The place is located far off from cities or roads, so is absolutely tranquil and peaceful, and can be reached via a winding dirt road, surrounded by loads of green, jasmine, rosemary and beautiful views, the only sounds you hear are birds and cicadas. So perfect for anyone looking for a truly quiet time. It is part of a little borgo (traditional old small hill village) with just a handful of stone houses, some of which are still inhabited. There used to be an Osteria and restaurant next door, but sadly apparently they haven´t survived Corona. Due to the rather long drive to a supermarket (ca. 1/2 hr), I´d recommend to bring what you need for the day of arrival and the next breakfast. Since there are no other apartments, the pool is truly private - just for the occupiers of the house. Strictly speaking, its an apartment, not a whole house, but with the own entrance and the owners living upstairs and using a different part of the house, it FEELS like a house.
The kitchen is well stocked, with a variety of pots and pans, cutlery, kitchen utensils, microwave, 4-burner gas hob, oven etc. There is even a washing machine, and the shower has excellent water pressure. The wifi was surprisingly good/fast, even for streaming, while my mobile phoen Vodafone coverage was practically zero, with the occasional Edge coverage (just as useless except for sms).
The owners Alida and her husband are absolutely lovely and very welcoming, yet not intruding at all. We didn´t see them most of the days, but they were only a Whatsapp message away, and even brought us some excellent homemade pizza one day!
They have been also very patient and understanding with us arriving much later than announced, because erroneously and carelessly we first followed our gps directions to Gaiole in Chianti, which actually is about 20-30 minutes away from the borgo Starda. Search for Fattoria Castello Di Starda, which is in Google Maps, and is right next door to the holiday home.
All in all, a wonderful experience and we most certainly will come back!
