Maria Gabriella Home & Cottage

Montichiello felt like the Tuscany we'd been hoping to find: authentic, friendly, and relaxed. After seeing all the museums, driving around Tuscany, and visiting Monticello and Montipulciano, this place left us with that feeling. It's quiet, and at night you can have the ancient town to yourself. Pienza is visible on a distant hilltop. We spent two nights in late September 2024. The property and view were astounding. After some hectic travels in Italy, we arrived, had wine in the garden, and relaxed. Guido and Simonita were attentive and gave us a warm taste of local life. There are top restaurants a 100-metre walk into town, and the best dinners we had in Italy were there, at half the price. A grocery store is 200 metres the other way. The room had a high ceiling with beams, a great bed, and a very useful, roomy fridge, better than any we'd had elsewhere. The shower was excellent, with three spout settings. Simonita made a very nice breakfast, and Guido helped with restaurant recommendations and bookings. When we return to Tuscany, Montichiello will be our preferred destination, and we'd gladly stay here again.

The views here are amazing, in the morning and evening alike. We stayed a couple of days in a clean garden cottage, and there were no obvious downsides to the house. Breakfast was pretty nice, though I'd have preferred bread with cheese or ham instead of another croissant or toast with Nutella. The owner was very kind, offered tea and coffee, and suggested nice restaurants in Montichiello and Pienza.

We only stayed one night and wished we'd booked longer for the views. The breakfast was delicious too. It's an amazing place, just a 2-5 minute walk from the middle of Monticchiello, and a great base for exploring nearby towns and wineries.

We had a really good stay at Maria Gabriella. Thanks so much for the warm welcome, comfortable rooms, and good breakfasts. We'd definitely recommend this place. See you next time, Domi and Julien.