The most amazing week of my life!

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/29/11 Review Submitted: 11/11/11

We spent a week at Villa Stefania (1 & 2) with our families, 7 adults and 4 kids ages 3-14. The property is perfectly situated in the hills across from the beautiful village of Cortona. It is a perfect location for a home base while exploring the beauty of Tuscany. We spent our days in the surrounding areas, whether walking through the hilly, picturesque streets of Cortona or taking the train from the easily accessible Camucia into Florence, and our evenings cooking meals for our family in the well-equipped kitchen. We were ecstatic to see that the dining table fit us all perfectly! While we were too late in the season to enjoy the swimming pool, it was still beautiful enough out to grab a book to read poolside and enjoy just being on the well-kept grounds. Luigi and Stefania were fantastic hosts. Luigi even came down from the house to lead us back up on the first night since we got there well after dark. We saw them a few times throughout the week as they were harvesting the olives from the trees (thank you so much for the AMAZING first press oil!). When we arrived, we were greeted by a bottle of Chianti and a wonderful recommendation for local pizza. The house is huge and charming. We spent hours sitting outside drinking wine and letting our children play on the grounds. Our daughter keeps asking to go back to the "Italy House": I look forward to the day that I can say "ok!" This was truly the most memorable trip of our lives.

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

fantastic familyvacation in Cortona (Belgian family)

Guest: Lidwine (Belgium)
Date of Stay: 08/13/11 Review Submitted: 08/24/11

We just returned from one week familyvacation (one mid-age couple and four young couples) in villa "Stefania" and it was even more beautiful then shown in VRBO...The villa was really comfortable: beautiful bedrooms , great kitchen(s) , a good terrace to sit and eat outside, the garden with the olive trees .....the pool is large and has a really astonishing view on the surrounding hills and on Cortona !!! We had a bit doubts going on with this contract via internet without having seen the house or having met the owners but the e-mailcontacts with Luigi gave us more confidence and the minute we met the friendly Luigi and Stefania and saw the house we were completely convinced that our first feeling was right.It was a dreamlocation and we had an unforgettable week ... Dear Luigi and Stefania , thank you for the olive oil , the crostata di frutti di bosco , the guiding to the coop when we arrived , the advices given ...everything ! Of the seven times we went to Tuscany , this was absolutely the best... We really hope to go back !! The location is really ideal, so many typical towns easy reachable, such a beatiful part of Tuscany... "excellent" is the only right rating!

Owner response:Many Thanks!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Family holiday from UK, Netherlands and Australia

Guest: Glen (Melbourne, Victoria , Australia)
Date of Stay: 07/31/10 Review Submitted: 11/24/10

We had a wonderful family holiday with 5 adults (including Aussie grandparents) and 4 kids under 6. Everything was fantastic. Luigi and Stefania (and the family who kept the pool and the watering under control) were very generous with their help and advice with a small medical issue we had. The farmhouse was very comfortable, wonderfully appointed, very comfy beds, airconditioned in each room. Bathrooms all over the place, great outdoor eating and the pool was amazing. Our only comment is that Internet connection was spasmodic. When that is sorted out it will be perfect

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, pet owners, families with young children, girls getaway, age 55+.

We are coming back!

Guest: Julian (St.John's, Newfoundland, Canada)
Date of Stay: 09/09/10 Review Submitted: 11/08/10

Trip of a lifetime! A mother and daughter's trip we want to make annually. Villa Stefania, a is a place to us that tugs at the heart strings and begs us to come back. There is not a day when being there is not on our minds.The Villa is in a perfect location to create the feeling of being immersed into Tuscan life and was everything we wished for and more. It was our own paradise, like waking up in a painting! From the wonderful people to the incredible food and wine, Cortona was full of unexpected, amazing moments and life long memories. Our villa hosts Luigi, Stefania and family, are beautiful people and were remarkably warm and gracious and they have endeared themselves to us. It was absolutely magical! We can not wait to return!

