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Back to Florentine Country Villa
Dear In Italy,
We had a lovely time at Florentine Country Villa over Christmas. Although we were disappointed that we didn't get to meet Ricardo, whom we read so much about in the reviews (he was sick during our visit); his wife and friend were very friendly and helpful. The owners went above a beyond when I told them that my son was upset about not being at home for Christmas and not having a Christmas tree. They placed a small Christmas tree in the house with a few decorations. The house is very spacious with plenty of room for our party of 10 people. There is a terrace on the roof and one off the master bedroom; they both had views of the city in the distance. You can see the Duomo from the top balcony. The view of the countryside is nice too. Also the sunsets in winter. My favorite part was having afternoon tea on the terrace on a sunny Christmas day.
The location is good, but there is a rather steep climb (about 10 minutes) up the hill from the closest bus stop on returning to the villa from town. For leaving the villa for a day in Florence , the bus stop is about 100 meters up hill and another one down hill. The trouble is, the buses only come down the hill by the house, so when you are returning to the villa you either have to get off at the bottom of the hill (at the gas station) and walk up 10 minutes; or stay on the bus till it goes all the way up to top of hill and comes back down (this can take an extra 30 minutes, driver may stop for a smoke break). It is bus # 25 going into town and bus # 25 A returning to the villa. We left a bus map in the villa for others to use.
We used the service offered by In Italy and had a van pick us up at the train station to take us to the villa when we arrived in Florence. It was well worth it, not to have to drag our luggage on a bus and try and figure out where to get off.
I would suggest that you ask to have groceries delivered to the house before you arrive. The closest, very tiny, grocery store is at the bottom of hill and it is not always open ( hard to predict when it will be open as well ). After traveling all day, the last thing you want to do is try and find a grocery store or restaurant for dinner. The grocer down the hill had the BEST home made pesto! He was very helpful, but speaks no English. The central market in Florence has a large variety of foods where you can get basics and fresh meats and veggies (but I think this area closes at 2 pm). My dad said that the hamburger we made from the fresh ground beef we bought at this market was "the best hamburger he ever had!!"
The closest restaurant we found was about 500 meters up the hill at a hotel ( well the entrance is 500 meters up the hill, then it is another quarter mile up the driveway to the hotel). We didn't eat there, but it looked very nice. You might be able to find a restaurant farther up the hill, but it was a little too far to actually walk up there with granny and granddaddy and 3 children. We never found the restaurant we heard was down the hill.
The house is 300 years old! Which was very cool, but made for some interesting issues with multiple showers and heating. Shower in shifts if you can. We noticed that if the dishwasher was running, you could not take a hot shower. Also, if someone was showering on the second floor then the shower on the third floor was cold. If you are going to stay here in the winter, I suggest you ask to have firewood delivered to the house. It would be well worth the extra expense. Expect 200-300 Euro for heating in the winter. The satellite TV was of no use, at least for English speakers. (But you don't need TV anyway.) The home-cooked Italian meal was very nice and pleasant (they even washed and cleaned up the kitchen)
All in all, Florentine Country Villa was a wonderful oasis to escape to after the hustle and bustle of Florence. A great place for the kids with the yard and swimming pool (which we of course couldn't use in December); and a huge house to explore.
Genna J.
Dear In Italy,
Our group of 6 people has had a memorable stay here at the villa. From the "Welcome dinner" our first night to the farewell dinner on our final evening, both prepared by Fiammetta, a great week for all. The Villa was a convenient base for our trip to explore Florence and to get out into the beautiful wine country of Chianti! Greve Fiesole and San Gimignano are not to be missed.
We highly recommend the walk up to the convent in Fiesole. There you'll find a superb restaurant La Reggia food wine + menu are outstanding even also if it rained that day.
We had a medical emergency one day and Riccardo not only found a doctor but driver our friends to the doctor and stayed with them and helped interpret. This was truly above and beyond, but gratefully appreciated. We had just completed our "Farewell dinner" and it was requested to say the least Fiammetta prepared her recipe "Crostini di Fiammetta" for our birthday girl - a chocolate heaven delight!
We will miss the sunset from the patio , but we remember our stay fondly.
Arrivederci.
