We are looking for an upscale villa or B&B in either Chianti or Southern Tuscany. We'd like something light, bright and airy. We are 5 women planning to travel in Oct 2006 and will have a car. Prefer to be near (or in)a town or village. Thanks.

Hi Donna Annie,

This fall we stayed at the Villa Cicolina just outside of Montepulciano. I chose it because of great reviews on SlowTrav and TripAdvisor. We loved staying there. The property is gorgeous, the rooms are large with great views. Each day, you can read the cook's suggested menu for dinner and decide whether you wish to return to eat there that night, or dine else where. Their wine selection (including from their own properties) is to be recommended. The grounds are full of flowers, has an infinity swimming pool and the villa is in a great location on if you have a car. We drove to all the sites in southern Tuscany and were pleased to come home and have drinks in their cabana at the end of the day.

http://www.villacicolina.it/

I know you have been looking at other places as well. I just can't say enough about how kind the owners and staff were during our visit. Lots of laughs and a happy place to be. There are two separate apartments on the grounds in addition to the rooms in the villa.

SusanEva

We stayed at La Saracina last year and it was perfect in every way. The owner is wonderful, the rooms are beautiful and the beds are SO comfortable. The bathrooms are amazing, almost as big as the large bedroom. They have a Pool, olive trees, fresh figs, spectacular views.... http://www.lasaracina.it/menu_eng.htm
The website doesn't do it justice.

If you want a pleasant alternative stay at an agriturismo.

We stayed at Terra Rossa which is located in the valley near Montepulciano and we loved it.

An 800 year old monastery converted into about 7 apartments it is located in a 100 acre vineyard. It is quiet, peaceful and in the evenings you can see every star in the sky.

Very affordable and located about 12 kms from Monepulciano it is worth considering.

TXEER (AKA Uncle Sam)

I strongly second an earlier suggestion for La Saracina. We stayed there in October of 2004, and had the time of our lives.

Anna

We actually inquired to Villa Ciccolina, unfortunately, it's booked for the days we are going. Has anyone ever heard of Le Case del Borgo? It's in southern area of Chiati in town called Dudova. There is nothing on the web (other than it's own website) that I can find. We are also seriously considering Borgo Argenina (Giaole), but really want to be closer to a town for restaurants. Thanks - you've all been so helpful.

I like Borgo Argenina but our objection was having to drive some distance for dinner--it is not near Gaiole. I suggest www.letraverse.it which is a great setting and close to several good places to eat.

Thanks - I'll check it out. Considering we like to drink wine, it would probably be a good idea to stay somewhat close to accommodation! Has anyone heard of Le Case del Borgo in (near Ambra) in a town called Dudova? It looks like a neat place, but can't find anything on the web.

A friend of mine has a very lovely place, see http://www.casadellozoppo.it/

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com (personal)
www.tvblob.com (work)

We, too, stayed at La Saracina and loved it. Here's the excerpt from my report.

La Saracina
While in Tuscany previously we had stayed at Il Chiostro directly in the small but centrally located town of Pienza. While we liked the hotel and the town we wanted to try something new this time and opted for La Saracina, located between Pienza and Montefellonico. Like the Villa Milani, it too was an inspired choice and our favorite lodging of the trip. La Saracina is an old villa with only 5 rooms/apartments down a dirt road owned by a youngish woman and staffed by several young women including the fabulous Fabiola who looked after all our needs and requests. Each of our rooms was comprised of a large bedroom/sitting area with a bathroom the same size as the bedroom. The bathrooms had both showers and tubs/Jacuzzis and floors covered in full size oriental rugs. We could have held a small reception in ours. The luxury of so much space in a bathroom is now something I will forever crave. The furnishings were attractive, eclectic and even funky and the overall feeling was one of luxury and well-being. Our bedroom had a shelf full of preserved back issues of Bell Italia magazines. Had it rained, I could have happily spent days just perusing the beautiful pictures of Italy and its heritage in those magazines. Breakfast was served in a separate building with glass on two sides and furnishings worthy of Martha Stewart does Tuscany. Truly the place was right out of a Tuscany home furnishings magazine. The dishes and linens (perfectly matched to each other) were different each day and we stayed there three nights. And the food--presented with understated country elegance--was the equal of the surroundings. Little cookies were served next to a dish of warm, thick, chocolate for dipping. A basket of freshly picked figs was brought in by the gardener who had just picked them. A variety of rolls and croissants so ubiquitous on breakfast buffet tables, were special here made so by being warmed perfectly and served beautifully. The thin, thin slices of salami and proscuitto were even more tasty than those we had elsewhere and were accompanied by a variety of cheeses sliced so that guests didn't even have to exert themselves in that arduous task. Beautiful floral arrangements adorned each glass-topped table. Everything was just perfect in that the most perfect of Tuscan worlds. Even our laundry was returned perfectly folded. We all agreed that we would return in a heartbeat.

Saracina sounds lovely. I have just emailed them to acquire about availability. Thanks.