Borgo di Vagli is an enchanting place out in the Tuscan country side and very remote. In this review, we'll point out things we wish we'd known prior to going on this trip. Our main purpose for the trip was to see and experience Tuscany. Now retrospectively, we wish we picked a lodging place which was more central and easier to access. The place has amazing olive, fig, hazelnut, walnut trees, the view is spectacular and the accommodations are comfortable. The road through the mountain to the villa including the unpaved 2 km piece is like a serpentine, scary and challenging to drive especially at night. We had a navigation system, which saved us; I can’t imagine doing this trip with just a map. Since you are in the wilderness you’ll see wildlife such as boars (we saw one eating walnuts outside of our villa), snakes, spiders, and scorpions. Every night before going to bed we went on a scorpion hunt in our villa and found at least one scorpion on our walls. Apparently they are not poisonous (more like a bee sting), we never got stung but still we could not fully relax in our place. Although the food in Italy can be a hit or a miss, the on-site restaurant was very nice and we enjoyed the Sunday morning brunch. The concierge is helpful in booking reservations which are required for most restaurants. The closest city was Cortona (30 min) and Mercatale (10 min – very small village with grocery shops).

Our favorite memories of the area include visiting the following cities:
- San Gimignano (2 hours) – city with 14 towers and a great wine shop where you can sample local wines called D!Vineria www.divineria.it. Also, we can recommend a wonderful restaurant with amazing panoramic views, great food and reasonably inexpensive, it’s called Le Vecchie Mura Tel. [--], you’ll need a reservation to book a table on their terrace.
- Pienza (1 hour 15 min) – excellent for purchasing Pecorino cheese and cured meats.
- Montepulciano (1 hour) – charming hill town for tasting Vino Nobile and other local wines. Our favorite gourmet restaurant was Logge del Vignola (requires a reservation).
- Cortona (30 min) – Sunday afternoon antiques market and good shopping.
- Wine Tasting and Gourmet Lunch near Montepulciano (45 min) – book Avignonese wine tour and lunch through a concierge at the villa. We booked a 4-course lunch on the patio enjoying spectacular views, amazing wine and delicious home-made food. This is a special treat.

Borgo di Vagli is beautiful and the staff is wonderful in terms of availability, friendliness, helpfulness and overall hospitality. The views are spectacular! The restaurant on the premises is very good and it is worthwhile dining there. However, we ended up eating dinner there more than we had planned because we did not want to deal with the road coming up to the Villas at night or after having some wine. Although a number of the reviews mentioned the road, the reality is that it is a white gravel road with pot holes and is extremely curvy, steep and about 3 km long. Definitely not a two lane road, so there are some challenges if you encounter anyone coming in the other direction. If you are not comfortable with a standard transmission, don't consider it. And don't try your first time at night. Make sure you get front wheel drive! The other issue that was mentioned in some reviews is that in August, there are bees. Not just a few but lots. They greet you when you pull into the parking lot and follow you to the door of the villa. They're not a problem inside the villa but be prepared for being annoyed by them at the pool and everywhere until sunset. By no way am I saying this isn't a great place to relax but be aware of the issues mentioned including the fact that in August, it's quite warm. It wasn't a major issue for us but I know one family left because they couldn't deal with it being so warm for sleeping.

It’s been nearly two months since we returned from Italy but pleasant thoughts of Borgo di Vagli still remain. We stayed in a restored 14th century 3 bedroom, 2 bath villa with wonderful views of Castle Pierl across the valley. The villa included all the comforts of home: spacious rooms, great bathrooms and bath products, internet access, full equipped kitchen including dishwasher, window screens, swimming pool and daily maid service.

This restored hamlet is about 2 hours from Rome, 20 minutes from Cortona and many of the interesting hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria. A beautiful romantic hideaway, I can’t wait to get back!

There is not much more I can add to the prior reviews except to update that the property in July of 07 is still as the others described.

It is a truly magical experience.Very remote but it won't take long to adapt to the quiet and beauty of the the property and entire region.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom/2bath unit. The developers took great pride putting authentic amenities in each residence. The staff is helpful and attentive when needed. We ate in the private Trattoria twice and it was quite special. Our only concern the whole week was for the bees around the pool but your are in a wooded, landscaped area so I'm not sure there is not much that can be done.

We stopped at a market and picked up some fresh food basics for breakfast prior to our arrival. They have a market on site for other essentials. Every morning we would sit out at a table with quiet views of the Tuscan Hills and the medieval, ivy covered Castle down the road . What more could you ask for?

We used this location to explore SE Tuscany and Northern Umbria. We visited Cortona, Assisi, Perugia and Lake Trassimeno.

I agree that the presentation for purchase was extremely low pressure. The units are selling out quickly so they do not need to be pushy. They know they have a special place on their hands.