Cascina Vicentini

The kids loved the animals, and the Jacuzzi was a nice extra. Great food, an excellent host, and attentive service. It’s a very nice building in a lovely location. We had a great experience and nothing to complain about!

The food was the best: cheese from the neighbour, homemade bread and jam, parpadelle with boar ragu, and farm chicken with roast vegetables. The host was so friendly, and our dog was more than welcome. There are two doggos and eight cats on site. We had a spacious room with a balcony, and the hot jacuzzi had an amazing view across the valley. Parking was on site too. We liked everything and are already looking forward to coming back one day.

A relaxed country feel in a tiny village, with walking trails all around and lots of historic and enogastronomic spots nearby. The kind, friendly owner made us feel comfortable. Delightful place, and we’re looking forward to coming back!

I don’t like leaving a negative review, but I had a disappointing experience with a recent nursery purchase. In November I ordered two potted roses, “Rose du roi” and “Felicité parmentier.” The website lists them at €20 each in a 20-pot pot. When the parcel arrived, I raised concerns with the seller straight away. She told me to “wait and keep you updated.” I’ve bought several roses from different nurseries over the past few months, so I feel I have a reasonable basis for comparing the plants and their prices. My first impression, though not the main issue, was that these looked like very young, newly potted bare-root plants rather than the kind of potted roses usually sold for €20. There were a couple of small shoots above a very high graft point. I compared them with other Portland and Alba roses, to account for their similar growth habits. The bigger problem was how they’d been packed, and it ultimately led to the death of one plant, the Felicité parmentier. The parcel had obvious fractures. Many buds and little branches were broken, the main “branches” were frayed, and soil from the root ball had spilled inside. Part of the root ball, with the plants attached, was out of the pot, especially on the Alba, leaving the grafted roots exposed. I told the seller all of this just minutes after opening the package. She said she had to repot them before sending them, which doesn’t seem suitable to do before shipping. First she said, “I put them in smaller pots for easier shipping,” then changed her explanation to, “In the Piedmont region, they have to check the roots for some parasites before shipping.” The parcel also had none of the protective packing I’ve seen from the other nurseries I’ve ordered from, like empty plastic pots, straw, newspaper padding, or a “fragile contents” marking, to help the plants survive the trip and rough handling by couriers. I followed the instructions to plant them in the ground and waited. The Alba is now completely blackened, and I’ll give it a few more days before digging it up. The Portland seems to be doing well. I planted about twenty roses, and of them, the Felicité parmentier, which had the worst damage to its root ball and above-ground growth, is the only one that died.