Gorgeous Villa with Outstanding Hostess

Guest: Pam (Malibu, California)
Date of Stay: 10/08/11 Review Submitted: 04/30/12

Villa Calcinaia and its surrounding property are just as beautiful as they look in the photos, and Paola is every bit as wonderful a hostess as everyone else has said. She is warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, and interesting to talk to. When you meet her, you immediately feel that you’ve made a new, dear friend. We were two couples who stayed there for a week in October, 2011. One of us likes to cook, and so we made a few trips to the Ipercoop, which should be visited just to see its bountiful displays of fruits, vegetables, cheese, fish, everything! As others have mentioned, there is also a very good restaurant in walking distance of the villa. Another excellent restaurant in Lastra a Signa is Antica Trattoria Sanesi, which is well-known for its outstanding (and huge) Bistecca alla Florentina. If you feel ambitious, you can walk up, up, up the street outside the villa to see an old church and lovely views. On the way, you can even see the Duomo in Florence if you look carefully. Paola’s walking tour of Florence was also delightful. We especially liked the elaborately decorated old pharmacy, and I loved the charming bar that served the best cappuccino I’ve ever had. Thanks, Paola, for everything. We hope to see you again someday!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

wonderful location near Florence

Guest: kristi m.
Date of Stay: 04/14/12 Review Submitted: 04/29/12

We were a group of 12 and rented both of Paola's homes on her property. They were wonderfully decorated and large enough for us to entertain together and also have our own space. The property is beautiful and peaceful. Paola is a wonderful host that helped us get to the train station and welcomed us with a wonderful food platter when we arrived. The walking tour of Florence was a special bonus! Thank you Paola for being an amazing host!

Recommended for:Families with young children, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

Perfect

Guest: Angela A. (Brussels, Belgium)
Date of Stay: 04/07/12 Review Submitted: 04/19/12

My entire family loved this villa. We were a party of eight, three generations, ages 13 to 68. This villa is located in the Tuscany of your dreams- set in an orchard of olive trees, flowers and rolling hills. You could not ask for a more beautiful or peaceful setting. The villa itself is warm and inviting, lovingly decorated, with plenty of room for our family to gather. We hired Carla, the chef, to come cook two dinners for us. We highly recommend her. Also, there is a fantastic restaurant nearby which served us a phenomenal Easter dinner. Paola, the owner, wants nothing more than her guests to be happy and satisfied. Paola personally gave us a guided tour of her Florence, taking us to places not found on big, impersonal tours. Personally, I loved seeing Florence's oldest market and pharmacy. The pharmacy is not what you would expect, very beautiful and historical. Paola also took us for the most fantastic cappuccino while in Florence and she patiently took pictures of our entire family standing in front of the many wonderful sights there. The villa is in the countryside but is easily accessible to Florence. We made day trips to Pisa, Sienna, and a few other gorgeous, small Italian villages. Lastra a Signa, the village where the villa is located, is an easy exit off the highway and has a fine, large supermarket for your every need or desire. I can not complement this villa or it's owner highly enough. I promise you, this IS the villa you want. We can't wait to return.

Owner response:Dear Angela, you and your Family were great guests and I'll be very happy to share with you this heaven's corner.Pls,say hello to your mom and dad. Hoping to meet you soon ,or here again,or in Brussels as well Lot of Love Paola

Recommended for:

This is the right choise

Guest: Shirley (Tel-Aviv, Israel)
Date of Stay: 08/19/11 Review Submitted: 03/07/12

Our family spent a lovely week at Villa Calcinaia in August 2011. We were 3 generations at the house, 10 persons from the age 3 to 80. There are few advantages in this house in addition to the fact that it is in the lovely area of Toscana. The location is great in a short drive to the attraction towns. It is around 15 minutes drive from Firenze by car or five minutes drive to the railway station to get to Firenze. In less than an hour, which is around the limit drive for young kids, we got to Pisa on the west, or San Gimignano and Siena in the south. The house is decorated in the Tosacany taste, air conditioned with kitchen fully equipped and has a very nice and big pool which was very important in the very hot week that we have spent there. The house is located in a wide garden and winery. There is also a computer with WiFi access. If you are tired of cooking you have 2 restaurants in a few minutes walking from the villa. The most important advantage is the owner – Paola. Her house is connected to the villa and she keeps her eye that the guests will enjoy themselves, gives them advises were to visit, eat, shop and even tour with you in the area. Her hospitality is the most important reason for choosing this villa and not another house in the area. When you live in this house you have your privacy but you can get any advice from Paula in anything you need and anytime.

