Of course any visit to Tuscany must include a visit to the wonderful hilltop town of San Gimignano and just to top it all off for the really amazing experience do yourself a huge favour and book a stay here at the farmhouse. It would be hard for me to fault it really as it was just a fantastic place and an experience I won't forget. The location is quite something else set among the vineyards with truly magnificent views to the area and beyond. The hosts were just lovely people and be sure to make yourself known to 'grandma' an adorable lady working from dawn to dusk. Accommodation was perfect, large clean room, fantastic views. Breakfast by the open fire. Just do it! and be sure to book. Warwick

What a great authentic Italian experience!!! The location is fabulous! Very close to San Gimignano (you can see the towers in the backdrop) and a very short drive to Lucca, Pisa, Siena, and more!! This is as authentic as you can get when a tourist in any country!! The farmhouse is truly a working farmhouse and you get to enjoy the fruits of their labor!! Dinner is served family style and old italian style with the traditional courses and lots of it! They serve dinner with their own bottled wine and honey for dessert. Tiziana is always looking out to make sure you have had plenty to eat and drink and it is delicious!! The rooms are authentic and rustic which is perfect for the experience! There are no "modern amenities" in the room because it is not needed when the view is that spectacular! There is a small winery tasting room down the road and a close agriturismo that offers a cooking class that is a must!!! My new husband and I truly enjoyed are authentic tuscan experience for three days on our honeymoon and have recommended this to many already!!

A highlight of our 3 weeks in Italy was our stay at Il Vecchio Maneggio. It is always our goal not to just see the sights, but to actually experience the life of places that we visit as much as we can—and that is exactly why this was so great.

First, the basics— warm hospitality, a modest but very clean and comfortable room, good food and good company. Great food served in traditional courses, Tiziana’s and Mauro's hospitality, and conversation filled the evenings. The farm is in a location that makes it easy to spend daytimes visiting towns such as San Gimignano and Volterra to see the sights—but then you get to return to relaxing in the pool or resting and the evening meal sharing ideas and experiences with others from many parts of the world instead of having to seek out another restaurant, etc. We did have a car for this part of the trip, which made things easier.

But on to the life of the place. This farm is part of the Italian agriturist system— small farms that welcome visitors in addition to their farming operations. It has, and lives up to, the “3 grain” top quality rating the system provides. They have chosen to remain small, with just 5 rooms, and to be inclusive both as a business decision and so that guests can become friends --and that certainly worked well for us!

We would encourage people to investigate the farm and the stables as well as the tourist sites around, as fresh locally produced food is one of Italy's great charms and farms are important. Elisa answered many of our questions about how the agriturist system works for them—and Paolo, the farm manager took time out to show us what it takes to grow grapes and make wine (although we missed the on site bottling by a day!), grow olives and produce oil, grow and process saffron and produce honey in different flavors. We also took advantage of a nearby cooking class arranged for us by Tiziana, who personally showed us where to go and to introduced us to the teachers. We chose one with simpler, family food—and spent a great afternoon!

This was for us a "both and" experience--we got to travel about and see the sites in the area, AND we got to experience real Italian hospitality and a welcoming slice of the "Italian life". We would definitely recommend it!

This was our second agritourismo we stayed at on our three week trip and it was never a disappointment in any way. It is a great place to stay and experience the hospitality of italy and their warm hearts and passion. Elisa was a great host; she was able to arrange our transport to and from the farm. The pool is a great way to refresh after walking back to the farm. All of the staff was kind, friendly and welcoming. We were treated like family. Accommodations are extremely clean and comfortable with a great view of the tuscan country side from all the rooms. Some of our best sleeps were there as it was so quiet. The five course meals are more food than you normally get, so walk to San Gimignano like we did rather than try to find parking. Guests meet for wine before Dinner and then Tiziana will fill your stomach and heart with love and outstanding food and oh does she love to laugh. We must say of all of the other guests we met, they were outstanding and friendly, we were all there to relax and soak up the italian experience.
We will return to this location when we return to Italy.