We wanted to spend a couple of weeks in the museums and churches of Florence but our vacation was timed for August so we needed to be away from the heat to eat and sleep. The answer was a self-catering apartment at Podere Capiteto which overlooks Florence and the Arno Valley. It's served by the Florence city buses (20 minutes) so we could safely leave our car and traffic/parking hassles behind. The owners are very pleasant and unobtrusive and they provide their guests with a pool among the olive trees. Sometimes we went to eat at nearby Impruneta and on other occasions we cooked in our own kitchenette. We really did have the best of both worlds - easy access to Florence, a country ambience for R&R. The price was extremely reasonable. greve-in-chianti.com/capiteto.htm
