We stayed for a fortnight in the self catering apartment attached to Villa Mimma and have come back refreshed and recuperated to face work again. Our hosts made us very welcome from the minute we arrived and helped with all our queries, arranging for pasta making lessons from a local village lady and for a couple of hours grape harvesting with a local farmer. We toured the local region by car, taking the train from the nearby town Casale into Turin to celebrate our anniversary (again our hosts looked up some special restaurants to give us some ideas). In Treville itself there is a local winebar here we ate local meats and cheeses and enjoyed the local wines - all conversations carried out in Italian with sign language (our itialian is limited) and each time we appeared we were welcomed back.

The self catering appratment is very comfortable with enough for you to cook evening meals and just simply sit around reading. We can't wait to book our next trip back there, this time when the truffle and wine celebrations are happening (we were a little too early).

We arrived very late on Saturday night, but were still greeted warmly by our hosts. With the welcome pack that was provided, it ensured that we could wake up to a nice breakfast of cereal, fruit, toast and some invigorating, strong Italian coffee. On waking, we also found that Villa Mimma is very well equipped with washing machine, iron, hairdryer, sky TV, and all you need in the kitchen - so it was a 'home from home' in that respect.

The self catering apartment is a very good size and was more than adequate for 2 adults and 2 young, lively children. Outside is a large courtyard where the kids could also play (with toys and games provided by the Villa). It was a great place to relax soaking up the sun and taking in the views over the fields and back up to the church on the hill.

The local area around Treville is interesting with inviting, scenic towns and villages to visit. It also proved to be a good base for going further afield to the cities of Turin, Milan and Genoa, with autostradas not being far away. (You can get to the larger cities in 1 - 1.5 hours). Signora Paola and family were very helpful in giving information about places to go, how to get there, parking, etc. (They gave good tips for visiting Lake Maggiore and Aqua Therma).

All in all we stayed or two weeks and has a great time, mixing our time between relaxing around the villa, and travelling around. Villa Mimma is recommended for couples/families who want to enjoy good food and drink, take in picturesque Italian scenery and experience warm hospitality. (As my son Aidan would say, 'Fantastico').

Villa Mimma is the perfect B & B accomodation for anyone wishing privacy, peace and quite and helpful advice in clean, well equipped and very well-presented surroundings. Although our stay here was brief, we were so well looked after, we found it difficult to leave. From beginning to end, we were made to feel welcome, yet given the privacy we wanted. The charm of Villa Mimma, and its location in the gorgeous little village of Treville, is hard to beat. The locals welcomed us and we saw a side to Italy that we would never have seen had we just visited the cities. Highly recommended.

If you already know Tuscany and are looking for somewhere beautiful but off the well beaten tourist track than I can recommend the almost unknown Monferrato region hidden away below the Alps and within easy driving distance of the sea too. Last Spring I stayed at Villa Mimma in the small hilltop village of Treville. We flew Easyjet to Milan and the drive from Malpensa airport took us just over an hour. (We discovered afterwards we could just as easily have flown to Turin or Genoa). Villa Mimma ia an attractive,old farmhouse built on a steep hillside and surrounded below by its own land and vineyards. From all around there are the most wonderful views down across the wide valley, up over the wooded hills as far as the snow topped mountains in the distance. The large rambling house has lots of interest - you can see all the old machinery and how the local wine is made (and try it too) - there is a very large enclosed courtyard which is perfect for kids to play in. The small village and narrow streets lie behind and are only a few minutes walk away. If you want to explore the nearby area there are many footpaths and easily accessible woods to go walking and picknicking in. If you want to venture further Villa Mimma is ideally situated for daytrips to the Alps, Lake Maggiore and we even got to the sea on the coast near Genoa. We stayed in the flat in the Villa but at that time Signora Paola and her family were still busy renovating 3 more rooms for B+B guests. Villa Mimma is not for those who want 5 star luxury or just a one night stop over but if you're looking for somewhere to stay for a few days or a half term break and you want to explore a beautiful almost undiscovered countryside and enjoy charming Italian hospitality then I can thoroughly recommend staying at Villa Mimma.