Cox & RouseCynthia,
The Villa was very nice and comfortable. The only improvement I can immediately think of is window screens. Mosquitoes are a real problem and the nets they provide just don't do it. I really liked the generally quiet nature of the house (with the exception of one night when the local motorcycle club must have been having drag races on the road out front at about 2 to 4:00 am). A nice place. I would recommend it and consider it for my next trip to Florence.
Thanks,
Randy H.
Dear In Italy,
We are back and had a wonderful time. We ended doing small day trips on the trains or buses. The villa was great, a beautiful view of Florence and very roomy. We had a dinner prepared which was terrific and Riccardo could not have been nicer. The phone was out and that was a problem and our recommendation is for some information to be sent to people renting the villa on how to obtain a cell phone. We had trouble communicating with each other. Umbrellas were vital since it rained for the first 4 days but we all had a wonderful time and would love to do it again in warmer weather.
Karen M.
Sorry to take so long to respond,
We had a LOVELY time at Florentine Country Villa. The house is beautifully sited overlooking Florence and its marvelous Duomo. The location was ideal. On most days, we made excursions into Florence in the morning and then retreated to the house during the heat of the day for swimming and relaxing afternoons. This was a wonderful schedule with two small children.
The house itself was beautiful, inside and out even if the decor was a little tired. The rooms were large, comfortable, well ventilated, and all but one bedroom had lovely views (and the one without had exclusive use of the roof deck).
We had several wonderful meals prepared by Riccardo's wife, Fiammetta, a splendid cook, who runs a cooking school, as it happens. Because Riccardo and Fiammetta were on holiday when we arrived we were met by Jean, an American who has lived in Florence for most of her life. As our Italian could use some work, Jean was an invaluable resource and an accomplished cook in her own right.
Anyway, we had a wonderful time and are eager to return again.
Also, please let us know of other villas that are near enough cultural attractions to allow an easy retreat when two little boys need to nap.
Many, many thanks,
Jeremy E.
Dear In Italy,
We rented the Florentine Country Villa in Florence June 12 through 19. It was wonderful, and I wanted to give you feedback.
Ricardo was a gracious host. The directions were not good but when we finally found it, it was so special. We cooked in every night, we enjoyed the pool and the view was so special. Thank you for the referral.
Bernadette K.
David,
Florentine Country Villa was an absolute incredible experience. If I were to make a wish list of the type of place to spend a week in, it would be this villa. The house was perfect, the rooms and bathrooms were large, the house was clean, the view was fantastic and the access to transportation made all the difference in the world.
Will I recommend this to others? Are you kidding. I took pictures of the house, inside and out, from every angle so that I can show my friends where they should stay.
I really don't have any negatives to report. It was one of those few vacations where everything was perfect. I am also afraid to take another vacation because nothing could ever top this.
The families that we stayed with all agreed that the transportation was the biggest issue. The bus stop right outside of the villa was convenient to anywhere we wanted to go. The bus came frequently and were running on time.
This allowed us to have a lot of flexibility when planning our day. It allowed us to travel without having to rent a car. We went to Siena one day and to Bologna another to visit some friends. And it was nice not to ever have to worry about transportation back and forth to the villa.
The neighborhood was also delightful. We felt safe always and bought groceries at the local store. The owner was very friendly.
Tips-One of the best things we did was to get reservations to see the Uffizi and Accademia museums. This saved us standing in line for over 2 hours at each place.
Also, I had intended to use a credit card more frequently, but they were wanting us to pay in cash most of the time. This was OK for us, but only because we were prepared. Those who are not prepared might find themselves in a tough spot if they don't have the cash.
Also, while in Florence, use the buses in town. My wife and I love to walk, but after standing in museums and walking several miles each day, there were times when we could just hop on a bus and save some steps. It is real easy to figure out the schedules and the people were very helpful.
That's about it. I can't wait for the next trip to Italy. It was great. Thanks for providing us with such a great experience.
Scott S.
Dear Jessica,
Thank you so much for your e-mail. I apologize for not writing sooner. As you can see I started this e-mail in June and am just now replying!
Our trip to Italy was wonderful. We loved the Villa and its close proximity to Florence which allowed everyone to do their own thing without worrying about getting in a car and driving somewhere. Although we had directions on getting to the Villa, you definitely need a good Florence map to get you there. (We got lost 3 times!) We would definitely rent this Villa again and recommend it to anyone.
