We spent 2 weeks in Italy, covering Rome, Lucca, Pisa, Venice, Florence, Siena, Orvieto and various other smaller towns, but our stay in Il Ciocco was the most relaxing, wonderful, and memorable! All staff were very friendly, and the hotel GM went out of his way to make our stay memorable and comfortable. During our few days there, we would start each one with a beautiful view of the Castelvecchio valley below us, followed by a delicious buffet style breakfast. After a long day of exploring Tuscany, we loved returning to the serene Il Ciocco to relax, recharge, and later feast at the hotel's cozy restaurant (all food and wine offerings we tried were excellent!). In retrospect, Il Ciocco turned out to be the best place we stayed at, and we cannot wait to go back for a second visit especially after the remodels are finished (estimated early 2012). We highly recommend Il Ciocco for those looking for out-of-the-mainstream accommodations with great views, great service, and great food!!

It's remote, and a bit difficult to find, but worth it. We had a corner suite on the fifth floor, and from our wrap-around balcony, we had a glorious view of the mountains and little towns all around. They are in the process of renovation, so it was a bit noisy during the day, but very restful at night. We ate there three nights, and found the food to be excellent in the restaurant upstairs. Breakfast was consistently good. It was just charming, and they had good gluten-free breads and pastas for my husband. The service, from ALL the staff, was awesome. Marriott is making this into a Renaissance, and it will be spectacular, I'm certain. We will definitely go back.

Situated in the mountains, the views from our balcony were unparalleled. Simply amazing. We were upgraded to a suite, which was very spacious. It had a foyer, living area with fireplace and comfortable club chairs and a sofa, desk, credenza with built in mini-bar/fridge, flat screened tv, large comfortable bed, french doors opening to a balcony with patio furniture, large bathroom and huge walk in closet. The room was a bit dated, but still lovely. The entire property is undergoing a renovation (please, please lose the horrid music in the elevator soon - think Chinese water torture). I believe Marriott is turning Il Ciocco into a Renaissance property. I hope they continue to keep their excellent pastry chef, as I had some of the most wonderful breakfast cakes & breads during our stay. Our dinner on the upstairs restaurant balcony was very romantic. Amazing views and delicious food. My seafood risotto was the best I had while in Italy, and of course, the house vino rosso was fabulous, as was the tiramisu. All staff we encountered during our stay were friendly & helpful. Congratulations to Marriott on a great property purchase. It may be remote, but it's a really lovely setting.

Stayed for three nights as part of a group on tour in Italy , this was our first stop. The hotel in it's advertising states " Set in a 2000 hectare park in the Serchio Valley. A place where you breathe its sparkling air, sweet as a caress. A place where you recharge your will to live" Don't believe all you read, because my will to live definitly was not recharged.
The room was basic, but clean , with a stunning view over the valley. Our room 217 had an adjoining door. In the next room was a family of Italians, believed to be attending a wedding.
The child when put to bed was hysterical ( which the dictionary interprets as "uncontrolledly emotional) and when put to bed screamed the place down, the parents made no effort to calm this child , thus we had a sleepless night . We had this for two nights, and one late afternoon when we tried to catch up on our sleep.
The buffet food was of poor quality, always warm or cold , never hot.The breakfast was slightly better, but the scrambled egg tasted and smelt of fish. Maybe the eggs were cooked in the same pan as the previous nights fish dish.
The drink prices were high, 15 euros for a glass of beer and a gin and tonic.
Staff generally were very good, especially the English lady behind the front desk, her boss who wore pink glasses could have learned a lot from her, his people skill was negative, rude and arogant, buzzing around , but actually doing nothing.
I would not stay there again, as you might gather from my entry. But it was in such a position to enable our party to see the places we wanted to visit, within close proximity. The Tuscan countryside was a sight to behold.