We collect reviews directly from our clients via email and publish them here. We hope you enjoy reading through them as much as we do, they are a paper trail of happy memories - and good tips!
From S.W. from UK, guests September 2021
“ Casa Luni provides your own personal eagle’s nest away from any bussle to relax, recharge, read and contemplate the wonderful view of the mountains. Not much has changed here since Eric Newby wrote Love and War in the Appenines, Once recharged you can make trips down to the coast for culture, shopping, Chubbys (Cicchio) famous seafood shack and more. It’s rare to find somewhere so spacious for a couple or small family with a wonderfully equipped kitchen, huge living room and bedroom windows which open in the morning onto that mountain view with the sun rising. The local town Fivizzano provides fresh local produce, take away homemade ice cream and a sunny piazza for morning cappuchino. The local places to eat (as recommended by the owner) are quality home cooking food -nothing too complicated and no pressure to eat loads of courses. The local Nocchino (walnut digestive) will dull all remaining senses of work, covid and anything else worrying you. Enjoy…but if you want to meet new people by the pool or your children need a disco try again!
From V.K. and family, from Germany, guests August 2021
“ We rented the house for two weeks with two families (3 teenagers and 4 adults). The house is beautifully equipped, very spacious and one really feels almost like at home. There was food and wine waiting for us when we arrived. That was a very nice treat! The pool is absolutely amazing, the bedrooms and bathrooms are well furnished and beautifully decorated, almost like in a hotel. The kitchen is very big, and since we cooked and baked almost everyday, we really enjoyed the bountifully equipped kitchen. In walking distance there is a wonderful Osteria (great food!), and the next supermarket can be reached in 5 minutes by car. The house is located well off of a street, so that it is very peaceful and quiet there. The house is surrounded by beautiful vineyards and olive trees. The garden is huge, there are so many places to sit in the shade for reading and relaxing that we never even used them all. There was a little problem with the pool's electric, but when we reported it, the owner had it fixed by an electrician the same day. Unfortunately the wifi is very poor due to the fact that the house is so far out in the country. It is sufficient for sending a text message or an email with attachments, but don't expect to stream anything. Since my husband and I had a work video conference, we talked to the owner about it and he gladly offered help by letting us use his work office in Barberino for the conference. That was very thoughtful, thank you, Guido! Communication with the owner was easy and delightful. We really loved our stay there and would love to come back again!
From J.K. and family, guests August 2021
“ This is without doubt the best Villa I have ever stayed in in all my years travelling to Tuscany through Invitation to. From the size to the furnishings, layout, kitchen and ambience. Down a track surrounded by trees the seclusion is excellent. It is a little slice of heaven. The personal touches inside the Villa no doubt collected over the years by the owner gives the villa a homely touch with many interesting things to look at (Check out the downstairs bathroom to learn a bit about the owner!) even that piqued our interest 😊. The pool is an oasis in the garden with shaded areas to escape from the midday sun (parasols not necessary!) During our time there we didn’t once eat inside - the arched covered outdoor table will accommodate all your needs with a handy barbecue for alfresco dining adding to the delight.
We arrived to a welcome hamper from the owner with delights including the usual authentic Italian delights, local honey, Jam and of course a lovely local Red Wine with Prosecco chilling already in the fridge. Sonia - with limited English (better than my Italian) showed us around the place but we are experts on Tuscan Villas. Everywhere was of course safe (Covid) and immaculately clean. With fresh sheets after the first 5 days it was a home from home.
If you want somewhere close to the Airport at Pisa this is the perfect place. With the coast also near a day at the beach is highly recommended. There is good information in the Villa on local shopping, eating and touristic stuff with personal recommendations included.
All in all, considering the times we are in this is the perfect retreat to get away from it all. The Villa is so special you wouldn’t actually need to leave it as long as you had enough food and drink in stock! We certainly didn’t want to leave.
From P.C., guests August 2021
“ We had the great pleasure of staying at Casa Allioni for a week in August ’21 and it was fantastic. The house and grounds perched on top of the hill overlooking the valley is a breathtaking sight. The home has been beautifully restored keeping the history alive but offering all of the amenities you would expect at home. The pool offered a nice respite from the travels to the towns in this magnificent area. The house is also a short walk from the village with two very good restaurants.
Beverly’s place is a great value considering all that is offered and that can be enjoyed. She is also a fantastic hostess and the benefit of her being around the week we visited was wonderful. She helped us arrange a few catered dinners and the work the team did for my wife’s birthday will never be forgotten by all of us in attendance.
Beverly thank you and we have officially adopted you into our clan and look forward to another visit soon. This is a 5-Star review for a 5-star experience.
From Ina and family, guests July 2021
“ we spent a wonderful time at Pietrina that is situated in a very panoramic position close to San Giustino Valdarno. Pietrina is a traditional tuscan farmhouse that has been enlarged over the times - this explains its somehow warped architecture with a new staircase added to get on the second floor otherwise only accessible by an outer staircase. Typical is also that the rooms on the first floor have a lower ceiling and that the rooms above are lighter, more generous than the ones downstairs. The lower rooms seemed a bit dark to us, it woudn't harm to illuminate them more.There is a lovely terrace on the front side of the house with a generous BBQ station from which you can look at the ample olive grove and the Pratomagno with its heights and woods and another place where to eat and dine under magnificent old oaks looking to the other side, the hills and fields of the Arno valley. Not to forget the sumptuous pool area with enough space to be able to play crocket or KUP (our passion). All this is beautifully arranged with lots of flowerbeds gradually ascending versus the woods. It must be a vast property also producing their own exquisite olive oil of which a sample was waiting for us together with other refreshments when we arrived on this hot Saturday afternoon - thank you for this! The kitchen is small but well thought of: there is everything you need to cook great meals of the delicious food you will find at the stores at San Giustino. We also liked the Pizza place there which you find very easily. The property manager Ali gives excellent advice on every question coming up; she was a great help and much fun to talk to.
The situation at the end of a little valley makes Pietrina a very peaceful retreat, sometimes you will see at dusk some boars coming down to the olive grove, a tame fox showed up asking for a goodie which we refused of course because it has to learn to survive in the wilderness. However, it was extremely sweet. A lasting impression is that this is a very natural and authentic neighbourhood (the next neighbours are not very far away). In fact, we got to love this region that seemed to us not at all as touristy as the Chianti or Crete Senesi and offering a great quality of life. Arezzo is stunning and Florence is not too far to visit for a day.