Our rental car was great: a medium size Mercedes wagon - just perfect for running around Tuscany.
It would be helpful to have a bus schedule at the villa. We had no trouble catching the bus, but were never quite sure when it was coming. Also, we never could figure out the washing machine, so English directions might be helpful. Everything else worked fine and Ricardo was so helpful. His wife came to the villa one night and cooked a meal worthy of a four star restaurant!
We were grateful for the comments about the Villa on your website so that we knew were to find the brick oven pizza restaurant and the grocery store. Ricardo told us that there was a large supermarket in Florence, but we were not that into cooking. It is important to know that Sunday is not a day when things are open so shop on Saturday for the next 2 days.
A great leather store in Florence that I have used for 20 years is Parri's on Via Guicciardini 18/R just on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio. Good prices, wonderful people, very helpful.
Again thank you so much for all your help with the Villa. We have recommended it to many people.
Becky P.
Dear In Italy,
We just got back yesterday from our trip to Italy. We spent one week at the Florentine Country Villa with our four children and their mates - I want you to know that we had the most wonderful time of our life. The view from the villa was breathtaking and although the weather was in the 90's most of the day, the pool was our respite at night and we enjoyed gathering around and discussing the day's adventures while cooling off before bedding down. The bus was handy for us, and the 45 degree walk up the hill was a daily challenge which was rewarded by a dip in the pool too.
Ricardo paid his weekly visit and he looks much younger than his picture. We were sorry our schedule did not permit us to take advantage of his wife's preparation of a meal, but we had a lot of territory and time was too short we found.
The peacefulness and beauty of the place were perfect, except for the rooster who announced each day. We did get used to him by weeks end.
Thank you so much for your part in making this a perfect vacation for us. Your service was top notch.
Grazie to all
Margaret C.
Dear Jessica:
Our trip was wonderful; the Crocis are extremely nice and before they went on vacation, Mrs. Croci cooked for, with the help of Maria, who, I believe, helps the Crocis at their home. The food was delicious and I suggest that if anyone wants to know where the Florentines shop, the store is called Pegna (Pigna?) which is very near the Duomo. If you look at the Duomo straight on, the store is on a side street to the right of the Cathedral. We also met the Croci sons who are very nice.
The tours were outstanding; we had Laura in Florence; Peter in Rome and Renzo in Venice. They were all well prepared and very informative. Since my husband is an Art major and the rest of us are History majors, it was a very nice fit. Laura is a doctoral candidate in art history; Peter is anart historian and archaeologist and Renzo was an Italian history teacher and has written several books on architecture. We were so lucky to have them for tour guides!
The villa is quite prepared for anything. Once you get to know how to run the dishwasher and the clothes washer, there is really no problem. The town of La Lastra has a little coffee bar which everyone ran for in the morning for either a cappuccino or an espresso. And all the Italians we met were very friendly, in some instances going out of their way to be helpful.
So, thank you for a delightful time. The villa has a magnificent view of Florence and we enjoyed ourselves very much.
Barbara D.
Dear In Italy,
I'm a bit tardy in responding to your e-mail regarding Florentine Country Villa. I loved the location and the views. I could see the Duomo down in the valley from my bed and the News Years Eve fireworks were like tiny eruptions all down in the town and along the hills across the way. The terrace off my bedroom would be lovely in springtime with wisteria blooming. The fields and hills gave a very spacious feeling and we took some delightful walks to a nearby olive grove (admittedly we snuck in to sit in the sun under the trees with our backs to the wall). The public transport was excellent and comes every 20 mins past the house. It only takes 15 mins by car to get all the way across town to the Oltrarno area and very fast to the supermarket, about 8 mins down to that area of town.
I can imagine in spring, summer and fall this would be a perfect house. As you may know, however, this past winter in Florence was the coldest in many years - and the house was VERY COLD. We used as much heat as we thought we could afford - which amounted to $400 for 2 weeks - and still we huddled by the tiny fireplace or stayed in bed under the covers. The garbage cans are a little bit of a walk, especially when it was a particularly cold day.
Thanks for asking - we enjoyed the holiday despite any housing issues and who doesn't love Florence????
