L'antico casale di Wendy

We’d booked five nights but left after the first because we slept so badly. The house was dusty and not well maintained, the remote was sticky, and the kitchen had very little equipment. There were stains on a bedroom wall. Although it’s listed as having three bedrooms, there are really only two; the third is a room with a curtain instead of a door and a mattress on the floor. The bunk beds have such thin mattresses that they’re only suitable for children, and otherwise can cause terrible back pain. There was no high chair or crib as advertised. The bed creaked and shifted violently whenever we turned over. There were supposed to be mosquito nets, but we couldn’t find them. It was very hot without air conditioning, and opening a window meant letting in swarms of mosquitoes. We kept the only netted window, in the kitchen, open, but the fireplace opens directly into that room, so smoke and its smell spread through the house, even at night. The layout also makes it a poor choice for families with children: the bedrooms and kitchen are upstairs, there are stairs to the bathroom, and another flight down to the small living room and front door. The large terrace is in full sun all day and has no parasol; the broken wooden outdoor table isn’t inviting either. The brick and stone construction makes it a bit unusual compared with other houses, but the place is very poorly maintained and not equipped as advertised. I don’t recommend it.

A beautiful farmhouse with all the comforts.