Tuscany Apt /House Help Please!
 

I am trying to find a 3 bedroom self-catering (cooktop, not oven would be ok) in either San Quirico d'Orcia, Monticchiello or Montefollonico. I'd prefer close to one of those towns or even an in town location.

Have been looking at lots of agriturismos as well as some agencies but could really use some help! This is for next September and I did see one house via Tuscan House that is already booked.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Kathy

Hello kathrynj, have you looked at the SlowTravel website. The are known for their apartment rentals.

Their website is:
http://www.slowtrav.com/

It is an interesting website in many way..quite different than Fodor's of course..but you might enjoy it.

Thanks---I feel like I have memorized the Slow Trav site and you are right, it is very good. There was an agnecy, Tuscan House, that had a nice house in Monticchiello but it is booked already.

I have not been able to find anything in San Quirico d'Orcia.

Kathy

have you looked on www.vrbo.com?

Thanks Sandi---vrbo was my first place to check since I have rented using it---I will recheck but there didn't seem to be anything where I was trying to locate.

I have worked with a company in Siena for apartments and houses in the area you might be interested in.

URL: http://www.labellatoscana.it
Title:La Bella Toscana
Description: Accommodation in luxury villas, vacation rentals and apartments, most with pool in central Tuscany, and on the stunning Amalfi coast

Terese


La Bella Toscana
Via Solferino 28
53034 Colle di Val d'Elsa
(Siena) - Italy
Tel. 00 39 0577 926768
Fax. 00 39 0577 999023
E.mail: [email protected]
Web: www.labellatoscana.net

please tell Terese, i sent you.
[email protected]
www.HomeToItaly.com

Hi kathrynj: I actually worked for a company that rented houses and apartments in Tuscany, and we stayed in a very large house they owned outside of San Quirico. Plenty of room, actually two big bathrooms and at least three bedrooms on the main floor, and a living room, laundry and a lot more on the ground floor. The page says near Siena but it is actually very close to San Quirico d'Orcia.

http://www.florencevillas.com/santam...properties.htm

The pool wasn't very nice, a half in-ground round pool, but it is ok. You can tell Megan that Debbie who used to do the newsletter sent you, if you want. Not necessary; they are a very nice small company, family owned. I haven't worked for them in a few years, so I don't think it is at all advertising, and I was only a freelance PR writer, anyway.

Thanks so much everyone!! I also found another place on the internet but the units are only 2 bedrooms---Il Poggiolo and it looks beautiful.

I'll check out all the recommendations! Kathy

Kathrynj. Hopefully, you will get some responses re Il Poggiolo as we too have been looking at their website and wondering if any Fodorites have stayed there.

I agree it looks lovely and the location seems ideal.

Two other places we are looking at are Fonte Bertusi and Cretaiole. I'm having a tough time deciding among these three.

Royal,

I have also looked at those 3 among a number of others. I haven't been able to find any reviews of Il Poggiolo but have tons from the others.

Feeling overwhelmed with choices to a degree but really trying to focus on the locale I want. Cretaiole appears booked for the week I want.

As I sort things out, I can let you know other places that were of interest---how many in your group?

Kathy

So far there is just my husband and myself but there is a chance my sister and husband may join us.

We would still prefer separate apts so any of these 3 places would work.

Let's hope we get some responses re Il Poggiolo. Am pretty sure someone on this board recommended it but I can't find the thread.

Royal,

I agree---we need to ask Stu Dudley since he has friends who live in San Quirico.....!!

Debbie,

Santa Maria is gorgeous but is a bit too large for us and therefore too expensive---loved how it looked!

Thanks all----

Kathy

I just got back from staying at Montorio in Montepulciano. Fantastic place, with one of the best views in all of Tuscany. I don't think they have 3 bedroom apartments, but they have two bedrooms with one that has two double beds. They also have five different apartments, so you could possibly rent out two apartments. We thought the rates were reasonable, the location was fantastic and gorgeous, and the kitchen (though small) was large enough for two people to cook in, and had plenty of necessary supplies. Stefania, the owner, is super nice and very helpful.

