 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back to Tenuta Asciano
Dear In Italy,
We had a wonderful trip and we want to thank you for your help. Your advice was very helpful and your lodging suggestions were excellent and exactly as described in your emails. My only comment would be that the directions to Asciano were difficult to follow, especially at night when we had just arrived and were fatigued after the flights. My suggestion would be to route your customers through the road to Siena from Florence which is fast and direct and free. The route from Siena is much easier to follow than the route through Asciano. Europcar provided us with a zippy little diesel-powered BMW that sipped fuel and was a delight to drive on the Autostrada at high speeds.
Thanks again for your excellent service and help that made the trip much more meaningful.
Bob K.Dear In Italy,
We had a terrific time at Tenuta Asciano. It was actually far more beautiful than we had expected and the setting of the property is just fabulous. The condition of our apartment was immaculate and the property host was quite helpful during our stay. We really do not have any complaints at all but I would like to offer a couple of suggestions.
There was no dish soap or dishwasher soap there. It seems that if you are renting a furnished apartment that it not only include bar soap/shampoo (which it did) but that it also include soap for the kitchen area as well. To have to purchase that separately to use while we are there, and of course even at the smallest size, you don't use it all during the week, is an inconvenience and added expense that should not have to absorbed by the renter.
There were activities offered by the property during the week, which was a pleasant surprise and a great addition to the features included in the property. To have known about those prior to our arrival (days/times, etc.) would have been very helpful in planning our stay there.
Overall, we would highly recommend this property and would love to be able to return again. Thanks for the opportunity to provide feedback.
Tim C.
Dear Jessica,
We had a wonderful time in Italy and the weather was perfect. We flew into Venice for a couple of nights, trained to Florence for one night (we'd all been there before) picked up our van and headed for the Tuscan countryside; for, we were very tired of crowded cities even though they are chock full of beautiful sights and wonderful museums. One of the highlights of our trip was our wonderful house, Bruco, at Tenuta Asciano! It was very spacious, good furniture and a well equipped kitchen, even a dishwasher!! The views from the house, especially our private patio and garden were breathtaking. We made a point each evening to watch the gorgeous sunset from the pool area. The only small drawback that I can mention is the smaller bedroom had twin beds which were like cots with antique bed frames surrounding. Although they were quite lovely, they would be much more comfortable with regular mattresses. However, it was very nice that each bedroom had its own private bath, plus a half bath downstairs. Very hard to find such luxuries in Italy, especially at the price we paid. Paola was very helpful and graciously made dinner reservations for us two different nights. Also, the caretaker, Johnny, was most helpful when we had a small problem with the pilot light going out on the hot water heater. He had it fixed in minutes. We found Coops in both Asciano and Monte d'Arbia which were only five – ten minutes away and well stocked.
We tried two different restaurants near our house, both were in your recommended ones, plus I had also found them in other sources. They were both good. But, I must tell you that Le Pievina is an incrediable experience! None of us had ever been to quite such a feast. It is a small restaurant in an old house at the end of a dirt road, fish is the specialty. The husband is the chef and his wife is a delightful hostess who speaks no English, but makes herself understood with gestures and facial expressions. We did not know what to expect and made the mistake of having a little wine and cheese before we left for our meal. There is no set menu they just start bringing courses. We lost count at 15 and finally had to ask someone behind us who spoke a little English how to make them stop!! Don't know how many courses we would have had otherwise!! Then they brought four different desserts to sample along with complimentary grappa, lemoncello and some kind of digestive. It was all fabulous, but we were stuffed. It was one of the highlights of our trip and so much fun and very reasonable for all the food and several bottles of wine (about 45E per person). La Mencia in Asciano was very attractive with two sections, one for pizza and smaller meals, the other a restaurant. It was good and reasonable.
One other suggestion I would make for sightseeing in the area is to go early to Siena, Volterra and other prime tourist sites. Parking is very limited and the earlier you arrive, the better chance you will have. We arrived in Siena about 11:00 a.m. rode around for 30 min. before giving up and going somewhere else and returning early the next day. We had similar problems in Volterra.
Thank you for helping us find this wonderful spot to base ourselves for our visit to Tuscany. It was above our expectations and will always figure in our special memories of Italy. I will highly recommend it to friends as well as your web site which I found very helpful with good information.
