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Back to Podere di Pescia
Dear In Italy Online,
Now that I have a chance, I wanted to respond to your questions in detail. First, I would like to tell you how pleased I was with all the arrangements we made through In Italy Online. Every facility we stayed in we liked very much and all the arrangements worked out flawlessly. We were pleasantly surprised each time we showed up in a new location. I would definitely book out trip through you again and I would recommend you highly to others.
I thought Pescia was a fabulous location. It was close to Florence, Pisa the beaches, as well as Montecatini (spas and golf) and trains that can take you anywhere within Tuscany and beyond. Additionally, it is located right next to an adorable city, Lucca, which had its own charm with a walking and bike path around the city. Plus, there was great shopping there. The apartment itself was perfect. It was clean and very spacious. I enjoyed being on the property with other families and they were all very nice. This location is perfect for multiple families traveling together too because of the multiple dwellings on the property. I would definitely considered it if I am traveling with my extended family and friends. The best part about the apartments was the landscape. It was located on the most beautiful piece of property with wonderful scenery. I just loved looking out the window in the morning over the hills. Last, Peter and Anna, the hosts, were very special. They made our stay extremely enjoyable and they provided us with great information. We really felt at home there.
A comment about the restaurants. We tried to find Historical Romantica and we found out it isn't there any more. You might want to take it off the list. We ate in a lot of nice local places but the one that we really liked was a little family owned trattoria called La Cantina (I think that was it). Peter and Anna would know.
Since we had a car, we were able to drive all over Tuscany. We loved the spa at Montecatini. My daughter enjoyed that while my son and husband golfed. If I go back, I would probably spend more time relaxing at the spa than I did this time around. We were too busy sight seeing. Cinqueterra was quite special as well and it was worth the ride.
I would recommend to all your clients to book museums in advance. In the cases that we did this, it worked out great. When we didn't, we waited over two hours (e.g., L'Accademia). We waited 1 -1/2 hours for the Vatican Museum.
I want to thank you for helping to make our trip so special and carefree. We really had a great time.
Sincerely,
Dana M.
Dear In Italy,
It's been a long time, but we have finally recovered from our trip (actually, our honeymoon). We had a fantastic time and I would recommend Podere di Pescia to anyone who wanted to visit that part of Tuscany. It was a perfect location for us because we loved to drive around and see all the small and big towns in the area. The people were very courteous and the room was incredibly clean. The grounds, overall, were beautiful and well kept! We weren't bothered at all by the staff which was great because we needed to sleep a lot and just relax and Podere di Pescia was the place to do that! Thank you for all of your help in making this trip work. It was truly amazing how easy it was to set everything up through your company. I have already passed on your website to other people and they are also impressed! I'm sure that in the future, we'll use you again when planning our next trip back to Italy!
Thanks,
Siobhan G. and Kevin P.
Dear In Italy,
After the wonderful 2 weeks we had in Italy, we traveled for 3 more weeks elsewhere in Europe and just returned home. Overall we were pleased with the three bookings we made through In Italy and wished that you would expand into other countries as well! We had an unfortunate experience with an apartment booking agency in France "YourStay.Com" which cancelled our booking with a terse note via email only days before our arrival and no further offer of help for substitute accommodation--so we highly value the professionalism of In Italy.com.
Fiordaliso is a very large, spacious apartment. The owner actually used it for her own family when they did renovations to their villa this past winter--and I can see why, it is very roomy. It could use a new coat of paint inside, but as a single parent of 3 kids, this just made me feel more relaxed. The wash machine definitely needs to be replaced or fixed. We used it successfully but the control buttons are broken and once I had to get the owners assistance to get our clothes out. No dryer, but they supply a clothes rack for drying clothes outside which adds to the country feeling. The pool is very nice but as in most places in Europe is unheated. Internet access only if you have your own computer, satellite TV but only Italian channels subscribed to except for MTV of course!
The countryside around Podere di Pescia is not as beautiful as further south in Tuscany like near Siena. However, the location was ideal for us because we visited Firenze, Pisa and the fantastic Cinque Terre region. Also we found the restaurant run by the owner's brother across the road to be very good and very accommodating to families with children. All in all we had a good week.
