kwren

I wonder if anyone can comment on either or both of these places...it's not a final decision, but I thought it would help guide me and both look nice. At least we are pretty solid on the area of Tuscany we prefer (but that's not engraved in stone either)

We (my husband and I and 2 teens) are going to spend 5 days in Southern Tuscany next summer and most of the agriturismo that appeal to me only rent out for a week, so I started considering other places.

Al Poggiolo in Montepulciano, apt 4 (unless another is nicer - we do want that view)
Il Poggiolo just outside of San Quirico d'Orcia

I'm not trying to be funny with the 2 names - it just turned out that these so far are the only 2 in the price range, location we think we prefer (never having been there) and good for 5 days.

One is in town and the other one seems to be out in the country with a pool. Honestly, I'm not sure how to decide between town and country - every post I read about that decision makes me say that sounds good! Should we throw out either of these options?

Also - I know Europeans don't use A/C often and are used to the summer heat, but my son and I were in Italy the year of the big heatwave and it was brutal. Do I pay attention to the claims of nice evening breezes or should I listen to my kids who love A/C? My view is that if there is A/C everyone will stay inside. What has anyone who has been there in the summer thought about this?

Thanks so much

bobthenavigator

Tough choice, but the AC question is really your call.
Montepulciano will have more food options.

Have you looked at this one--very family friendly but in the country near Pienza.
http://www.cretaiole.it/index.en.php

Flame123

I have spent 3 nights at Il Poggiolo just outside San Quirico. It was not summer though, it was beginning November, and the weather was super beautiful. We actually needed to heat in the evenings but daytime was great. I can highly recommend this residence and the apartments, depending on which you choose of course, are large and wonderful for families. The young man Michele who runs it is a wealth of information and a very sweet guy.

The subject of staying inside a small town and walking to and from dinner, or staying outside of town and needing to drive to dinner (and therefore not being able to enjoy much wine), is a very subjective one. Everyone has their favorite. Personally I have done both, in various different trips, and they both have their plusses and minuses. It is just a question of which tips the balance for you.

Let me know if you have any other specifi questions I might help you with.

kwren

Hi Bob - I love the Cretaiole too, but I wrote to them and they only rent by the week.

Thanks Flame - Which apt were you in and how was the view? If you wanted to hang out there for the day, were there places to be comfortable? Some places I have looked at have one very small uncomfortable-looking couch for 4 people and that's it (!) I guess what would tip the balance between town and country would be the lodgings and if I got strong opinions either for or against any. I'm thinking that without AC it might be cooler in the country, but maybe I'm wrong on that. We won't drink much at all if we have to drive as we get annoyingly non-stop 'don't drink and drive reminders' from the kids - didn't we do a good job!

Neither of the 2 Poggiolos has AC - just wondering if people who have been in Tuscany in the summer have strong AC opinions either way.

Forgetting the AC for now - here are 3 others villas/hotels- does anyone have thoughts either good or bad on these as well? Location? The lodgings? Anything? I'm all ears for these as well as the 2 in the original post as well.


Albergo Il Rondò-outside the walls of Montepulciano-walk up a steep hill-gardenviews only
http://www.nautilus-mp.com/tuscany/a...index_ing.html

Casa Vacanze Borgo Villa Risi - a bit farther north
http://www.borgovillarisi.it/agriturismo.php?lingua=ing

Casa Bolsinina - closer to Siena
http://www.bolsinina.com/visita.html

Il Poggiolo http://www.poggiolo.info/

Al Poggiolo http://www.appartamentialpoggiolo.it/

Flame123

kwren,

I don't think that Il Poggiolo will rent daily either in the summer. Since we were there off-season, it was not a problem. We stayed in the Casa Mucciola and the view was fabulous. There were plenty of places to relax both inside the apartments and outside (and inside) in the public areas, as well as a pool. As for a/c, Tuscany can be brutal in the summertime in terms of heat and depending on where you are coming from and what kind of weather you are used to, as well as your heat tolerance, you would have to make that decision on how important a/c is for you. Personally, I would never choose town or country accomodations for myself in the summer without a/c.

kwren

Thanks for your input flame! The family is split on the AC - I don't really care and I'm the one planning it!

I'll write to Il Poggiolo to be sure, but they only list daily rates on their website. Thanks for the heads up.

zoecat

With regard to A/C-

I have been in the area in May when temps reached 90-95 degrees for almost 2 weeks. What I found was that the walls in my agriturismo apartment were so thick that the heat never penetrated. I kept the windows open at night to let in the cool air and then shut them during the day. The apartment never got hot and stayed rather cool. I stay at Fonte Bertusi, but they only rent by the week in the summer. Any chance you can extend your time to 7 days?

I am one who prefers staying in the countryside. It is so nice to be surrounded by the beauty, shaded areas/patio and it is great to have the pool, especially in the summer heat.

kwren

zoecat - It's going to depend on if the kids decide they can skip Pisa, and if so we would have 6 days in Tuscany. The other problem is that coming south from Switzerland, it seems like we'd have to take a 5 am train to be able to check into an agriturismo on time - I don't know (yet) if they would/could exten check-in to a later time. So much to look into!!!

I think I'm leaning more toward the county. Countryside stay in the Bernese Oberland and city in Lucca before Tuscany, then city apt in Rome - seems like we have to insert some country in the middle! Thanks for sharing your perspective - it helps!

zoecat

I'm sure if you ask about the late check-in they will allow it. They just need to know so that they can arrange their schedule.

One other thought with regard to the one week minimum required stay at an agriturismo or apartment in the summer-

It may be worth checking if they will rent for your 5 or 6 days. In the past, I have stayed for 9-10 days, so they have had to rent the apartment for the remaining days of the week after I left. You never know- there may be availability for your days. It certainly can't hurt to ask.

If you do end up staying in a town apartment, be sure to find out about parking. That is another nice thing about staying in the countryside- parking is not an issue.

kwren

I have checked with a few about staying the 4 days and it was no go. Maybe if I had asked about 6 days it would have been different, but sadly I don't have 6 days. Good point about the parking - I have been checking on that for the places we're considering in the bigger towns. One advantage of staying right in Montepulciano is that we could tour without worrying about where to park.

Funny how it hadn't occurred to me to ask about a late check-in though! They all seem so definite with their exact windows of time for checking in. I'll add that to my questions in making that decision. Thanks!