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Dear In Italy staff,
My husband and I had a great trip to Italy. We were pleased with all of our accommodations. I would like to mention a few things about some of the hotels that we stayed in. First, the staff at Hotel Minerva was very helpful and so nice. The swimming pool on the roof was extremely refreshing after spending hot summer days exploring Umbria and Tuscany. Their breakfast was delicious.
The only minor annoyance about Hotel Minerva was that the air conditioning was only on from 11:00am until 11:00pm and some of the nights it stayed warm all night.
Thank you for helping us with our hotel accommodations.
Tanda L.
Jessica,
My comments regarding my vacation stay at Hotel Minerva:
Wonderful, personal service. Breakfast and Dinner was average. Fabulous lounge chairs at the pool. Terrific location for downtown stores/restaurants.
Karin C.
Dear Cynthia and Kristin,
Can't believe that our trip to Italy has come and gone-- it seems like a dream-- because it really was a dream trip, in no small part thanks to your web site.
We arrived in Rome and quickly picked up our rented car that you arranged for us through Auto Europe. (Discovered that it is important to pre-pay for the car rental if you want to be sure to get one). We were behind the wheel on the Italian autostrada with virtually no help from the car rental people--driving was certainly a big part of our adventure and while maps are very important, so are a great sense of direction and humor.
Our first stop was Chianciano and the Hotel Minerva. While you provided us with directons to the hotel, a combination of jet lag, over excitement and descriptions of a "new bridge" as well as learning to read the street signs-I use that term loosely- made finding the hotel our first adventure.
At first sight, the hotel was underwhelming. It sits on a side street and faces some rather sorry structures. The desk clerk--who born a striking resemblance to Marty Feldman--watched us try to find a parking spot rather than offer assistance. Our room was good size with a double and single bed and a nice balcony but rather spare in design; only after a good night's sleep and a great cappuccino could be appreciate the wonderful lay out --a nice desk, tv, refrigerator and closet --and the great plumbing and cleanliness. It really was the perfect hotel and the manager, Pierluigi took very good care of us, offering suggestions and arranging our dinner and transportation to Palazzo Bandino where we had a tour of the winery and saw the set up for the International Kitchen's course there.
Chianciano is a spa town for older Italians seeking the curatic effects from drinking the local mineral waters. It is a great place to relax with Italians and to experience Italy without artifice. We had a great time bathing in a natural mud pool where locals put on their swimsuits out in the open. We would definitely return both to Chianciano and the Hotel Minerva.
In general, Italians are reluctant to recommend restaurants, citing peoples' differing tastes and budgets. This is where InItaly's service shines--with recommendations for great restaurants as well as lots of other invaluable advice. When we followed your lead, we were not disappointed.
Thank you for helping to make our trip such a huge success. We are telling all our friends about you and look forward to future trips using your service.
Sincerely,
Marie M.
Dear In Italy,
We had a wonderful time at both locations. The Hotel Minerva was a very relaxing stay and the staff was friendly and helpful. The dinner menu was outstanding and the wine from the family owned vineyard nearby was excellent. The location was convenient for daily trips to many locations, including Assisi and Siena. We had a great vacation and have been thinking about when we can return.
James G.
Dear In Italy,
My husband and I had booked the Hotel Minerva for last October but felt uncomfortable at that time to make the trip. In Italy and Hotel Minerva were very kind in letting us re-schedule for May. Everything that was posted here before about this hotel turned out to be true. We were greeted by name by the Manager, Luigi who turned out to be more like a friend and also made arrangements for a wonderful dining experience that we shared with the graduating cooking school class over at their vineyard Palazzo Bandino. We had a great time and a lot of laughs with that group. The hotel restaurant was actually very good and we had a darling waitress Tamara that would have our Cappuccino ready for us in the morning. I recommend this hotel for the great staff and location to go off and tour the beautiful countryside of Tuscany. We can't wait to return.
Sandy and John D.
Hi Julie,
We just got back and found your message. The Hotel Minerva was fine. It's on a quieter street and within an easy walk to the central square. The manager was especailly helpful. I asked about the location of an Internet cafe to check for email and he allowed me to use his office terminal instead - at no charge.
You asked about "hidden local treasures." While driving the roads in Tuscany we were near Buonconvento at 1:00 on a Sunday and decided it was time for a meal. Roadside signs pointed us to a restaurant - the Percenna Ristorante-Pizzeria-Bar which was outside of the town up a long drive. We were pleased to find a nicely restored place on a hilltop overlooking Buonconvento and the surrounding area. It has a lovely patio area. We noted several large Italian families were dining there - usually a good sign. We both had meals at the Percenna which we think may be the best Italian foods we have ever eaten. Pat had a first course of gnocchi with a gorgonzola cheese cream sauce while I had porcini/tartufo ravioli with a porcini cream sauce. We will never forget either dish. The other courses were also first rate and the entire meal was very reasonable priced. After our meal we learned they had rooms with bathrooms available which we would likely use on our next trip to the area. The location in the heart of the region is a real plus. The Percenna's web site (www.percenna.com) is quite good - it even has a map.
