Tenuta di Rota

The views were lovely and the property itself was nice, but it was poorly maintained in places, with a lot of mould, and didn’t feel luxurious. Having to buy your own toilet paper, for example, isn’t luxury. The morning after our wedding, cleaning and landscaping crews arrived at 8 am and made a lot of noise. The property manager hadn’t told us when they would come. If we’d known, we could have asked for a later arrival and had time to gather things from the wedding night. Instead, they cleared away the decorations without asking and threw out my sister’s bouquet, which had a family heirloom attached. We’re still devastated about that. The manager is nice, but could use more experience and guidance hosting events, especially for tourists.

The pools were lovely places for everyone to gather during our relaxing wedding week. The venue is out in the countryside on a hillside, with views in every direction, and the owners are attentive and great to deal with. It’s apartment-style living, so bring your own food and paper goods. Having a car is advisable since there are no Lifts or Ubers, though a couple of locals offer taxi service.

We had a brilliant holiday. The location is beautiful, and the hosts were friendly and helpful. It’s a lovely mix of countryside and the things you need, with the train station about a 15 minute drive away for the express train to Florence. There were 4 adults and 3 children with us, aged 8, 5 and 1, and it worked well for everyone. The kids loved the large pool and the separate kids pool, plus the swings, sandbox, and trampoline. The apartment kitchen had limited facilities but enough for basic meals. Bring salt, pepper, bin bags, washing up liquid, and plenty of big bottles of water, since there’s no drinking water. We’d definitely come back.

We rented the main property, the barn, and a few apartments, and it felt like a home away from home. This is easily the best villa I’ve stayed at. There’s plenty of room and it’s very accommodating, so I’d recommend it to anyone, 10 out of 10. The only drawbacks were the slightly rough road in and getting between the different buildings. Still, it’s a beautiful place with fantastic views.