Snowden W.
Dear In Italy,
The villa could not have been better! The views were beautiful and the ease of getting in and out of Florence was great. The Pizzeria up the hill had great wood-fired pizzas (reasonable). The grocery store down the hill was always busy and not open until 2 p.m. on Mondays. The central market had the best meats and veggies. A million thanks!
Laura and Steve D.
Dear In Italy,
With its beautiful location, elegance and comfort, Florentine Country Villa was a wonderful home for our family. The pool was especially appreciated by our children for cooling off after sightseeing in the heat. We found the couple in the food shop at the bottom of the hill very helpful, and recommend the "I Gioghi" restaurant a few miles north in Montesoli which has a nice open air dining area and friendly waiters. There is so much still to see in Florence that I hope we shall be back one day. Thank you very much.
Jay B.
Dear In Italy,
Fantastic week. Can't put it all down to the weather! Villa was a home away from home. Recommend BBQ's by the pool, evening strolls through Florence, driving to the Etruscan amphitheatre in Fiesole, getting up very early to go to the Uffizi. For shopping - cheap and cheerful shop go up hill - turn left and it is on the right approximately one mile - good deli counter, breads, pastries, etc. - open early enough for breakfast. Pizza a little further up for eating in or out. Hope all that follow enjoy as much as we did. You have a fantastic host in Ricardo!
Jo G.
Dear In Italy,
Florence was very, very hot! The house was a real home, we especially liked the garden with its view, pool and flowers. Great house for a family with 4 persons, a friend and grandpa and grandmother! We're impressed by the overwhelming culture of the city. And impressed by the friendly owner(s) of the villa. Thank you, hope to meet again.
Family K.
Dear In Italy,
A wonderful esperience! We all loved the villa - perfect for a one-year old boy! Thanks to our hosts Ricardo and Alessandro for making us feel so comfortable at the villa and in Florence. Ciao!
The C. Family
Dear In Italy,
We went to sunny Florence to escape the rainy torrents. We had a lovely time drinking lots of Tuscany wine. We liked the swimming pool but it was a little cool. In the mellow Tuscan sun it was also lots of fun. The villa is delightful and although the driving's frightful it's all been so well worth it 'cause the holiday's been perfect.
Patrick and Audrey T.
Thank you, Riccardo, for being the epitome of a gentlemen, thoroughly responsive host and landlord. You even arranged splendid fall weather to make our stay even more enjoyable.
John A.
Dear In Italy,
We have had a wonderful 3-week stay with perfect weather! The pool is a real joy! We came from U.S.A. and with us were 5 Slovak cousins. A full house. Excellent Trattoria that serves fine food is up the road 3 km. It has a parking area, great food, and very nice people. Also in Fiesole, try the Aurora, with parking, beautiful view, excellent food. Ricardo was a wonderful and responsive landlord, making all of us feel very welcome in his fine house.
Julie S.
Dear Ghia,
We had spent some time in Florence 5 years ago when we visited Italy, but really didn't like staying in the city. There is enough to see there that we wanted to give it another try and staying just above the city was the perfect way to do it. We felt quite removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, but still within easy reach. Wonderful!
The villa was wonderful and well exceeded expectation. The house was comfortable and extremely well appointed. My only suggestion would be to have a little information sheet in the house regarding the buses (we ended up taking the 25A instead of the 25 and went an hour out of our way), the mosquito repellents in the bedrooms (we had never seen anything like them and each got bitten several times before the owner told us what they were and, providing a bus schedule inside the house would also be quite helpful, just little things like that. The owners were very nice and made us feel quite welcome.
We traveled with our five children and they really enjoyed Florence. They even thought the bus was fun! There is a "bouncy house" at the bottom of the hill that the little ones went to a couple of days while the adults did the museums. Worked out very well.
All in all a wonderful experience that we would recommend highly.
We were thinking of Ireland next summer...have any places there?
Thanks for everything,
Laura and Steve D.
We are world travelers - Europe, South America, Asia - this villa is the most beautiful place we have stayed. Our host is a delightful gentleman, so helpful and gracious. He is the epitome of Italian hospitality.
Bernard and Joan C.
P.S. He is also scupulously honest, God bless him.
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