Podere Balliccione

We’d love to return to La Cianella. The room was spotless and comfortable, with a lovely valley view, and breakfast was generous and tasty. The property, pool, and scenery were stunning. Bruno and Daniella were kind and suggested places to see around the area, along with a really good red wine.

Dinner is an easy walk up to Scarlino, about 20 minutes, with plenty of good places to choose from. Breakfast was splendid, with homemade cakes and other things. We also bought some of their smooth, very nice olive oil. Our room was clean and pleasant, with a fantastic view across the valley. The last bit of dirt road to the Agritourismo might give you pause, but don’t worry about it.

The property is beautiful, which makes it a shame that we left feeling we wouldn’t stay again or recommend it. We booked two nights for my 57th birthday, but the air conditioning made the stay miserable, and the owners’ manner changed after we raised the problem. It was nearly 40c outside, and the room was just as hot when we arrived, with the windows open and A/C off. We left it running while we went to dinner, hoping the room would cool, but four hours later it was off and the room was around 35c. Bruno initially seemed great, but after we complained, he said nobody had been in our room. We took him at his word and thought maybe we’d got it wrong. The next day we turned the A/C on before going to the beach. When we got back, it was off again. Before dinner we switched it on, photographed the thermostat, and left. It had been turned off once more by the time we returned. That was three times. We told the owner this was an issue, and he assured us he had checked the security cameras and nobody had entered. We wouldn’t normally leave A/C running when we went out, but this system was old and badly underpowered. It took 7-8 hours to bring the temperature down from 35c to 27c. We turned it on at 12m and it was still above 27 at 7a. The owner knows how slow it is. A couple of other things: the pool is about 3ft deep, only up to my husband’s knees, and he’s 6'1. The bed was flat on the floor, with the mattress top about 24" up. Those are the measurements; we also found the mattress very uncomfortable.

La Cianella made a lovely base for exploring the Maremma coast and the region’s charming hill towns. We enjoyed the easygoing welcome and delicious breakfast, and our spacious room had a stunning view.