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> SlowTrav > Italy > Vacation Rentals > Reviews > Tuscany Chianti Review 3334: Le Torri, Apartment
apartments on an estate near Montespertoli, Tuscany Chianti WhenMarch through April 2006, three weeks LocationThis family owned gated Villa is located about seven miles from Florence in a small town, San Quirico in Collina. The Villa is very well kept with beautiful gardens and with little quiet corners to sit and read. There is also a large area to have an outside meal. The Villa is situated in a beautiful town with friendly people just waiting to make your stay memorable. When you arrive Gabrielle gives you a run down of the Villa and the area and the many things he can help you with such as tours. He also gives you a remote to open the gate to enter the property. The Villa is not close to buildings. It sits in the middle of the property about two acres. Nearby AmenitiesThe Villa is located close to everything you can think of. You walk two blocks to Via Romita (the street you enter into San Quirico) and there you will find what you need. There is a family owned grocery store (a mom & pop operation) where you find all the staples you will need including fruits and vegetables. You will find a butcher shop (friendly helpful butcher he will cut the meat as you like) liquor store, cafe, and a catholic church. In this town you will feel safe and at home. You also have a winery down the road from Le Torri. Come out through the gates and turn left you will see a castle - keep walking it is a beautiful walk. You will be pleasantly surprised when you run into old Poppiano with its old buildings and church and the winery castle. Here you may purchase your wines. San Quirico has a Resturant "Da Buzzanca" our experience was wonderful here with owner Marcello, wife Mariuccia and daughter Sofia. The food was delicious, the service goes without saying. Marcello went out of his way to make us feel like we were in his home. He also gave us a tour of his wine cellar and surprised us when we walked down and he had hors d'oeuvres and wine. We were down there quite a while chatting with him. The House/ApartmentTaking from Le Torri's webpage "a beautiful medieval villa self catering vacation rental. Le Torri Villa is a XIII century Tuscan farmhouse rental holiday rebuilt in the 18th century entirely made of Tuscan-style stone." There are nine apartments (we rented a 2bed/2bath), very well planned and situated. The inside of the apartments have modern facilities and they are very well kept. Fresh paint, flooring is beautiful, furniture is a combination antiques and Tuscan furniture and beds are comfortable. For the three weeks we were there it felt like we were the only ones. We knew we were not by the vehicles and running into Canadians, English couple, etc....Oh to hear those church bells in the morning while drinking my coffee..... GardenThe grounds are beautiful. You will find Gabrielle's parents outside working on the gardens. There are quiet little garden corners at your disposal. There is a large stone area with a large table and benches for a meal. The terra cotta pots and flowers just give it the Tuscan touch. We enjoyed our Sunday meal in this outside dinning room. There is a pool in the garden, it was beautiful, however we did not use it. All this area is shared however we just didn't run into other guests. Being in Tuscany the guests are usually out driving around the country side. Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living AreasThe furniture is fairly new and comfortable. There is a television and cable also. There were enough chairs for everyone. The apartments are well equipped and not crowded. Very clean, fresh paint, flooring is in great shape. Bedrooms/BathroomsBeds were comfortable. Bedrooms are very roomy considering there was two twin size beds, a desk, lamp and chair, two night stands, chest drawer and a two door wardrobe closet. In the two bedroom apartment we rented, there were two full bathrooms which was perfect. KitchenKitchen was large and well equipped, stove, oven, microwave, coffee pot, and plenty of pots and pans and dishes. There was also a china cabinet fully stocked. We enjoyed cooking in the spacious kitchen. There is plenty of counter space. All dishware and cookery is of good quality. Problems or BonusesGood Surprises:
Agency and Representatives (and price)Slow traveler Tom from MI helped in selecting Le Torri. Thank you. I don't remember the price for the three weeks, but it was very reasonable and this was during the last two weeks of March through April 7th. Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?We highly recommend Le Torri. We plan to return. Gabrielle and his family are very welcoming. Gabrielle is very helpful. We cannot say enough good things about Le Torri. We do not have one negative comment. Things to do in this areaWe rented a car - to stay in San Quirico in Collina it is best to have a car, you do not have too there is a bus you can take to Florence and from there you can take other bus lines to surrounding areas and there is also the euro train. But to see Tuscany and experience it it is best to follow the advise of the slow travelers and rent a car so you don't miss out on seeing the beauty of this countryside. We followed Stu Dudley's Southern Tuscany Drive; Pauline Kenny's drives (e.g., Cypress Lined Roads and Monte Oliveto), and Doug Phillips and we are sure others - a heart felt thank you to all. Here in San Quirico in Collina, we got to know the towns of San Casiano and Cerbaia as our homes too. These towns gave us supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stores, and friends. In Cerbaia, we were quickly adopted by Adriana and Bruna. Adriana owns a store. We would stop in the evenings on our way to San Quirico in Collina to buy our fresh produce and eggs for breakfast. She was waiting for us to arrive and would worry for us like a grandmother would. On our last day in Tuscany she and her son treated us to Vin Santo from their personal cellar. And in San Quirico we made good friends. We need to submit a travel report. Thank you slow travelers. Thank you "Slow Traveler" for the detail travel instructions from Rome to Sorrento - they were so exact, we actually read the instructions as we were walking!! Thank you Pauline for starting this ... what a legacy! This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com. |
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