Old villa nestled in the hills of Chianti

10 of us (5 couples -- no kids!), spent 8 nights here. And we loved it!

First of all, this Villa has a million-dollar view of the countryside, including San Gimignano in the far distance. Every sunrise and sunset here (and everything in between) was magical.

The Villa itself combines the best of both worlds: old-world charm on the outside (parts of the exterior date from the 1700's), and new world convenience on the inside (thanks to a thorough renovation by the owners Eleonora and Andrea).

The Villa is tastefully decorated, and the kitchen and living areas on the ground floor are spacious and comfortable. All five bedrooms (which are on the second floor) have their own bathrooms, with another full bathroom on the ground floor. There's also a tall spiral staircase leading to a small third-floor room in the cupola with a single bed (which none of us used, but it was fun to look out the windows from there).

Sheets and towels are provided, and there is a washing machine for clothes (no dryer, but good old fashioned air drying is easy given the low humidity). Soap and shampoo are not provided, but there was an adequate collection left behind from previous visitors.

There's a separate building next to the main Villa, which encloses a room with some fitness equipment (which we frankly didn't use because we preferred to be outside), and a covered patio with tables and chairs and a perfect view, which we used for some of our meals. (Eleonora, her Mom and Andrea made us a wonderful Tuscan dinner at our request one night.)

The Villa produces its own olive oil and wine, and the kitchen came stocked with both of these and a good selection of other wines, too (we were charged at the end of our stay only for what we used).

The Villa is situated in the hills just outside of Certaldo which, although a relatively small town, has great restaurants, cafes, bakery shops and a modern Coop grocery store (not to mention an outdoor market on Wednesday mornings).

This is the perfect central location for exploring Tuscany -- all of the major sites (Florence, Siena, Pisa, Chianti) are within about just one hour’s drive from Certaldo. We spent a whole day in San Gimignano, with its many towers, which is close enough that we could see it from the Villa.

If and when we return to Tuscany, we will definitely want to stay here again. The only improvement that we’d suggest is the WiFi reception, which was rather spotty.

We were 8 women on an adventure in Italy and this villa could not have been more perfect!! Our host Eleonora met us in Certaldo at the train station and guided us up the hillside to the Villa. The villa is spectacular. Beautifully decorated. The photos do not do this place justice. There was plenty of space for the 8 of us to enjoy time together and also to find a quiet space to be alone and read a book. We were there in mid Sep and the weather was so hot we made good use of the beautiful pool and pool area.

The views from the villa were amazing. The property is full of fruit trees and very well maintained. Eleonora is extremely friendly and welcoming and truly is available for your every request. We had her and her mother and aunt come to make us a pizza dinner one night. Again, spectacular. The food was SO good and SO fresh. I would have liked to taken them home to be my private cooks! :) One evening we wanted to go out for a special dinner and not have to worry about driving and Eleonora and her boyfriend (soon to be husband) drove us and picked us up in their vehicles.

I would recommend this place very highly and would love to return one day. I honestly cannot say enough wonder things about the villa and the host.

Alice

This was a 3 generation party. 5 bedrooms each with their own bathroom was exactly right. The facilities were ideal - a shaded loggia for al fresco eating/reading, a good play area, an excellent pool - all with a super setting with magnificent views over the Tuscan countryside to San Gimignano.

The kitchen was well equipped with a good sized cooker for a party of 10.

On the downside wifi was poor - not just the internet speed over which the property has little control: but the router was old and needed updating. Secondly a very minor change to the step down to the loggia would have made it very much user friendlier. Minor points.

Il Casolare was perfect for us as a group of 10 people with changing parties of family and friends (and dogs!). The house is huge, very comfortable, perfectly equipped, clean and very well maintained and managed by Eleonora and Andrea. Apart from the stunning views and landscape and the region as a whole, Eleonora tries to anticipate everything you may want to know. What is special about this property, is that you have a seating area everywhere you would like to have one, depending on the time of day - be it morning, noon and aperitivo time - this is exceptional as many properties don't provide this. We stayed through the beginning of Spring and the temperatures were still relatively low, but the heating worked great and once the mid day sun hit, we sat outside in a protected corner and just loved it. Due to the set up of the booking site, there are several cost items which you only hear about from Eleonora - they all make sense but it is good to know about them. A wonderful stay!

We had fantastic stay at this great villa with an awesome swimming pool. The place is very much out of town but there are a LOT of great sites and destinations within 1-2 hour drive. We were two families and had lots of room to expand with 5 very generous size bedrooms, each with its own clean, modern bathroom. No AC, but the fans in each room were helpful. Nice set up for BBQ and seating outside (Beware of mosquitoes - and keep an eye out for bats flying around to catch mosquitoes at night).

Eleonora and family were great hosts, with great recommendations - friendly and helpful from the moment they connect r with us at the train station parking lot to show us the way to the home. Eleonora was always a quick text away and very responsive to getting us what we needed. The washing machine is small by US standards, but great to have, especially with kids. The cafe by the train station in Certaldo is a great stop before going on any day trips. Make sure to check out the Fiorentine steak special dinner in old Certaldo - Eleonora can get you a reservation. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend this home - great for large families or lots of friends. Thank you Eleonora! Until next time.