If you want a great location to call home base for your exploration of Tuscany, I highly recommend Dolce Toscana 5 minutes outside of Montescudaio and right in the heart of Italy's wine region and many medieval hill towns. My childhood girlfriend and I stayed at Dolce Toscana for 3 nights and plan to return again in the near future for a much longer stay. Only 30 minutes from the Pisa airport, it was easy to get to and we were excited to discover how much of this region we could see within an hour or two in any direction. The hill village of Volterra is a must see! This being our first trip to Italy, we were somewhat hesitant about renting a car because of all of the warnings we had read but found driving in Tuscany to be much like it is in the states understanding that they do drive faster. You cannot enjoy this region without your own transportation. Dolce Toscana is an 18th century villa located on a crest of 5 acres of olive trees over looking vineyards, fruit trees and a stunning view of the Cecina River valley. Our 2 bedroom apartment (Nespola) had the best bathroom of our entire 10 day trip through Italy and was quiet, clean and cozy. The rates are reasonable and for 5 euro a day a basket of local breakfast foods was waiting outside our door each morning to get us started and on our way. Our host Silvia Harris who speaks Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish and English has poured her heart and soul into Dolce Toscana and it shows. She left the U.S. to realize her dream of owning an Inn in Tuscany and to share this most beautiful place. www.dolce-toscana.com.

We spent five days there, and it was awesome. If you like country Tuscany, you'll love this place. Close to Pisa and Cecina and the sea, a little more than an hour from Florence, and with lots of interesting places, such as Volterra, Bolgheri, and many other historic towns to visit, it was a great sleepover location.

The place is well appointed, comfortable bed, and handy kitchen. Sylvia gave us recommendations of things to do, and places to eat, and every one was a gem. We heartily recommend staying here!

Dolce-Toscana B&B, near Montescudaio, Tuscany,Italy
Date December 2006

Very cordial and polite hosts who speak many languages (Italian, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese). Montescudaio is conveninetly located about two hours by car from Rome and closer to the Florence/Pisa area. Absolutely beautiful scenery in a very unhurried and relaxed part of Italy (at least in the autumn). Highly recommend it for a charming and relaxing getaway.

This last July we stayed at Dolce Tuscana in Cecina nestled the Tuscany hills. We stayed in the Nespola apartment which had just been adorably renovated. (as was the entire property) It was a wonderful change to stay in a newly remodelled B&B and have everything working fantastically. By far the best bathroom we came across in our Italian travels. Charles and Silvia, the owners were more than accommodating with restaurant suggestions and places to see in the area. It helped quite a bit that they both speak English. We sat in the morning enjoying the beautiful view from the outdoor patio and ate apricots from their trees. It was a wonderful treat on our way from Florence to San Gimigniano. I only wished we had stayed longer...next time we will. They have a wonderful web site that shows great photos. (---)