Larry & Pat L.
Julie,
We were very happy with Hotel Minerva as it was the ideal base to explore Tuscany & had some great hilltop villages & sites to visit. I hired a bike from the hotel & had a very enjoyable trip to the hilltop town of Montepulciano passing many vineyards on route..The Hotel was typical Italian, Pierluigi & his staff were very friendly, spoke good english & were very helpful. We went to the three restaurants he recommended & were very happy with his choices. We will definitely be recommending this hotel to friends that plan to visit that part of Italy. Make sure & visit the hotel vineyard for a tour.
Conor & Mairead C., Ireland
Dear In Italy,
Hotel Minerva was wonderful. Especially Luigi, who arranged for us to visit the Palazzo Bandino vineyard for a wine tasting. A great Chianti Riserva was arranged for shipping home; via Luigi (at the hotel) and Franz (at the vineyard). Also recommend Patri Restaurant for great food and atmosphere.
Charles H.
Dear Cynthia:
Just got back and want to express our pleasure with the accommodations we booked through you.
For us, the original trip concept was a two-city itinerary starting in Rome and ending in Venice. Once we discovered your website, we expanded the plan, staying in Tuscany at two of InItaly's properties. The first was the Hotel Minerva in Chianciano Terme. We found Pierluigi and his staff very obliging, helpful and genuinely friendly. Our room was large, bright, and airy, with a great view of the valley. The other services we enjoyed at the hotel were modestly priced. The suggestions Pierluigi made concerning our daytrips were practical and suited us perfectly. In summary, it was obvious to us that the Hotel Minerva staff appreciate their relationship with InItaly, and they make great efforts to look after InItaly's clients.
All in all, we can highly recommend both your efficient, personalized service and the comprehensive information on your website. We'll do it again.
Cheers,
Kevin C.
Dear Ingrid,
We wanted you to know what a truly delightful experience our stay at the Hotel Minerva in Chianciaio Terme was. The hotel was a lovely, typical Italian hotel equipped with a wonderful, friendly staff and, best of all, the concierge, Luigi. Everyone spoke English well and Luigi was fluent in several languages. My husband has some unusual eating preferences and Luigi or the staff would tell us what the menu was that night for dinner and then ask him what substitutions he would like. We were overwhelmed at their genuine concern and good humor!
The food was fabulous!
We have many friends who have been to Italy but before we had reserved our week at the Hotel Minerva we had never heard of Chianciano Terme. The town is virtually filled with hotels (1500 + rooms) and restaurants because of the remarkable spa located there. We had originally been looking at staying in a villa but this was definitely the best option. We were extremely centrally located to visit the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria. Our hotel had a beautiful view overlooking a valley and it was the ideal spot to stay for a week. We never ran out of enjoyable activities in the town and the beautiful parks, walkways and treelined streets were a delight.
Thank you for contributing to a wonderful month in Italy!
Joe and Lucy D.
Dear In Italy,
I cannot say enough good things about Hotel Minerva. The staff there was the friendliest and most helpful of all the hotels we stayed at throughout Italy. When we arrived we could not find their underground parking garage, and I went into hotel and rang their bell and saw a nice looking gentlemen who looked like he was the one in charge and said "Where is your parking garage?" and he said "Ah, the Americanos - we have been waiting for you." And then he went outside and opened our car door for my husband and drove our car to parking garage. The food we had at their hotel was some of the best in Italy and you could have as much or as little as you wanted. The town itself was beautiful - hundreds of nice shops - not like tourist shops - just nice shops.Of course, being a spa town there were many many wonderful hotels. If ever I go back to Italy, would definitely want to go back to Chianciano Terme - The gentlemen outlined a nice drive outside Chianciano Terme where we went to Pienza, and a couple of other lovely little towns. The scenery was some of the prettiest in Italy. And if we had been a little more savvy, it would have even been greater. The trip he outlined for us was with the intention of us going into the spas at one little town but we got there at 1:30 and they were closed until 3:30 so we did not want to wait.
All the people at our hotel would go there for 2 weeks at a time and go to the spas. To get into a spa you needed a Doctor's permission slip. The Doctor's visit was free. The water is supposed to be very beneficial and you both drink it and submerge yourself in it - of course, they also have mud baths, thermal wraps, etc.
We were only there 2 days and really were not sure what we were getting into - next time, we will plan better to make sure we get to take advantage of the spas. There was a lovely pool on the rooftop with an incredible view. Of course it was cold, as we found all the hotels with outdoor pools did not heat them, and they were all cold. The gentlemen in charge told us that they would be building a new pool with spa and stuff in about 2 years. The Minerva is family owned and if time had permitted, they would have taken us to their "winery" and farm and given us a meal there where they grew almost all their own food. After dinner, we would go out on their lovely terrace full of tables and play cards. It was a beautiful and relaxing two days.
Delores and Sal R.
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