Owner response:Many Thanks!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, pet owners, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Great Location

Guest: Clare (Malaysia)
Date of Stay: 07/03/10 Review Submitted: 08/31/10

We rented both villas for a week in July and it really was as lovely as it looks in the pictures. We had 4 children aged 2 to 8 and they had a fantastic time running around the grounds and of course, in the pool. We were two families so having two seperate apartments is great when you want some privacy or the kids need separating for some quiet time! There are some lovely restaurants nearby- i'd recommend IL Melone. The location was great as it's a few minutes drive to Cortona and easy access to some lovely (and very hilly) towns.

Owner response:Many Thanks!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children.

Raue, Isnard, Lambert from France

Guest: Sophie (Paris)
Date of Stay: 08/07/10 Review Submitted: 08/30/10

We spent 2 wonderful weeks in Cortona. We were 6 adults and 7 children aged 5 to 11 in Villa Stefania 1 and 2. The houses are spacious and comfortable and above all located in a beautiful spot surrounded by olive trees and cypress. Everybody enjoyed the nice swimming pool and its view of Cortona and the valley. The home is in a great location for exploring: Cortona (don’t miss Le Celle where Saint Francis of Assisi spent a part of his monastic life, wonderful, 10 minutes from home), Peruggia, Assisi, Montalcino (don’t miss the Abbazia di Sant’Antimo placed in a perfect landscape), Sienna (we attended the last prova the day before the Palio, an excellent alternative with the kids and an incredible experience!), Firenze, etc. Luigi and Stefania are nice hosts trying to answer all your needs. Viva Tuscany, we will get back!

Owner response:Thank for all. Luigi

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Grant Gilliland (Pittsburgh, PA)
Date of Stay: 01/14/10 Review Submitted: 01/14/10

Our Family stayed in this great old Italian Farm house for 17 days while my parents and in and out friends stayed there for 5 weeks in total. We all can to really enjoy the owners and have kept in touch with them often. Cortona is a great central point for day trips. I hope that we can return soon and relive the great memories of our first family trip to Italy. We brought our two children ages 18 months and 3 years old at the time (we now have 3). They loved all of Italy and the house was very kid friendly. We went to the markets in town and in the surrounding towns to shop for all of our food and get the local flair Luigi said that we were their first American family to rent the house and I see that many have followed since. Looking forward to see you again soon. Thank you for such a great trip. Grant and family

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Guest: Little Family1 (Toronto, Canada)
Date of Stay: 08/06/09 Review Submitted: 08/06/09

Our family of four stayed in Villa Stefania 1 for 2 weeks in July 2009, and we absolutely loved it. We were travelling with 2 small children (11 months and 5 years) and both the house and the grounds were well suited to children. The pool is simply stunning - happily, since we spent a lot of time there. Luigi and Stefania were very kind and went the extra mile - for example, organizing a lock for both the pool gate and the exterior door on my daughter's bedroom so that I could sleep at night and not worry! The cold beer and pizza welcoming us after our long journey from Canada was a lovely touch. The location near Cortona is rural, but also handy to services and within easy driving distance of lots of beautiful towns. We had a lovely stay.

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Guest: Jamie Miller (Denver, Colorado)
Date of Stay: 08/02/09 Review Submitted: 08/02/09

We rented both units for our family of 5 in July 2009. The pictures of the villa do not do it justice. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever stayed. It was spacious and comfortable. The kitchen was modern and had everything you could want to cook an italian feast. The pool was very nice with comfortable lounge chairs. Perfect for hanging around reading book. We would definitely recommend this place.

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Guest: fred demarquette (Paris/France)
Date of Stay: 09/01/08 Review Submitted: 09/01/08

We spent a fabulous fortnight in Villa Stefania 1 and 2 with our friends. It is everything one could expect to spend time in Tuscany. We felt that we were discovering a new country, but felt at home at the same time. The houses are very comfortable, perfectly equiped, and the setting is quite magical and so very calm. The pool is great, and the olive grove beautiful. The Villas are perfectly placed at the Tuscan/Umbrian border which make it the center place for numerous visits. It is ideal if you have kids, as you can easily mix pool side activities and cultural visits on the same day. Luigi and Stefania, our fantastic hosts, made our stay all the more perfect not only because of their warm kindness that made us feel that we were immediately "at home", but also by recommending great visits, great eateries, and even managed to organise a cooking class ! We hope to return to Villa Stefania in the near future, and we recommend this beautiful place with absolutely no hesitation.

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