If you stay there, or stay in Montepulciano, make sure you check out the market day on Thursday. We bought great looking and tasting produce for ridiculously low prices (grapes so sweet that they tasted like sugar, and two giant handfuls of chanterelles for 3 Euros), and had so much fun walking around with the locals and mangling the Italian language.

The friends of Stu have a fabulous place in San Quirico that may be perfect if big enough. It is named BELLA CASA and I think they have a classified at slowtrav.com--if not, just Google that name.

Bob,

Thanks so much---I didn't see the ad and the place looks gorgeous! I had been trying to find it! Unfortunately, it looks like it will only be 2 of us since my other brother and sister in law can't come!

I am hoping Cretaiole will have room, otherwise, I have a couple of other places that may be ok for 2 bedrooms. I sure will keep this place in mind for the future.

If I can't get into Cretaiole, will maybe do Metina or Il Pogglio.

Thanks again, everyone!! Kathy

I have stayed at the apartments "Al Poggiolo" and was so impressed and delighted that I sent 2 sets of friends there.

In one case, 3 generations of 1 family rented 2 units -- and got a special rate from the owners.

Montepulciano is a perfect centre from which to visit S Tuscany - lots of restaurants and lots to see, plus easy access to many smaller towns.

BUT: it would not suit people who hate climbing hills -- it is practically vertical!

Anyway: Margherita and her sister (and Margherita's 2 architect sons) have done an absolutely first rate job of renovating the previously dilapidated outbuildings adjacent to their mother's family palazzo. Great kitchens and baths, authentic Tuscan materials -- "cotto" floors, beamed ceilings, etc.

(Their father's family palazzo is now state offices but their brother has an apartment there)

I am currently planning our March trip to Italy (after a full month, January 2008, in Savannah, GA -- FAR AWAY from Canadian snow)

And Al Poggiolo is definitely on my list -- they have off-season rates until March 15......

Everyone,

Again thanks for the helpful responses. Has ended up needing only a 2 bedroom and was ab le to get the last apartment like that at Cretaiole which had the exact location I wanted, between Pienza and San Quirico.

Royal, if you are intererested in them, they are booking up quickly---this was for mid-September. I also was looking at Fonte Bertusi and Metina. Good luck in your search!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy. I know it's a long way off but I would really appreciate hearing your feedback after your stay at Cretaiole.

We still haven't made a final decision on our trip and may do Southern France instead next year and leave Italy for the following spring.

Like you I prefer the location between Pienza and San Quirico as we have already spent some time in Montalcino and thought a change would be nice.

Good luck with the rest of your planning.

I'll definitely post since I appreciate all the help others have given me. If you decide to go to the Luberon, let me know since I have done a house rental there with friends (stayed in Goult, a very small village I loved!)

Kathy

Kathy. We have done the Luberon, stayed in Gordes at Mas des Romarins and really enjoyed it. Goult was charming.

Thinking now about Burgundy, Dordogne and the Loire valley.

It's a hard decision because I want to return to the Val d'Orcia but feel it would be nice to go somewhere we haven't been. A nice dilemma though.

Royal,

If you do Burgundy, please let me know! A friend did it last year and loved it, especially Beaune. I like the Dordogne a lot, particularly Rocamador and Sarlat with it's fantastic market!

We are just back from Italy. Spent a week in an apartment at Tenuta la Cipresseta. The have 4 apartments however each has only 2 bedrooms. Some sleep up to 6 people using the livingroom as the 3rd.
It was absolutely fantastic and quite inexpensive (420 Euro/week). Rosita is a lovely host and very helpful. You can find their info at www.tuscany.net/cipresseta. I definitely recommend it.
Leslie

Kathy. If we go to France we are definitely doing Burgundy and have already decided to spend a few days in Beaune as well as Dijon so any advice appreciated.