Valerie M.
Hello,
Dear In Italy,
Our trip was great. Podere di Pescia was not initially what we expected. The internet site explained all about the apartments but was unclear about "rooms" which is what we stayed in. The woman in charge was very nice and spoke excellent English but we hardly ever saw her and could not reach her because there were no phones. Her brother's restaurant (next door) was excellent. Directions were difficult because we came into Pescia from different direction than they were written for.
Lisa
Hello Jessica,
We had a lovely time in Italy, really hot weather, so the pool was an absolute necessity. We were really pleased with the location of the apartment, although in a fairly built up area of Tuscany, because we were in the largest apartment we had lovely views over the hillside. It was also a great base for driving to Pisa, Viareggio, Montecatini, Sienna, San Gimignano and into the Chianti countryside. It was great having a decent sized supermarket up the road and although hot it was a nice walk into the village. The facilities in the apartment were fine and suitable for the limited time we spent inside. The pool was beautifully kept and the no-ball rules meant that everyone could enjoy themselves. It was exciting for us and the children to be so near the vineyards and various fruit trees and the children on a number of evenings helped themselves to a few grapes of the vines. The owners were very friendly and helpful, particularly when we asked about the process of making wine and olive oil. Our only negative feedback on the apartment related to some safety aspects within the building - we could not allow our 18 month old twins upstairs without any supervision as there was an unprotected balcony looking on to the kitchen below - very accessible and dangerous. Also, a word of advice, a number of the guidebooks talk about Pinnochio Park in nearby Collodi. I'm afraid we felt that was a complete and utter waste of time and money and a complete disappointment to the children.
All in all though we felt that the apartment was good value for money and we would recommend it.
Barbara
Dear Jessica,
Here are some comments for your readers considering Podere di Pescia . We stayed one week June 8 - 15, 2002, We are a family of four two kids ages 9 and 10.
The kids loved the Podere di Pescia farm part of our vacation. The pool was a heaven sent for them. Plus there was vollyball net and soccer field and basketball hoop greens to run around on. It was very relaxing after touring around Rome and Venice.
Our apartment the Casa d'Ora was spacious, rustic and had great views esp. from the bedrooms upstairs. The three attached apartments near the pool are on higher ground than the others so they have the best view (Casa d'Ora, Margarita, and I think, Lagetto). The restaurant is a little farther up the same hill as is the Cecchio villa. The restaurant owed by the hotesses' brother is convienent but food was too salty for our tastes. The best restaurant we ate at was Monte a Pescia which was 3 Kilometers up the same hill from the farm, great ambiance, food, and views, reasonable prices.
The location was very good. We were very close to town and could take easy side trips. We rented a car and we think it is essential. Because otherwise you would have to walk up hill with groceries in the heat on a semi busy road about one kilometer +.
We visited Pinocchio park in Collodi. It was expensive to enter (28 Euros for the four of us) and is best for the 7 and under crowd. Climb up to the old hill town of Collodi and/or visit the Baroque gardens instead.
We did easy day trips to Lucca and Pisa. We also drove to the Cinque Terre. It took two hours to get to the first town Riamaggiore, where we parked and explored the other towns and beaches.
We did not explore Pescia as we should have right from the start. The supermarket is convenient and good, but later I noticed bread shops, homemade pasta shop, etc in town for the gourmet who wants to cook at the apartment. Our kitchen sufficed, and it was nice to dine in our front garden or porch.
Thank you for all your help.
Sincerely,
Maria S.
Dear In Italy,
Our trip was wonderful. The location of Podere di Pescia was fabulous, really easy to get to the highway so that we could drive all over Tuscany quite easily. We visited towns from Pisa to Siena to Venice. The town of Pescia had a great supermarket. Podere di Pescia has a restaurant an Osteria, which served fantastic food and their own wine and olive oil. We paid 22.00 euro dollars for a 5 course meal and 2.00 for their table wine. It was great! This is definitely a place worth going back to! We did need the heat on for the entire week, but the heating bill came to only $42.00 euro which wasn't bad for 4 people. It was a wonderful vacation - we'd do it again! Getting the museum tickets and car rental through In Italy was efficient and worked well. Thanks for all of In Italy's help.
