Myself, my husband and 9 other members of our family stayed here for 1 night en route to another villa for our main holiday. We arrived during the afternoon, but the rest of our party arrived around 2am. The owner of the villa stayed up until they had all arrived to make sure they found their rooms and the facilities, which we found amazingly helpful.

We had breakfast on their terrace which was fabulous.

The villa itself is very old and quirky with antique furniture typical of the Tuscan area. We found it very charming and romantic. We arrived mid afternoon so did struggle to find somewhere open for lunch, but we were happy to drive around looking at the area.

The views from our bedroom were amazing!

We did, however, find the villa quite difficult to find, but it was well worth it.

The stay at Il Torrino was one of my most exciting ones in Italy. I am a frequent traveler to Florence but had heard about new archeological excavations in Pisa that unearthed ancient boats (near the San Rossore train station). So I looked for a convenient place between the two cities and my travel agent found this jewel, sitting on top of a beautiful Tuscan countryside hill.

The location is superb: within an hour drive to Florence or Pisa (if traffic helps), in a quiet area with 360-degree views to seemingly endless olive tree plantations and vineyards. It is within 15-min drives to small, pitoresque villages, and walking distance (if you don't mind the exercise) to a small village down the hill where you can buy groceries and pastries, and have a capuccino. Don't miss the local garbanzo bean bread (cecina)!

The accomodations are also fantastic, with well-appointed, pristine clean rooms and a beautifully decorated house. The owner is very nice and helpful. She can also recommend fantastic restaurants nearby. Make sure to ask her for directions on how to get to the "barche romane" (http://www.newsweek.com/id/67475).