We are going to Italy in late June to July for two weeks. I would like somewhere in the countryside between Siena and Florence (I think!) and really just want to stay in one place. So I am thinking of a farmhouse or apartment in a villa - type stay and daytripping. We are a family with 2 kids aged 6 and 7, so really would like somewhere with a pool. Anyone tried any of the agriturismo holidays? I would like to read reviews of some of the places I have seen. Can anyone help?

ozchic,
the best place for rental reviews is Slow Trav http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/reviewsdb/
Click on the area your interested in and a list of reviews will come up.
Yes, I have tried an agriturismo holiday and loved it. You can see my trip report here http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34494897
Feel free to e-mail me for more information.

To ozchick,
My husband rented in Gaiole in Chianti four years ago thru agriturismo sites. We are going to Umbria in May, again renting a small unit on a farm which we found thru www.vrbo.com or maybe it's http//vrbo.com. Vacation resorts by owner. You need to ask questions about the actual distance to towns and if the pool is heated, etc. Don't presume anything.

ozchick - i think you'll find this thread helpful
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34550762

Hello ozchick, conicedently today in the SF Chronical there is info that may be of interest to you.

Their website is: www.sfgate.com.
Click on Travel, then click on "Follow the Reader". One of the articles is written by a family that highly recommends a place that sounds like it might be exactly what you are looking for. Let me know what you think?

We rented a beautiful house in exactly that location - in a tiny hamlet called San Donato in Poggio. The house had a beautiful pool and was perfectly situated for day trips to Florence and Siena. We rented the house through individual travelers. com, and the house was named "Casa Pineta." As far as the rental went, everything went smoothly and was just as described. Note that houses with pools are scarcer in Italy than in some other European countries, and they are consequently pricier. Also, the houses don't have screens, and there are small gnats. We brought rolled up soft screening and thumbtacks and created our own, which worked wonders.

Tenuta Quadrifoglio, 10 min drive outside of San Gimignano www.tenutaquadrifoglio.it/uk/home_uk.html . Gorgeous, two pools, small kids' play area, vineyard, lovely staff, inexpensive. Not exactly in the area you mentioned but still a short drive to Forence and Siena.