Sant'Apollinare

Ornella and Claudio welcomed me so warmly when I arrived. Her family has been here for four generations, and Claudio has worked as a local tour guide for 22 years. It’s a beautiful, calming landscape, with fruit and vegetables grown on the farm. They make fresh organic food, much of which she sells in town: cheeses, cured meats, jams, olives, artichokes, oil, and wine. Some guests from Lombardi told me the food was authentic too, and they bought plenty to take home. My room was spacious and very clean, and the bed was comfortable. The dogs were friendly and well behaved, barking only when guests arrived by car. I’d read some really harsh reviews, but trusted my instincts and was glad I booked. If you want a real farm stay where you can relax and enjoy delicious food, I’d recommend it.

We dropped in for lunch while exploring the lovely small towns around Val D’Orcia and Mount Amiata. Everything felt welcoming and homemade, like being at home in the middle of a film set, with that incredible scenery all around. The food was excellent and locally produced. It’s a family-run place, and I’d definitely suggest stopping for lunch or dinner.

We barely slept because the dogs barked for much of the night. The included breakfast was cold coffee with meat, bread, and cheese thrown on a plate. The food was average and outrageously expensive. This was the worst experience we had in Italy. The reply below felt patronizing. We were never given a menu or any choice of meals. €30 for antipasto and a glass of wine at lunch is ludicrous, and €40 for the amount and quality of dinner we got was worse. Breakfast was hunks of meat and cheese, stale bread, and cold coffee. The small dogs barked much of the night, and other reviews make clear we’re not the only ones to mention it. The food and service bill was completely unreasonable. It felt awful to be taken advantage of and ripped off, especially since we’d arrived on foot and were stuck there.

The rooms were excellent and spotless, and the couple running the place were very pleasant. The dog, though, barked for half the night. As a stop on the via, this could have been great, but the food was mediocre and overpriced, and the coffee came cold. Lunch and dinner for two cost €140, which just wasn’t worth it. In one word, no.