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Review 2418: Sant' Antonio, della Francesca

www.santantonio.it

Recommended
Review by kathyk from NJ

apartments on an estate near Montepulciano, Tuscany South

When

September 30-October7, 2006, 1 week

Location

The apartment my husband and I shared was on an estate about five-minute drive from the town of Montepulciano. The location was perfect, very quiet and beautifully landscaped with many olive trees, lavender, pine trees and cypress, and expansive lawns. It is in a private, gated location and we were given a remote to open the gate to allow us to enter or leave.

Nearby Amenities

We were about a five-minute drive to nearby Montepulciano where there are many shops and wonderful restaurants and a large Conad grocery store. There are many cafes in the town where we could sip an espresso and "people watch."

The House/Apartment

The buildings date from the 12th or 13th century and have been lovingly restored. It was a monastery at one time. There are 12 other apartments on the estate. Many had guests, but it was very peaceful and quiet. There were no loud parties!

Our apartment, della Francesca, had a beautiful view toward Lake Trasimeno. There was a large kitchen/living room with a four burner stove, an armoire with dishes, glassware and a good size refrigerator, and a small fireplace. We walked up three steps to the bathroom and bedroom both of which were generous in size.

Garden

There was a large pool which we did not use as it was too cool. Many terraces with garden furniture were available for all to use as well as barbecue pits for guests to use. We had a very private little patio outside of our apartment where we had breakfast each day.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The apartment was very clean. Linen was changed once during the week and trash was emptied daily. The furniture was in good condition and was very comfortable.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The bedroom was large enough for two people. There was plenty of space in which to store clothes and a large armoire with sufficient hangers for hanging clothes. The double bed was very comfortable and once the shutters were closed, no light from outside penetrated the room which made my husband very happy. We slept very well.

The bathroom was very clean with toilet, sink, stall shower and bidet. Hot water was plentiful.

Kitchen

Although there was no oven, the cooking facilities were more than adequate. Plenty of pots, pans, dishes and glassware with no nicks or cracks.

Problems or Bonuses

We were totally thrilled with this apartment, the grounds, the staff, and Nico, the owner. Everyone seemed to go out of their way to make us feel comfortable. Parking was located in underground garages so there were no cars to mar the beautiful scenery. We used the fireplace twice and Nico did not charge for the wood, a very pleasant surprise.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

Nico greeted us personally upon our arrival. He speaks many languages fluently including English with a slight British accent. The published material does not do justice to this wonderful resort. It was beyond our expectations.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

We have already recommended this resort to two of our friends and look forward to staying there again in the near future.

Things to do in this area

We visited many of the towns in the area including Pienza, Montepulciano (our favorite), Montalcino, Cortona, Sant' Antimo Abbey. One of our favorite restaurants is in Montepulciano, Ai Quattro Venti on the Piazza Grande. The minestrone soup is the best we have ever tasted!

Nico and his family press the olives grown on their land and sell it in their Avignonesi shop in Montepulciano. I just had to buy a bottle as the bottle itself is so pretty and the oil is delicious. They also sell wonderful wine made from grapes grown on their vineyard.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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