Our vacation begin with our arrival to Rome. The three days spent in Rome was busy yet filled with a time to experience Rome and its historical accounts! From Rome we traveled to Florence where we experienced the charm of another beautiful city, overlooking the region of Tuscany; however our arrival to Sant Albino was something to be remembered! At the Villa we found the tranquity of the countryside, the people and the village were warm and welcoming; dispite the language barrier!

Sylvia was there upon our arrival and introduced us to the Italian countryside, shared a vareity of informatio that proved to be helpful and resourceful not only as tourists, but in relation to good shopping and resturants. September is the month of "Harvast", so she invited all 15 of us to harvast the grapes on Sunday morning, which included a complete tour from picking the grapes to bottling the wine!

Several of us are considering a return trip with family! I higly recommend the Villa as a resting place while touring the Tuscany region and beyond!

Our group had family members from Australia and Europe – 4 families including grandparents, parents, grandchildren (8 adults & 5 children - 3 girls aged 13,11 & 10 yrs, twin boys aged 7 yrs).

This place had a lot to live up to – it was voted first choice of 30 places by all families involved, after much research, so we had great expectations. When we arrived, we were overwhelmed - it was even better than expected. The pictures don't do it justice.

It was chosen partly because it is close to so many hill towns and major cities of Central Italy, and is within walking distance of a small town (Sant Albino de Montepulciano), with a group of shops, including eating places, ATM, patisserie, and small supermarkets. At night, on this walk, the children were fascinated to see fireflies and a glow worm.

Each family had a car, which allowed us to explore the beautiful countryside, and it was within easy reach of towns such as Montepulciano, Orvieto, Siena and San Gimignano.

It is perfect for a family group get together. Although there is a range of suite sizes, no one felt left out, because every option available was special in its own right, each with a king size bed and own ensuite.

Catered dinner was organised for the night of our arrival, as we were travelling down from another villa in the Lucca area. This arrangement turned out to be a perfect choice (adding to the feeling of being totally pampered and looked after). We can highly recommend this service - two cooks initially to set up the meal, with one remaining to present it.

As well as their own private areas, people had a wonderful choice of shared spaces, both inside and out. This gave so many options for whatever you chose to do. You could dine indoors or out, and as it was summer we always ate outdoors in the beautifully shaded patio.

Silvia & Maurizio - such an inspiring couple - seem to epitomise expectations of Italian vibrance and warmth. Hardworking, stylish, enterprising, open, unobtrusive – they had thought of everything to make guests comfortable. We felt so welcome right from the start.

Everything about this villa is high quality and elegant. The house reflects its owners – relaxed, efficient and organised. They have introduced modern facilities into this old Tuscan building while beautifully preserving its historic character.

Everything has been well thought out. The spaces flow, and relate to each other so well. For example there is such generous space in the kitchen area/living area. Even cooking and clearing up could be communal activities – where else could you expect to find 2 dishwashers and a lovely big preparation area where several people could work? The utensils and appliances match the generosity of the whole house.

This villa is so easy to live in with children. The extensive grounds are fabulous for energetic children to run freely and play, including flying kites.

The pool is special, aesthetically and functionally, with a bubbler which the kids just loved. The pool and its surrounds were used extensively by everyone – to swim, or chat, or just relax with a good book.

Only problem – the house was so good that you hated leaving it, and so were always torn between exploring the area or staying at home. Of course this could be solved by staying longer than 1 week the next time. It was a holiday we will never forget.

We found the agriturismo to be nice but over priced. The place is basically a group of rooms with a pool. There's nothing agriturismo about it - family doesn't live there and all processing of oliv oil and grapes is one at another location. The only time you see Sylvia is upon arrival or for a brief period in the morning. The rooms are nice but not worth the high price and the location is okay.

Very comfortable and nicely done for a large group, region is nice but far from main attractions. Best is to profit from numerous activities in a 20 kms area (too far to visit Sienna, Firenze, San Giminiano).

The rooms are nicely done but need a little refreshing. The kitchen is lovely but only for a large group. The TV and DVD don't work. We didn't use the personal chef, not available.

Silvia and Maurizio are charming and very helpful, count on them!