Casa dei Nonni

I stayed for five nights while moving house, with my daughter, a small dog, and a kitten. The room felt welcoming, if a little old-fashioned, but it wasn't very clean, and neither were the balconies. Each day I had to take the kitten out in its carrier so they could at least vacuum at a time that suited them. On the last day, something came up and I asked if they could tidy the room half an hour later. They said no because an animal was inside. After I complained, they did come in after all. I'll leave aside how they handled it and how rudely they answered. Breakfast was awful: packaged croissants close to their use-by date, undrinkable pod coffee, and cocoa powder that had expired two months earlier. The property has potential.

The owner greeted us himself and was available during our stay. The B&B has three rooms upstairs and a breakfast room downstairs, with a shared mini-fridge in the hall that was handy for drinks and other things. It's in Pianezza, near Turin, about a 10-minute drive from the nearest metro station and a short walk from a bus stop. Our room was reasonably clean and looked after, though the furniture is old but usable. The bathroom was fairly clean too, except the shower tray was a little dirty. There's air conditioning, a TV, and Wi-Fi. Two people fit fine, but three would feel cramped. Breakfast is self-service and there's no time limit, but the selection was mediocre and limited, all packaged or bagged, with some items a bit stale. Coffee came from pods, with milk. It's not a bad place, though a few things could be improved.

The location made it easy to get around, with a bus stop served by two different lines, a well-stocked large supermarket, a shopping center, a cinema, and the city center nearby. We stayed for 4 nights and were very happy with the visit. The owners, Laura and Alberto, welcomed us warmly and paid close attention to what we needed. Our room was spotless, thoughtfully cared for, and felt like home right away. When an unexpected situation came up, the owners were flexible and understanding, and did what they could to make us comfortable. We can't wait to come back, and we'd gladly recommend this place to anyone looking for a wonderful stay in Pianezza. Thanks again, and see you next time!

The appetizers were unusual and delicious, and the sweet fritto misto, made on the spot, went down well too. The cake was good as well. But the savory fritto misto was hard, dry, and inedible. We told the wait staff right away that something was wrong, but nothing changed, and the second course was even worse. It seemed they'd just reheated fried food made earlier. Everyone at the table was disappointed. I booked by phone, and they were very helpful and kind. I also let them know we'd be late because not everyone had arrived, though that didn't help much. Lunch was a flop, even though I usually try to be tolerant. I would've liked the chef to come by, but only after I'd paid full price for 13 menus, with just a €5 discount on the total, was I told there'd been a problem. I felt like Fantozzi in one of his most uncomfortable stories. Such a shame, especially as it was my birthday.