Villa La Foce

The fenced, secluded grounds felt so comfortable that we spent about three-quarters of our holiday there, even though we'd planned daily trips around the area. The children loved being able to run around and explore freely. At dusk, we even saw deer right by the house. The villa sits at 880m, which kept things pleasant even when the valley was at 38°C, with a gentle breeze always blowing. The landscaped grounds are lovely, with native plants, and the villa is very clean and well maintained, furnished in a stylish Tuscan style. The "Princess Suite" beneath the pool was the standout, with a direct valley view from the bed. My daughter naturally claimed it. Castillon Fiorentina is nearby and has everything you need: supermarkets, an old town with a castle, ice cream parlors with delicious ice cream, events, and restaurants. Prices seemed very reasonable compared with Germany. A large pizza was only €6, and a family meal with drinks came to around €35. No complaints there. We didn't find hiking trails close by. We walked 4 km one way, but only along roads without sidewalks. We didn't explore much more, so there may well be trails elsewhere nearby. Wi-Fi was available, though weak, and Netflix streaming didn't always work, but it was manageable. For me, this was one of my best vacations ever, in a truly fantastic villa. Many thanks to the property manager, who spoke excellent English. Speaking German wasn't possible.

I called about booking the property for New Year's Eve with some friends and was told it was available. When the promised email didn't show up, I called again. They again said it was available and that they'd email me straight away, but hours passed with nothing. Then another person in our group called and was told it had been unavailable since the previous day, and that they had just been putting me off. The people on the phone were kind, which is the only reason for the one star, but I was disappointed and felt cheated. For such a beautiful property, I expected much more honesty.

Tuscany at its best: simply beautiful, with a sublime view.