Denise G.
Dear Kristin,
We had a wonderful time in Italy. Our stay at Podere di Pescia was better than expected. We had no trouble finding it. We arrived a little early and decided to ring the bell to see if we might be able to settle in early. Candida answered our call and opened the gate for us. We drove in and saw the beautiful pool and the accommodations and were very pleased. We explained to Candida that our luggage had not arrived with us at the Pisa airport and that we had left the number and address for Podere di Pescia with the airport officials. She said she would let us know if she heard from the airport. A short while later Candida called with the good news that our luggage was on its way. We were pleased that Candida spoke English as our Italian is limited.
The Casa d Oro is a nice apartment. The sleeping quarters were very nice as were the two bathrooms. We were able to cook some of our own meals in the well supplied kitchen and do laundry when needed. We really enjoyed the covered porch where we put a table and chairs from the yard. We were able to enjoy our morning coffee outside on the porch as well as some of the dinners we prepared. In fact it was the main congregating place for many of our tasks. It also made it easy to meet other guests as the path up the hill to the restaurant went right by our porch.
The weather was perfect for our entire stay. We took walks thru the vineyards and orchards. We used the pool. We ate at the restaurant where the food was fantastic. Their wine was very good and each meal was ended with a bottle of Vin Santo and Grappa delivered to the table.
I cannot say enough about the people and the accommodations. If we can return we will definitely want to spend some of our time at Podere di Pescia .
Thank you
Adele
Kristin,
We had a great time. Italy was awesome, and very relaxing.
1. Podere di Pescia , Pescia
Our first impression was a little disappointment. We thought Podere di Pescia would be a in a more Rural area, more like the Chianti region. It is nice and is on a farm, but the view looks over more city type landscape. Once we got past that it was very nice. The rooms were nice and big. Nowhere has closets, but the wardrobes did a nice job. The kitchen was better equipped than we thought it would be.
The restaurant associated with Podere di Pescia was very nice. Excellent food and service. It was very nice to be able to just walk up the hill the first night and not worry about trying to find a place.
The Podere di Pescia staff was nothing special. We saw them at check in then the day we checked out. No offer to tour where they make wine and olive oil, or any comments about the farm. The wine made on the farm was pretty bad, and they didn't have any olive oil.
Down in Pescia we found a pizzeria, right by the Esselunga (Grocery Store) it has a Genie on the sign. Didn't really see a name, just Pizzeria. The first night I made the mistake of ordering a pizza, then we saw what everyone else ordered. They had the best seafood we had the entire trip, better than Venice or the Cinqueterre. We had lobster pasta, seafood ravioli, and thier signature appetizer was mind boggling, a huge plate of steamed mussels, clams, octopus and calamari, sauteed slightly in wine with a touch of brandy. Plus they had the best dessert we have ever had in our lives! A chocolate souffle they served warm with a melted chocolate sauce. Our entire meal was around 70,000 lire for both of us, that was 2 antipasti, a liter of wine (the house white is an excellent sparkling white), 2 liters of water, 2 pastas, maybe 1 secondi piatto, and 2 desserts. We ate their 4 different nights, and the bills ranged from 50,000 to 70,000 lire and was the best food and service we had in Italy. Claudio our waiter was raised in the states and spends half his time there and half in California, so is roughly an American and it was nice to be able to communicate and get exactly what we wanted. I will send some digital pictures along shortly.
Pescia not being really rural actually turned out to be a benefit. Having the train within walking distance, the grocery store was rather convenient. A more picturesque view might have been nice, but driving 30 minutes for a store would have been a pain.
The mosquitos feasted on me. Luckily the grocery store had mosquito repellent difusers that you plug in, a big help. It was much warmer than we expected. Mostly in the 80s, we though it would be 60s and 70s.
I would go back to Podere di Pescia .
Michael K.
Dear In Italy,
We enjoyed our stay at Podere di Pescia . We picked and ate lots of fresh figs from a tree near our apartment!There was definitely no need for extra silverware, so you can take that off your list. We enjoyed the big sites - Pisa, Florence, Lucca,- but also Pistoia and the garden in Collodi.