Also for the Dordogne we have been looking at Sarlat as a base so again any tips welcome.

Amboise right now is our choice for a base in the Loire.

As I said earlier it's going to be a tough decision.

Thanks

Just south of Beaune, we discovered a most attractive property to rent. There are 3 units, two of which are ideal for a couple -- the 3rd is larger.

The nearest town is Sennecy-le-Grand.

If you wish, I can provide details.

Brief overview:

If I said the main house was like a (large) wing of Versailles...and that the "gatehouse" ("Porterie")unit we stayed in cost 90 E per night for 3 storeys of utter opulence....would you be interested?

Tedgale that property sounds interesting especially if they rent for less than a week. Do send your details.

I like the sound of "opulence".

Thanks

The property is the Abbaye de la Ferte -- www.abbayeferte.com.

Don't be put off by the rather amateurish website.

On the photo gallery (galerie) you will find photos of the Gatehouse -- la Porterie.

Please take my word for it that these photos do NOT do justice to the unit in question. And they are somewhat dated. For example, they do not show the recent landscaping of the forecourt -- what shows as a barren patch of dirt is now handsomely landscaped, with a fine herbaceous border.

The furnishings of la Porterie are superlative. Moreover, you'll find every little "extra touch" that you might find in a luxury hotel.

For example: a red toile de Jouy fabric has been used throughout. The owners have used that fabric not only to cover the wastebaskets (!) but also for a custom-made "necessaire" -- a small pseudo-giftbox whose 4 sides, when you lift the top, open outward into a toile-de-Jouy-patterned sewing kit!

The other 2 units, the Dovecote and the Mill, which I have only seen in photos, do not look nearly as well decorated, however.

Thanks Tedgale. The place does indeed look lovely.

The only negative I could see is that the bathroom doesn't have a shower just a bathtub. However, I could overlook that especially as it appears to have such great ambience and the price is definitely right.

Thanks again.

Like so many places in France, it has a hand-held shower. I don't like them -- but it seemed a small fault in an otherwise faultless place.

BTW: that bathroom measures about 15 x 15, including a small separate room for the toilet. The basin is plumbed into a 19th C washstand and that tub is an antique...Wonderful beams overhead, too -- as in the other rooms.

The bedroom is one of the more romantic we've stayed in....

And those rather nondescript-looking daybeds in the salon are actually valuable mahogany Empire/ Restoration (1820-30) pieces -- I could get $4000 apiece for the pair, here in Canada.

You're right Tedgale it is a very small fault.

Thanks for the details on the bathroom it does indeed sound charming. Have bookmarked the site.

Going back to the original thread re Il Poggiolo did you find the apartments dark? When I look at the website I am getting that impression. Maybe because they don't open directly onto a terrace or balcony but appear to be on the second or third floors. Can you elaborate a bit please? Which apartment did you rent?

Thanks again for your advice.

We rented apartment 4.

I have seen 1 or 2 of the other apartments in that 4-unit building -- we talked our way past a workman repairing one vacant unit and we were asked for a drink, I recall, by 2 ladies from Mississippi in another unit.

No, ours was not dark. Our apartment did not have much southern exposure -- it had easterly views over the Val di Chiana. But it certainly was not hemmed in or overhung in any way.

As we were out SO much of the day, I really did not spend too many daylight hours there, I realize....But I do recall basking in the sun, one solitary afternoon, in the garden (the owners have spent a fortune on stone retaining walls, stone terrace etc.)

Thanks Tedgale. I will check the website again as I didn't see the apartments were numbered but rather had names. Maybe I am looking at a different Il Poggiolo as I have noticed there are a couple in Tuscany with that name.

Noticed from your previous post that you are a fellow Canadian. Planning to get out of the upcoming winter?

Hi again Royal,

Yes, there are several Il Pogglio (sp?) places in Tuscany---I had been looking at one and saw the reviews were for another. One is in Montepulciano and another nearer to Pienza I believe. I think there is a review on Rick Steves site you may want to check. Have you checked slowtrav too?

