All'Ussero Relais Villa Corliano

The location is convenient for Pisa and Lucca, and you can get to the motorway for Florence or Siena quickly. The estate is green, though its paths are all gravel and there is no lighting. The terrace shown in the Booking.com photos wasn’t really usable as a hotel amenity, despite my imagining coffee in the sun there when I booked. It rained at times, but that wasn’t the only issue. The room and furniture were run-down, hygiene seemed questionable, and there was a damp smell. There wasn’t enough room for belongings, and the wardrobe hangers were the only ones available, in a wardrobe that smelled strongly of damp and age. The TV was tiny and far from the bed, there was only one chair, and the bedside tables were too small. The portable air conditioner made noise over 70 db when running. We had a party downstairs the night we arrived, which continued past midnight, and staff were still cleaning after 1 am. Strong winds overnight made some metal doors bang all night, an unbearable noise. The basement breakfast room smelled terribly damp, enough to put me off eating. Breakfast was cold, with cold scrambled eggs, hard bread, sour salami and more, so we didn’t go back. After we complained, maintenance cleaned the room better, removing rubbish left by previous guests, including cream behind the bedside table, and replaced the sheets and towels. But mornings still brought a different 8 am activity, either lawn mowing or septic tank emptying. If you want to sleep in on vacation, forget it. There was no working WiFi. Staff said the rain and thick walls made it unreliable. I travel a lot around the EU and the world, and this was by far my worst experience. The building is centuries old, and the renovation was apparently done in the last century. Whatever shabby chic was meant to be, only the shabby part remains.

The restaurant is well worth a try. We loved the food, atmosphere, and service so much that we’d eat there often if we lived nearby. Even on a rainy day, the place had a magical feel that made us want to slow down and enjoy being there. The villa is more than 500 years old, from what we learned, and still beautifully preserved. Our elegant, comfortable room and the shared spaces both had real character and a sense of history. The room was a little cold because Italian heating rules don’t allow the heat to be turned on before November 1st. The staff kindly brought us an electric heater, which made us comfortable.

We came for a wedding a few years ago, and the peaceful Tuscan countryside around the villa was beautiful. The building is full of history, and the quiet was wonderful. Our room had plenty of character, the staff were very friendly, and we had a lovely experience.

Breakfast was lovely, fresh, and offered a great choice. The staff were friendly and happy to answer questions about the area, with tips for places we’d never have found in a guidebook. It’s a charming, authentic 15th-century villa with a great atmosphere and personal service for the price. Just don’t expect luxury: there’s no elevator, and the stairs are steep. That old-house character is part of what makes it cool.