Barbara C. K.
Kristen,
We had a wonderful time in Italy, but I was glad to be home in the United States. I was disappointed in Podere di Pescia . I didn''t know that our unit La Dilezza was down a very steep hill away from the pool and overlooked several rather ugly apartment buildings. It was also rather dirty and rundown. Our private patio was full of leaves and overgrown grass which I cleaned out. Candida Checci d'Rossi was very pleasant but busy with the grape harvest. She did come back to clean the floors and put up the kitchen sink skirt but only after several days. It was not worth the money we spent. The restaurant was great though and we ate there several times. Pescia and the location was good to get to other cities and we enjoyed that part. It was just depressing to come back to the unit.
Thanks for asking about our stay. I don't know if I mentioned it but I own a corporate travel agency and meeting planning firm and I appreciated all of your knowledge and help. I will recommend In Italy to my agents.
Laurie W.
Dear Sarah,
We picked up the car without problems from Avis in Venice. The Alfa Romeo Mid sized ran like a dream and was the right size for two adults and two children. We filled the boot and could not have survived on anything smaller. Podere di Pescia was wonderful and Candide a delightful hostess. We loved the place, the Vin Santo, and the olive oil. In fact we brought 5 liters back to Jakarta with us!! The swimming pool was a life saver as most days were over 33 Celsius. Getting in and out of Florence by train was easy. Visited Porto Venere which has a wonderful town inside an 11th C castle. The views of the harbor and blue, blue, blue water will long remain with us. There were couples from Germany and USA also staying at the farm and we became great friends. Podere di Pescia was really the highlight of the trip for us.
In summary we had a wonderful holiday and greatly enjoyed the places we stayed. Initaly was truthful, helpful and provided great service. We will definitely use Initaly again on a future holiday. Many thanks to Patrick, Jacqueline and the rest of the crew.
Very best regards
Philip, Yuli, Andrew and Alex T.
Dear Cynthia,
I appreciate you following up. We had a wonderful time!
I have fallen in love with Podere di Pescia ! It was the perfect setting and location for exploring northern Tuscany. So tranquil, so beautiful, it would have been easy to forget about the rest of Tuscany and stay on the farm for the week. Il Laghetto, the apartment we stayed in, was off by itself a bit and very private, with amazing views of the farm and countryside. We also did quite a bit of (extra virgin) olive oil tasting and thought that Podere di Pescia 's was one of the best. We brought home 3 bottles of their oil and 3 of their Vin Santo as well. From the farm we could walk to the train station and catch a train to Florence, Lucca, or Pisa and beyond. The town of Pescia, also within walking distance, is charming as well. I will definitely return to Podere di Pescia someday, and will recommend it to all my friends and family. I regret not getting to meet Candida (she had just had a baby), but her mother Paola was very entertaining and friendly. For anyone staying here, I recommend exploring (by car, or bike) the mountinous area north and west of Pescia - towns like Monte a Pescia, Colle, Matraia, Borgo a Mozzano (see Ponte di Diavolo, and eat at Il Pescatore), Bagni di Lucca, and, my favorite, Barga, and all the roads in between.
The only suggestion I have is to mention in your directions to Podere di Pescia that you need to pull up to a locked gate - on the left, that has a sign for Podere di Pescia posted next to it - and ring the bell to be let in. That part was a little confusing. The rest of the directions were good. The only disappointing thing there was the towels - they are not the terrycloth type we are used to, but feel a little more like thick sheets.
Laura B.
