Ingrid

Hi everybody, <BR>as you see I have done some research, and found these places that offer lodging on a farm in Tuscany. Any kind of feedback would be greatly appreciated, both with respect to the area and the actual farm. We are 2 adults and 2 kids (9 and 11) and plan to stay for 4 days in July.: <BR>Fattoria La Presura in Strada/Chianti <BR>Locanda del'Acqua Cheta in Momigno (near Pistoia) <BR>Villa Rucellai at Fattoria di Canneto near Prato <BR>Macinelli in Montefiridolfi <BR>La Foresteria in San casciano Val di Pesa <BR> <BR>Thanks; I'm looking forward to you replies!

KC

Ingrid, <BR>We are going to be staying at La Presura in July. Since we haven't been there yet, I can't answer any specific questions about the place. I can tell you, however, that our dealings with the owner (Federico) have been very pleasant so far. I researched many different places, and this one seemed to be the most reasonable as far as price, and it also seemed to have some nice ammenities (pool, lake, etc.). Good luck!

Ingrid

When are you going?

Joyce

Just returned last week, and while I'm not familiar with any of the specific places you mentioned, we did go to several of the towns. I would highly recommend anything in or near San Casciano - a wonderful little hilltown, not crowded, very upscale, beautiful scenery and a good location for seeing other areas of Tuscany. We went to a winery/resort in Montefiridolfi, and I remarked that I would never want to rent a place there. Most of them are up on some of the steepest, curviest roads we encountered anywhere, very inconvenient for getting around, not really near anything. We visited Frattoria la Loggia, and while the lodgings were lovely and extremely well-kept and charming, I couldn't imagine having to travel up and down those tortuous roads everytime I wanted to go out. Hope this helps. Joyce

Leslie

I don't know any of the places you mention but was in Italy last month. Our kids are 10 and 12. We stayed at a lovely farm in Umbria, on the border of Tuscany, called Madonna delle Grazie (near the town of Citta della Pieve). We found them recommended by www.karenbrown.com and also in an article on www.dolcevita.com on the "Top 20 Farmstays" in Italy. It is not luxurious but very authentic. Stone farmhouse with views, pool, horseback riding. Olive and grape vineyards. In summertime, it would be even better as we had some rain and it was too cold to enjoy the pool. Renato, the owner speaks almost no English but his son Ernesto is charming, and the mother does all the cooking. The rates include breakfast and dinner. With approx. five guest rooms, the meals were so much fun for our children...we had Italian, English, Norwegian dinner companions. The cultural exchange was especially nice for the kids. If you go there, try to stay over a weekend, as it seems Sundays are Renato's day to 'suit up' and go for a ride. He has five horses and teaches riding even to beginners.

KC

Ingrid- <BR>We are going to be there in the beginning of July. Can't wait!

Paul

Ingrid, <BR> <BR>We stayed at Villa Rucellai 2 years ago for a night. It's very charming, if a bit out of the way. Be sure to e-mail them for detailed driving directions, and follow them exactly! You will get there, following some narrow roads! <BR> <BR>We did have trouble with our luggage - it wouldn't fit up the narrow stairways! Fortunately, the gracious owners allowed us to park it overnight in their office. <BR> <BR>There's a nice restaurant about 1km away (just before you get to Villa Rucellai). Be sure to call for a reservation first - it's very popular with the locals.

ingrid

Paul, <BR>what does the area look like? Is it as pretty as the CHianti region? My husband was near Prato and thought that it was "the pits". Do you think it might be suitable with two kids? We'd like to visit Lucca and some of the other small towns inTuscany, do some sightseeing, some hiking, biking, swimming in the pool

Paul

Hi Ingrid - to answer your questions: <BR> <BR>1. What does the area look like? Is it as pretty as the CHianti region? <BR> <BR>The short answer is No. Villa Rucellai is set in the suburbs of Prato. It's in a semi-wooded setting, with beautiful grounds. <BR> <BR>2. My husband was near Prato and thought that it was "the pits". <BR> <BR>Prato is the pits! Not a beautiful place. <BR> <BR>3.Do you think it might be suitable with two kids? <BR> <BR>Tough to say, as I don't have kids. It should be OK since your kids are 9 and 11. Basically it's an 17th-18th century country house. <BR> <BR>4. We'd like to visit Lucca and some of the other small towns in Tuscany, do some sightseeing, some hiking, biking, swimming in the pool. <BR> <BR>Villa Rucellai seemed to be occupied by people interested in hiking, biking, etc. It's about a 10-15 minute drive from Villa Rucellai to the autostrada, and then you're less than an hour from Lucca. <BR> <BR>If you haven't seen it on the web, here are some sites: <BR>http://www.karenbrown.com/italy/rucellai.html <BR>http://www.itwg.com/itw11448.asp - this site has detailed driving directions. <BR> <BR>

Ingrid

Paul, thank you so much! It doesn't quite sound like what we're looking for. We're looking for something more farm like to run around for the kids. <BR>It seems that I spend more time researching the place than the time we'll actually spend there. <BR>