Tuscany - do you know this place?
 

I need your help Fodorites! This will be our first trip to Italy but we want to base ourselves in one area and explore it at our leisure. We are looking for a perfect agriturismo or B&B or hotel in Tuscany that would provide clean and spacious accommodations for 3 (2 adults and a 10 year old child) but we are totally overwhelmed by the multitude of choices. We would like:
- a spacious room with a view and a terrace or balcony
- breakfast and maid service available (an evening meal available would be nice too!)
- pool located in an open area, preferably with a view
- proximity to an interesting town with food shopping and restaurants (interested in hearty home-style food and good wine)
- central location to serve as a base for a week of exploring (we will rent a car), including Florence, Siena and southern Tuscany
- up to 200USD (150-160 Euro?) per day.

Please post your recommendations!

Go to tuscany.net, select the Siena area, and look at dozens. Start with Castel Bigozzi--apts in a rural setting. However, for a nice hotel in a cute village, with a centro location, look at palazzodelcapitano.com

I found a nice spot in Castellina through recommendations and it is also listed in Tuscany.net, but we won't be going there for another three weeks. I'd be glad to tell you all about it when we return. The name is Hotel Belvedere San Leonino.

Friends of ours stayed at Locanda Le Piazze--also in Castellina--and thoroughly enjoyed their stay there.

Last year with some friends we stayed at La Fattoria La Loggia and enjoyed it. We had a two bedroom/bath apartment with a family room with fireplace. The farm was what we imagined. Rolling hills, horses, grapes and olives growing everywhere. The farm also produces it's own wine and olive oil which was wonderfull and affordable. A bottle of their red was just 6 Euro, and so we had another 2 cases sent up to the room.
It's a very relaxed 14th cent. borgo that is only 15 minutes from Florence. In fact we went almost everyday. You should be able to find information at http://www.fatlaloggia.it/
Ciao, Melissa

I forgot to include that we had paid around 200$ a night (last year), but I don't remember if there was a pool or not. I just went to their site, and they have an "offical site" which is http://www.fattorialaloggia.com/
Ciao, Melissa

In May 2002 my husband and I and our two children aged 19 and 22 stayed 6 nights just south of Florence proper in Galuzzo in a charming converted 14th century fortress called I Parigi B&B. (you can find it in florenceby.com). I too had a hard time deciding where to stay but this turned out to be ideal for Florence and for day trips since it is just off the autostrada to Siena. There is a bus to Florence at the bottom of the hill from the B&B. (about a 10 min. walk) and the owner sells bus tickets to and from. The only hard part is walking up the hill at the end of the day-but the view of the Tuscan hills is spectacular. There is also a pool in a beautiful setting. We paid 130 Euros for an apartment for 4 with an excellent breakfast buffet. The morning we left (with tears in my eyes),the owner gave us a bottle of the wine they make on the premises.

We stayed in a great place called Villa Rigacci http://www.villarigacci.com/ in the town of Reggello. It has all the things you want. It was a good spot for touring around Tuscany.

Try italianvillas.com

We stayed at Fattoria Il Colombaio in Abbadia a Isola, 2 km's from Monteriggioni. It's a 4* B&B with 5 rooms and 3 appartments. Extensive buffet breakfast. Nice swimming pool. Lovely setting amidst the vinyards, very centrally located to visit the highlights such as San Gim, Siena, Volterra and the beautiful Crete Senese. Supermarket with a wide choice of everything you might want (good wines!) in the vicinity. As well as the best restaurant in the area, La Leggenda dei Frati.
Have a look at http://www.fattoriailcolombaio.com/index_uk.html

We stayed at Frances Lodge just outside Siena that meets this criteria-check out their website at Franceslodge.it.