Dear In Italy Online,
Yes, Italy was all that and more-- and I'll respond while I'm still carrying some of that excitement with me. We spent most of the second week of our vacation at Podere di Pescia . First let me say, Tuscany was very hot that week, in the range of 100 degrees C. every day beginning about 10:30 and not over until around 5:30. Their lovely pool was a great resource and we spent our most pleasand afternoons around it, gettting to know a Dutch family with two teenage girls my daugher's age (she's 15). There was alot of cultural exchange in that experience and it was one of the nicest parts of our trip. Some other things we did that worked: going horseback riding was a great experience, and one of the few ways that we got a look at where we were by riding up to Urdzano. it cost us 30,000L per person per hour, and all we could handle was 2 hours since we didn't start until about 10:30, but it was well worth it, and the woman who runs it keeps a close eye on the level of riding you can handle (my daughter and I have ridden before, but not in 5-7 years!). The other thing that was great was our day trip to Pistoia; we took the train (15 minutes) and became experts at getting around Italy by train. My daughter took a liking to Pistoia and we returned there after leaving Podere di Pescia for one night to see Pistoia's version of the Palio, "The Bear-Jousting." There's no real bear involved, or real jousting, but two knights, wearing the colors of their neighborhood, astride beautiful responsive and very fast horses, chase each other around a track built into the piazze and must pass this stick figure representing a bear two times and on the third hit it with their lance, in a certain part of their body. Points are distriibiuted and eventually, one of the neighborhoods wins. It was great fun, but it did go on for 4 hours, because they kept having ties- -all of which served to rouse the audience. It was certainly worth the 25,000L that we paid for each of our seats. (Standing room is only 5,000 L, but virtually impossible to see much and to last through it all.
Some things that didn't work so well: Fabio warned us about not having a car, but that did prove very limiting. We never got much idea what the countryside around Pescia really looked like. Also, bicycling is not for everyone, you'd better bein shape. It is dangerous --the roads wind constantly and the drivers go very fast, not to mention that you must be in very good shape to ride up the hills. Ditto hiking. Our trip to Lucca never happened because there was a train strike that day, during the hours we planned to go,and after that all the trains were behind schedule. Since we didn't have a kitchenette, refrigerator or anything, it was very difficult to get any lunch because the kitchen is closed every day from 10:30 to about 7:30; we had no food at all some days and others had food we bought the day before in town, but you couldn't expect anything to last longer than that. Dinner doesn't start until 8:30, that's a long time to go on a continental breakfast of bread and jam. The Rozzis were great hosts, however, and did their very best to help us despite no car, no kitchen, and my Parkinson's Disease. They shuttled us around very kindly when the one taxi in Pescia didn't respond to our phone calls, including picking us up and taking us the last day to the train. They gave us bicycles at no cost to use, and gave us a 3 or 4 course "snack" the day we arrived since it was after breakfast. We think of our time at Podere di Pescia very fondly, we would just do things differently next time. Since driving is out of the question, we probably would choose to be closer to the city--although getting places by train was not a problem , and we walked ot the train with ease; coming back, all uphill, late at night was a little harder. I would definitely book a room far enough in advance to get a kitchen--and those are the nicest apartments, some are right next to the pool.
The hidden tresure for me was a short walk on the Roman road to Collodi. Get the Rozzis to tell you how to find it and in one direction it's the quickest way into Pescia,and in the other a nice hike to Collodi. And get to know as many of your European neighbors as you can!
Betsy R
Sorry it's taken so long for me to reply to tell you all how much we enjoyed our stay at Podere di Pescia in Pescia in June. It was more wonderful than we expected! First of all, we got upgraded to a bigger apartment, with 3 rooms instead of the two - just by luck that no one had rented it for the week. The views from that farm are wonderful, especially the view from the pool. We only had one neighbor - a Dutch couple and their two year old daughter. They were so nice! Apparently they love it there so much they go every summer. Our favorite things about the farm were that it was so lovely and homey. The owners made us feel at home right away. We especially loved the restaurant that the son runs. We were stuffed with the best authentic Tuscan food ever. Several courses. They just kept bringing out food! Oh and the wine!!!
The wine is made only there for consumption on the farm. That stuff was potent! The olives and artichoke hearts marinated in their own olive oil was so good - I still can taste them. They spoiled us there!
As you may remember - we also went there to get marrried. We were married on June 12 in Florence. After the ceremony and carriage ride around the city - we all couldn't wait to go back to the farm (we rented a car as suggested) and jump in that pool! After that we all dressed up again and had a reception dinner (my husband and I, my best friend and her husband, my sister in law and another friend) at the Podere di Pescia restaurant. It was wonderful! We even invited our Dutch neighbors. They made a special apple cake for us as well. Oh! I almost forgot - the owner gave me some beautiful gardenas from her garden on the day of our wedding! I'm telling you - this place was wonderful!
