Leon Morto B&B

Leon Morto was a lovely escape from the heat in Japan. Up in the mountains, the temperature there and in the nearby little village was just right for a summer trip. We could unwind by the pool and have a glass of Estathe at the outdoor bar. Lucca and Pisa are both an easy drive, about an hour away. If, like me, you enjoy antique-style homes, this renovated place was originally built in 1718 and is well worth seeing. It's a great choice if tourist crowds and heat in Italy aren't your thing.

Leon Morto has a kitchen, comfortable bedrooms, a sitting pool and an outdoor bar, with stunning mountain views. The small village of Coreglia Antelminelli is only a few minutes away on foot, with restaurants and bars. It's higher up in the mountains, about an hour's drive from Pisa airport. A lovely bed and breakfast for a relaxing stay in Tuscany.

We'd agreed with the owner before arrival that we could use the kitchen, some refrigerator space and the washing machine. It was our first Airbnb stay and our sixth trip to Italy. There were six of us in one car, including three teenagers, so we travelled light. On earlier trips, we'd usually done laundry once a week. There were some good and neutral points too, but I can't fit the full account here, so these are the problems we had. Our teenagers used the metal outdoor pool. They usually wash their feet before going in and enter barefoot. One morning the owner told us they'd badly scratched its bottom and that repairs would cost €500-600. The scratches didn't look worse than when we arrived, when there was already sand and small bits of tree debris on the metal floor, but we agreed to pay as a goodwill gesture. My husband gave the landlord his medical business card with all the necessary information. Even after that agreement, the owner was reluctant to let us use the washing machine, especially the second time. We were allowed only the shortest cycle and had to use the owner's detergent, although I'd brought good eco-friendly capsules. All our light-colored clothes came out yellow. Breakfast was also difficult: about two hours beforehand, the owner made a lot of noise banging pots in the ground-floor kitchen, waking us every morning. One evening my husband broke a glass, picked up the pieces and put them in the trash, which the owner regularly sorted. He said he'd mention it the next morning. At breakfast, the glass pieces had been moved onto the table. My husband explained he'd broken it, wanted to tell them, and would pay. The owners didn't raise it again. We forgot about it until later, when we were accused of trying to hide it. The owner's attitude kept getting more unpleasant. Near the end, she had our departure date wrong and said we were staying until Thursday rather than Friday. When she checked and saw we were leaving Friday, she looked visibly dissatisfied. On the day we left, the owner called my husband over to show him our daughter's footprints on her bedroom wall. He said it could be cleaned, but was told that wasn't possible because of the special plaster and that it would cost around €150-200. We again said insurance would cover it, although we hadn't been told the wall was special or protected, despite being so close to the bed. Right after we left, Airbnb messaged us that the owner was asking for €750 in compensation. We would have settled amicably, but the owner's final sentence to Airbnb said we'd tried to hide the broken glass. After that insult, we rejected the damage claim. And then the kicker: later, Airbnb told us the owner was also claiming we'd damaged the display on one of the two e-bikes we'd rented from him. He'd returned the bikes after our ride and said nothing about damage then. The compensation request went up by another €250. We gave Airbnb a detailed account and forwarded it to our lawyer.

The mountain scenery around this beautiful, welcoming property is lovely, and John and Susan are truly special hosts. We also really enjoyed the breakfast, with a generous spread of both sweet and savory food.