Thanks for Tedgale and your info on the place in France---I will keep it for another trip!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy. The one I have been looking at is outside San Quirico. The bonus is you can walk into town.

Will check out Rick Steves. Didn't see anything on Slowtrav for Il Poggiolo. There are really good reviews for Cretaiole on Slowtrav so think you made a good decision there.

Still debating the Italy vs France decision.

The one in Montepulciano is where we stayed --

www.appartamentialpoggiolo.it

Yes, we do plan to escape the winter, thus:

Dec. 23, drive to NYC for Christmas

Drive to Savannah GA, arriving Dec. 31 -- spend 1 month at The Gallie House in Lafayette Square --

www.suitesonlafayette.com

Return to Ottawa for February, then leave Mar. 4 for Paris, Rome and Tuscany (Al Poggiolo, I hope).

Return to Ottawa March 30 -- at which point I hope all snow will be gone!

Tedgale - we have been talking about a different "Il Poggiolo". The one you stay at looks very nice and being right in Montepulciano makes it really convenient.

The one I have been looking at is an agriturismo at the edge of San Quirico. www.poggiolo.info

You have quite a busy winter itinerary but sounds wonderful. Thanks for the website in Savannah -may stay there enroute to Florida where we spend the winter in Naples.

By coincidence I am in Ottawa too.

Wishing you a great winter.

"Your" Poggiolo looks very chic.

I like the finishes and the look -- probably more attractive in a hot Tuscan summer than in a chilly wintertime, when the austerity of the decoration could just seem bleak.

"My" Poggiolo has just decided to hike their winter prices to summer levels, a 30 percent increase overnight.

Still good value but we may look around for something else for March 2008.

I like the Val d'Orcia but fear that S. Quirico could be too remote. We thought of La Foce (www.lafoce.com) but even that is a little remote.

Any views on the best places to stay in S. Tuscany -- and why?

PS: Snow showers last night: Appalling!

BTW: RE the Dordogne, I have some heretical suggestions, based on about 5 visits.

Basically, I advocate the area upstream from the usual Dordogne sites - E of the N.20 axis, in other words.

We stayed 3 times in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, visiting St Cere, Martel, Figeac, Autoire and other exceptional spots quite unfrequented by NA tourists, though fairly well-known to European travellers.

Or stay further downstream: We also stayed at the Relais de Lavergne, south of the river and near the Abbaye de Cadouin, Belves and other less-visited sites.

Bottom line: Sarlat, Beynac-et-Cazenac, La Rocque-Gageac, Domme and the "big" destinations (for NA tourists) are NOT all there is to see! And if you hate crowds as I do, you might stay elsewhere.

(But visit the gardens of Marqueyssac and Eyrignac without fail!)

Snow showers are now full snowstorm!

Re your question on S. Tuscany we really like the area around Montalcino, San Quirico and Pienza. We spent 5 days in Montalcino 2 years ago and liked the size of the town, larger than S.Quirico, Pienza etc but not overrun with tourists. Lots of good restaurants and wine producers in the area. For our next trip I thought I would like to try the apartment idea but didn't want to be in a remote location so looking at Il Poggiolo which is a short walk from the village of S.Quirico. The other one to check out is Cretaoile which gets raves from Slowtrav reviews.

These locations are under an hour from Siena if you want a change of pace. It is further from Florence than your location but we like the rural pace and the charm of these small towns.

On our first trip we stayed a few days the Chianti area and then a few in Cortona. Enjoyed both of these spots but they don't compare to the Val d'Orcia in my opinion.

Thanks for the ideas on the Dordogne. I had looked at Beaulieu sur Dordogne after seeing an episode on HGTV's Location,Location and it did look charming. It's true that most people concentrate on Sarlat, Beynac etc and often overlook other hidden treasures.

Let's hope this snow stops soon.