8/10 Good
Laura S.
15 October 2022
Liked: Cleanliness, location, listing accuracy
Lovely home in beautiful setting,.
We stayed in the downstairs apartment, which was spacious, comfortable and thoughtfully decorated with some lovely antiques. The surrounding grounds, olive orchard and view are also beautiful. We had lots of rain, and especially enjoyed the covered patio—which allowed us to be outdoors and enjoy the view without getting wet! I like to cook while traveling, and appreciated the spacious kitchen with plenty of pots, pans and serving platters. The location is also great for getting to walks through the countryside and exploring nearby towns and villages. And don’t give short shrift to the local village by the house. While we enjoyed Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano, they are very touristy. The village by the house is the opposite—no souvenir shops, restaurants, etc. Nevertheless, their is a great walk (with numbered plaques providing interesting historical notes) up the hill to La Rocca with unparalleled view of the Val d’Orcia. (For groceries we recommend San Quirico d’Orcia rather than the supermarket in Abbadia San Salvatore. We found a great butcher and cheese shop, bakery and produce market all within a few feet of each other.)
We do note that during our 2-months of traveling in Italy, this was the only home we rented that (despite comparable prices) does not include ample linens and towels for the duration of the rental. Rather, they supply one set of sheets and one set of towels per person. Anything additional is an extra charge. Similarly, this was the only rental that charged for use of the washing machine. And while these charges were noted in the house rules, we were not informed until the day of our arrival that (also unlike every other home we rented) they only provide one role of toilet paper in each bathroom, a small amount of dish soap and a few dishwasher soap tabs. We were told that this was to assist until we could go shopping. The difficulty with this approach is that it requires renters to buy far more than they will need—as things like toilet paper, dish soap and paper towels aren’t sold in small enough quantities to just cover a two-week stay.
But, all-in-all, it is a lovely home in a beautiful location.
Laura S.
Stayed 12 nights in Sep 2022