Owner response:Dear Shirley, We were such well impressive with all your nice Family and I really thank you Revital and Nissim for their good " words of mounth" Hoping to meet you again or here or in Tel Aviv Paola

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Enjoy the Beauty and Hospitality of Tuscany

Guest: NorCal (Yuba City, CA, USA)
Date of Stay: 10/15/11 Review Submitted: 12/16/11

Villa Calcinaia more than exceeded our expectations for a villa in Tuscany and gave our party of eight mature adults superb quarters for our exploration of Tuscany. The owner, Paola, could not have been more kind and helpful and welcoming. You will not find a more delightful hostess and, to top it off, she welcomed us with a generous spread of wine and appetizers. Staying in the beautiful countryside outside of Florence made exploring the many towns and villages of Tuscany so easy and each night we felt so lucky to be returning to beautiful Villa Calcinaia. We unanimously recommend this villa and it's lovely owner to families and groups.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Our stay in Villa Calcinaia

Guest: Wendy Prince
Date of Stay: 09/30/11 Review Submitted: 10/12/11

Our family of eight stayed at Villa Calcinaia in Lastra a Signa, 15 minutes outside of the center of Florence. The villa is beautiful and has everything including a wonderful kitchen. Paola had a feast ready for us when we arrived. We had rooms with antiques and the latest in interior decor. The luxurious bathrooms had the latest amenities and divine shower gels and soaps. There is a pool and olive groves surrounding the villa. The two children in our family enjoyed exploring the property. They loved the pool! There was free WiFi access. The true jewel on the property is Paola the owner. She went out of her way to assist us in all matters and gave us a walking tour of Florence. She even picked us up at the train station and came back a second time to bring all of our eight family members to the villa. There was no request too difficult for her to handle. We stayed for a week and had a dream of a vacation. We rented a car for three days. Paola helped us with the rental. We could not have asked for a more gracious hostess. Her family lives in a private home connected to the villa. There is another villa owned by Paola, called Villa Cipressi that will house less guests. Villa Cipressi is on the same property but not close to the Villa Calcinaia. There is privacy. If you want to stay in heaven for a week I would highly recommend Villa Calcinaia and the angel's name is Paola.

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Fabulous property, wonderful hosts

Guest: Leili (La Jolla, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 07/24/11

My family along with one other family had the pleasure of staying at villa calcania last week and we were very happy with our choice. Not only was the home beautiful and equipped with all necessities, the hospitality we received from Paola was over and beyond anything we had expected. It felt like we were guests at her home and she was so welcoming and wonderful. We particularly enjoyed the very beautiful and safe pool on the property - the weather was very hot during our stay and the kids had many many hours of fun at the pool. Thank you Paola and Fabrizio for a wonderful stay. We hope to see you again very soon.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with young children, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

Superlative House and Hostess nearby Florence

Guest: maz (East Syracuse, New York)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 07/09/11

My family and I and a friend celebrated my 80th year for one week, June 18-25,2011. Superlatives are all I and they have to say for Paola and Fabrizio. We were greeted after arriving from Rome by train to a welcome tray which included Italian meats,white pizza,regular pizza. sweets, wine, water and some lemoncella. We were urged to enjoy and take time to relax. The villa suited us perfectly ; with common and private space; it is clean and attractively furnished; the kitchen has everything one needs to cook a complete meal or have a simple breakfast There were two HD TVs and a computer strictly for our use. The TVs failed one day beacuse of a storm but a service man came immediately to fix the problem. The walking trip to Florence with Paola was a wonderful experience and she treated all six of us to the best gelato in town. She showed and explained how to get the best bargains in leather goods, which several did. She made reservations for us for the Uffizi and the Accademia which are essential.She did this before I left home. Becasue seh lives on this beautiful properth, she was always available. If not in person, by cell phone. Paola drove us into town on more than one occasion and was always available to answer questions or head us in the right direction. Her rental is ideally located. There is a small , Mom and Pop grocery store within a short walking distance if one doesn't want to drive into Lastra a Signa to the huge supermarket. At the bottom of the hill a short walking distance away is a very fine restaurant where we enjoyed dinner. There is another excellent restaurant a little further away atop a hill where we had a meal fit for kings, overseen by the chef. For my birthday celebration dinner, I hired a chef recoomended by Paola.She came to the hosue and the meal she prepared was outstanding. There was enough food left over to make a meal the following night. Given the cost of dining in Italian restaurants, we found these meals to be reasonably priced. The swimming pool was always there for a refreshing swim. The views, breathtaking. The night before we left, another gelato treat from Paola in town where we joined with the locals sitting in the square. The morning of our departure she gave us a gift of lovely bars of soap made in the area Paola will always be a part of my life; she is permanently in my heart. My family immediately fell in love with her and her caring manner and I am sure if the occasion rises they will be back someday.

Recommended for:Pet owners, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.

Bella Toscana!!!!

Guest: Marcia (Sao Paulo / Brasil)
Date of Stay: 06/05/11 Review Submitted: 07/06/11

I do have a love affair with Tuscany and my stay for the second time in this wonderful property just keep improving my love!!! The house is very charming,confortable,tastefully decorated, is really a dream came true!!! Thanks dear Paola for your marvellous hospitality!!! And don't forget I'll came back again next year,make my reservation please!!! Thank you,it was a pleasure!!!Arrivederci!! Marcia Bueno Netto from Sao Paulo - Brasil

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Fantastic

Guest: julia (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 03/17/11 Review Submitted: 05/27/11

The property and accommodations were excellent but what made it outstanding was our host, Paola. We were 3 couples in our 60's and this location was excellent to explore the Tuscany area. We went to Venice, Sienna, Pisa, Assissi, Centre Terre; all within driving distance. The train to Florence was only 5 minutes away and it only took about 15 minutes to get there. We did take the train to Venice but it was costly since there were 6 of us. It would have been a lot cheaper if we drove. We would come back again. We were 3 weeks in Italy and this was the best. You felt like you were in an estate and the pictures on VRBO does not give it justice. We highly recommend Piazzale Michelangelo.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with teenagers.