We also went walking around the town of Pescia - which was charming and homey as well. We also went to Pinocchio's hometown of Collodi - the park was so cute and we had a blast running aound like kids in it.
Anyways - I could go on forever about our trip and wedding! If you have anyone unsure about going to Podere di Pescia - we'd be happy to share our story with them. You're also welcome to use our comments as a testamonial for them. We plan to go back in hopefully 5 years - but definately 10 years for our anniversary!
Thank you so much for your help and suggestions that really helped us. I can't believe I was just cruising around the net and stumbled across you guys. I'm glad I took a chance!
Thanks again - Gracie! Gracie!!
Veronica and Alex H.
Dear In Italy,
I did indeed have a marvelous trip, thanks for inquiring. My stay at Podere di Pescia was memorable: the farm was beautiful, the accommodations very comfortable and the food terrific. I found that I was perfectly located for a traveller sans car as the train station was within easy walking distance. I can't say that I had a relaxing time (my choice) because I rammed all I could into the one week. Besides exploring Pescia and surroundings on foot, I spent days in Montecatini, Lucca, Pistoia, Prato and Florence. I came home exhausted but happy. The staff was very pleasant too although I met my hostess only once. In all, I rate my week in Tuscany as superb, and I've already passed on the detailed information to two friends.
Thanks for all your assistance. I hope we can meet again at your website.
Sincerely yours,
Sondra B.
Dear In Italy,
We did have a wonderful time in Italy! I highly recommend Agriturismo. Podere di Pescia was great! The Casina was perfect for 2 people, and extremely reasonable! The location could not have been more perfect because we were able to take many day trips to Firenze, Pisa, the Cinque Terre, etc., all very easily. You have to insist that people have dinner at the restaurant! It was fabulous, and by far the best food we had on the entire trip! My only regret is that we didn't eat there sooner, and then probably would have been there every night! It's also extremely reasonable, pricewise. My only negative comment would be that the place was not as clean as I had expected. We needed to clean ourselves, after we bought some cleanser at the Esselunga! There were many cobwebs, which may be a fact of life there, I don't know, but I think that the toilet should have been clean. I would also suggest double checking on the directions you gave us to get there. We got quite lost, but found a small Podere di Pescia sign, and then found our own shortcut. I think the directions may have been incorrect, or maybe could have been clearer.
Anyway, it was a great experience. If I ever get the opportunity to return to Italy, I will certainly contact you. Thanks for all your help.
Fondly,
Cynthia Van T.
Dear Fabio,
Thank you for your message, yes we had a great time. Podere di Pescia 's location surprised us at first because we (coming from the wide open spaces of Australia) had visions of being way out in the country far from the madding crowd. But the convenience of the location soon won us over. The house was warm, comfortable and a delight for us as a family. There was plenty of room for us all and the kitchen was well enough equipped to enable us to prepare lots of yummy wintry Italian meals. The stores around were open for our convenience, even on Sunday and the big supermarket in Pescia (Esselunga) was great. Robyn cooked a magnificent Christmas dinner, smoked salmon entree, roast turkey with stuffing and all the trimmings. In the week Ali learnt to prepare antipasto plates and Mark learnt to enjoy all manner of Italian pasta and I consumed a fine bottle of Chianti. Candida had lots of advice for us on side trips and we walked the path to Collodi through the olive groves along the old Roman road. We saw Pisa, Lucca, medieval villages, the Tuscan hills and Roman roads.
Pompeii was unbelievable, but the highlight was Capri, Positano, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast, breathtaking, incredible scenery for kilometre after kilometre. Words cannot describe its beauty nor its attraction. We must go back. Your rental car arrangements were perfect and all was in order at each location. We had a wonderful holiday in Italy, no down sides except for a parking ticket in Lucca which cost a bomb.
We are happily passing on your website to colleagues here at school who may look to an Italian holiday in the future. When and if we go back (which I'm sure we will) we will call on you again.
Ciao and Grazie
Paul, Robyn, Mark & Ali
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