Defi house

The apartment itself is beautiful and full of character, right in the historic center, with parking and services nearby. But I’m giving it one star because in 2024, being cut off from the world with no way to communicate is not acceptable. The thick walls mean no mobile operator gets reception inside. The owners know about this but have done nothing to address the inconvenience. For what’s charged per night, Wi-Fi should be the bare minimum, as should air conditioning, which is completely absent. Saying it’s a problem with the village and not their responsibility, or telling guests to use the nearby bar’s free Wi-Fi, doesn’t solve it. Outside the front door, the phone signal was excellent.

This is proof that anyone with a house to rent can apparently imagine they’re a tour operator these days. I found the place on Smartbox through its official app and got in touch just to ask a simple question. The answer was, “I’m not on Smartbox.” Since we work in the industry, and out of basic courtesy, we explained that appearing in the app could mean people book directly, which might cause trouble for the property or future guests. Then we were asked for sensitive information, the Smartbox code, which obviously we wouldn’t share since it’s what lets the owner make the booking. The final reply was, “OK, I’m not on Smartbox anyway.” I wouldn’t expect customer service from someone just doing this on their own, but basic politeness is the least you can expect in a human interaction. Defi nomen omen.

We spent two nights in this lovely little apartment and were genuinely very comfortable. It was clean, quiet, welcoming, and spacious enough for two adults, with everything well equipped. We had a really good stay despite the lack of phone and internet access, which wasn’t the owner’s fault. The small drawbacks were that parking was a bit of a walk away, though not too far, and the shared stairwell definitely needs renovating. I’d recommend it if you’re passing through these beautiful parts of Tuscany.

Monica gave us a very warm, friendly welcome and was incredibly helpful. The four of us, two adults and two girls, stayed for two days in this well-kept apartment in a nice area. It had everything we needed, including a kitchen, TV, shower, heating, and enough beds for the whole family. I highly recommend it!