodations were clean and comfortable (with the exception of the bed, which was harder than any other on our trip! Luckily we were tired from our daytime adventures and slept well in spite of the mattress.) The pool was beautiful and the pool-side service excellent.

We ate at the hotel's restaurant twice during our 4 night stay, but wish we would have limited it to one night and tried another local restaurant. We dined at Casa Masi one night (5 minute drive from Palazzo Mannaioni) and highly recommend it. The restaurant and the grounds are lovely and the owners take great pride in their menu and service. We also recommend the pizzeria located walking distance from Palazzo Mannaioni for a less formal meal. We don't recall the name, but the concierge at the hotel could certainly provide it.

Thank you for helping make our trip to Tuscany memorable.
Jeanne J.

Ghia,

We had a fantastic time. Palazzo Mannaioni was really a very nice hotel. The lobby, bar, sitting room and dining area are beautiful. Our room was spacious, well furnished, and very attractive. The staff was friendly and helpful. Finally, the restaurant was excellent. We found the town itself and the surrounding area very interesting. This was a great location to be in to see Tuscany. We would recommend this hotel highly.

Thanks for all the help from InItaly. We have mentioned you to several people and will call on you again I'm sure.

Gene and Laura B.

P.S. We could have used a clock in our room.

Dear In Italy,

The quietest place we stayed. Very nice. Rooms were a little smaller than the other places but easily as nice. The hospitality here was great (a bottle of champagne was provided to help us celebrate our honeymoon) and the food was very good. An excellent homebase for exploring the Chianti region.

Mike J.

Dear Cynthia,

My wife Barbara and I want you to know that we had a wonderful time on our trip to Tuscany and Umbria. Thanks for all of the assistance you provided in helping us to choose the right places to stay. Even though we left everything till the last minute, all of the arrangements you made were flawless. We also appreciated the lists of restaurants, attractions, and driving directions you provided. The hotels were exactly as described and depicted on your website and, best of all, there were no unpleasant surprises.

Our favorite hotel was the Palazzo Mannaioni. This place is well managed, immaculately maintained, and beautifully decorated. What a great way to spend our first few nights in Italy. The staff are all extremely friendly and helpful. Montaione, where the hotel is situated, is a very quaint and friendly town. Unlike nearby Siena and San Gimignano, it's not "commercial" at all.

The convenient location made side trips to Pisa and the charming seaside resorts to the south of Livorno possible. One of those towns, Castiglioncello, was especially nice and was well worth the 40-minute drive. While there we had one of the best meals of our entire trip at a beachside bar/restaurant named Bagno Belvedere. The seafood was very fresh and deliciously prepared.

Cordially,
Jeff & Barbara B

Dear Mary,

Thank you so much for following up on my trip. With regards to Palazzo Mannaioni, it is an extremely beautiful hotel. The staff was very helpful and also spoke English, which was helpful when asking about where to dine. Paola at the front desk was wonderful. Our room was both spacious and tastefully decorated. Everything, though new, reflected the old Italian Style. The bathroom was equally impressive with double sinks, a vanity area and a window that opened up to the town and the hills beyond it. The trick is to get out early enough to the neighboring towns and sites before they close down for the afternoon reposa and then drive to your next destination, arriving when the towns come back to life. Or hang out at the hotel, enjoy your breakfast, then move out to the pool with a good book and relax, enjoy the cafés and vistas on the hill, write post cards, then head out for your day trip.

The hotel restaurant was very upscale and the food was delicious. We ate there the first night, but headed out for more of the "local color" on the second night. The barman at the hotel recommended a great restaurant just 7 km away in the town of San Vivaldo. It was a family run (mother & daughter) trattoria, with selections made fresh each morning. My friend had the wild boar and the owner was delighted to find that he enjoyed it so much given that she was up at 5:30 a.m. making the sauce. We loved it there and wished we had eaten there the third night, instead of the very popular restaurant at the edge of the hill. Though the food was good, we found it a bit stuffy, it was primarily German tourists and we felt quite isolated. But I must say there was a spectacular view, being on the hillside, but definitely call ahead for reservations.

I was originally looking for the agriturismo experience, but was unable to get a place with the short notice so upon your company's advice booked the Mannaioni. It was definitely 4 star caliber and I would recommend it to all.

One warning, don't believe the locals when they say that the road signs will make your destination simple to find. The signs leave a bit to be desired. You often have to aim for the largest city around your destination just to travel in the right direction and hopefully by process of elimination you will get to where you are trying to go. Around Montaione it was quite easy. We found San Gimignano and Pisa with no problem. The Chianti region proved more challenging. I recommend including the small hilltown of San Miniato in your day trips. Its treasures are free for viewing and at the very top is its tower that you can climb providing a magnificent view. Even if you don't climb it the panorama from its base is spectacular. In Pisa buy the cumulative ticket that includes the cemetery. The statuary and head stones are wonderful. And the peaceful serene setting provides a much welcomed break from the circus of tourists outside. In Florence, book your reservation for the Uffizi from home; this way you don't have to stand in the painfully long lines to enter. First thing in the morning is the hot tip. It's not worth it for the Accademia, just go get in line before it opens. Climb the duomo, the view is wonderful and it makes for great panoramic pictures of Florence. Eat, drink and be merry!

I loved Florence and Tuscany! Thank you for your assistance.

Ciao!
Lori C.

Dear In Italy,

We absolutely loved the Palazzo Mannaioni. Our room was spacious, had 12' frescoed ceilings, and stairs that went up a level to a sitting room and deck with a panoramic view. The staff was marvelous, particularly the woman manager at the front desk. And lastly, the food in the restaurant was excellent and very reasonable (about $50 including wine and 15% tip). Among the little things, our waiter would save our undrunk wine and serve it to us the next night without our even asking.

Montaione is an impeccably clean , medieval hilltop view, a joy to walk around and explore. Getting to Montaione via Castelflorentino was an ordeal as there are no signs and you have to wind your way through the town, but it was worth it.

Bob R.

Dear In Italy,

The trip was unbelievable. Palazza Mannaioni was fantastic. The staff was extremely courteous with our needs. The rooms were clean and the bar was really nice. Highly recommend this hotel.

Regards,
Andrew L.

Dear Cynthia,

We had a great time in Italy.

Palazzo Mannaioni is a beauty as you promised, again I thank you for your excellent service. The town of Montaione is a bit off the main track, which makes getting there at night unpleasant, but we managed. A real heaven, in the vicinity, is the small town of S. Giminiano. Another joule in our trip, was the dinner we had in Mannaioni's restaurant which served excellent local food (the best we had) for reasonable prices.

Thanks again, and best regards,
Michael B.

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