Antico Borgo di Tignano is a delight to all the senses and offers everything you would expect and more from a Tuscany vacation rental!
Run by Angelo and Leah (wonderful, gracious hosts), it is a newly renovated, private borgo just 10 minutes from Volterra, 20 minutes from San Gimingiano, 40 minutes to Sienna and an hour to the beach. Rent a car in Florence and the trip is only 1 hour. Easy driving and quite fun with all the twists and turns - part of the entire experience!
The apartments are large and beautifully renovated with full kitchens, gorgeous tiled baths and comfortable beds.
There is a HUGE pool that has a 360 degree view of the Tuscan hillsides - picture perfect. At times, I had to pinch myself to believe I was really staying in such an amazing place and was witnessing firsthand all the best of Tuscany that one only reads about...
There is an Osteria on the premise and the small towns of Merlo and Casa di Elsa are only a 5 minute drive away (both have cozy, quaint restaurants, markets with fresh ingredients if you want to cook at home, pubs and an internet cafe). A stroll up the gravel lane at night allows you to "chat" with the sheep and horses as you pass by the 15th century church and water tower. I have never seen such a brilliant sky - so crystal clear and full of stars, complete with a backdrop of the twinkling lights of small Mideval towns in the distance.
If you go in early July (as we did), you would be lucky to experience the local Palio (annual horse race - not Sienna's; this one is very small and very traditional) and accompany Leah to the Merlo dinner the evening before the race. As the only "tourists", we were treated like family and had the experience of a lifetime.
Leah and Angelo were a delight and we are already planning another trip next summer. I will never stay anywhere but Tignano!