Sincerely,
Paula G.
Jessica:
We had an excellent trip, and thanks for all of your help. I hope the following may be of use to your other travelers.
Tenuta Asciano. This is a small farm complex set on a hilltop overlooking the "crete" in southern Tuscany. Half an hour from Siena, and about 10 minutes from Asciano, a lovely, unspoiled Tuscan town (I think Lorenzetti was born here). Fairly remote, so this spot is best for people who want peace and quiet, a beautiful view, and a true country setting. If you arrive on Saturday as we did, be sure to get to a supermarket Sat (there's a COOP in the next town) because everything is closed on Sunday. Our apartment was in a two-storey brick building, I believe formerly a stables, with spacious, clean rooms, charmingly furnished. Nice big windows with pretty views, but no screens, and there were quite a few wasps flying in and out (no fun for our children). The pool is small but nicely maintained and it was a godsend for us, given the unusual heat (Aug temperatures in June). Nice tennis courts but you have to bring your own racquet. The location is excellent for exploring Tuscany and parts of Umbria. We easily went to Montepulciano, Pienza, Siena, and Cortona as day trips. We also very much liked Asciano itself--a nice Sunday market, very lowkey and untouristy town. Our best day trip, however, was unplanned--it was so hot, and our kids (9 and 11) were ready for a break from hill towns, so we went to the island of Elba for a day. It was about an hour and forty-five minutes to where the ferry left by car, but because we went on a Thursday we were able to get our car on the ferry and explored a bit of the island. It's absolutely stunning, with a beautiful town and harbor, nice sandy beaches--a great place to spend the night. But to return to Tenuta Asciano--this place is a bit on the spare side, despite the beauty of the setting. We didn't see the manager (or anyone in the office) after the day we checked in--it would've been nice to have been able to ask someone for a fan (our upstairs room baked in the sun) or just tips on local restaurants. In sum, a beautifully located place, a bit remote, good if you want something different and like to take care of things yourself.
In closing I just want to thank you for your website which I think is amazing and for all of your help with this vacation. It was wonderful, and many thanks for helping us to organize it.
Amy B.
Dear In Italy,
The manager (Romina) was delightful and very helpful with recommendations for restaurants and sightseeing. This apartment turned out to be a perfect place to have to explore the Tuscan Country...which was tremendous. Again, this apartment was great for the 4 of us. The information you provided as well as what was provided by Romina was extremely helpful...tried a number of restaurants...all good.
Kent
Dear In Italy,
In response to your request for input about Tenuta Asciano, I would like to share a few things with you. Our apartment, the Drago, was very attractive and well furnished. It was spacious for a family to share, but not as good to share with another couple, as there is one upstairs master bedroom which is nicer than the downstairs room where our friends slept. The trade-off on that is that the downstairs bedroom has a shower while the upstairs one has the hand-held shower with a bathtub. Linens were provided, but not enough for a week's stay. The young lady on site occasionally was friendly and helpful, but we could have used a little more information about bus and train travel. For example, you can't always buy tickets at the stations! Sometimes you have to buy tickets at the tobacco shops, and if you don't know this you can miss the scheduled time you had counted on. The location of Tenuta Asciano is remote and doesn't lend itself easily to quick visits to restaurants or shops. We basically left each day and returned in the evening. I think we would choose to stay in a town next time or either at a place where the hosts were the type who interacted with the guests. The acoustics in the apartment were terrible, we could hear every sound that was made by each other. The closing of cabinets and doors were magnified, which I suppose is a function of the tile floors. The kitchen was well stocked with cooking utensils and dinnerware. Having some cleaning supplies on hand, i.e. dishwashing liquid or powder, cleanser, would have been helpful; also more kitchen towels and cloths. There is no dryer with the exception of a small rack on which to hang laundry. We would like to have been able to have washed towels, but there was no way to dry them before we would have needed them again. There was no telephone in the apartment which concerned us in the event of an emergency, also it was an inconvenience to have to go into town to make phone calls, as the office was closed most of the time. I believe that Tenuta Asciano is relatively new with your agency, so I hope that this input will be helpful to you.
Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with you. Italy is a beautiful country and we hope to return someday. Thanks for your help in planning our trip.
Kathy B.