7 bedroom house, rural setting, private pool, free wifi, great for touring/relax

Hi, We booked this property 15 months in advance for a family trip for combined birthdays and graduation. Chiara was excellent with communication during that time for any questions, and even split up the payments more so that getting funds from multiple relatives was easier. Prior to arrival, she purchased some requested necessities ( diapers, milk, etc) so we didn’t have to search for a store. Upon arrival, the house fit the description well and she and Ian gave us a complete tour. The Good: The house was beautiful as were the views! It was very spacious! The location to take day trips was well situated, it is a 35 minute drive to the Empoli train station which we commuted to Siena, Florence, Venice, Naples( some of us) and Pisa. The owners are next door and are often readily present for any questions or recommendations! My toddler had a minor mishap with an item, and they were very kind in not applying a large charge. No air conditioning, but they did provide several powerful fans that came in handy. Child friendly- they had gates on each stair landing and the pool is fenced and locked. They provided a new high chair and pack and play for my son to sleep in. Storage- huge closets and LOTS of hangers!!! The Not So Good( subjective) Mosquitoes!!! I know they have no control of this , and most of my relatives were fine, but I got bit so much, despite using spray, that I was covered in welts most of the time. WiFi- A storm had come through a couple days before and knocked out a tower, so WiFi was extremely spotty and only accessible on the third floor. They did give us access to their personal WiFi for a day which was very nice- however the remainder of the time it didn’t work well. Trash- again, subjective for various travelers, but for us it was different. They separate trash into five different containers( six counting glass drop off) and it took time to learn the system. This is probably typical in other italian ( or European) homes so I don’t fault them, but if you aren’t used to this, be forewarned.

We spent a wonderful week in April in this house located in the beautiful hills outside of Vinci. The house fit all 10 of us quite confortably (stupendous views from every lovely room), the kitchen was fully supplied twith enough large pots and pans etc for us to cook our meals, and the dining table could fit us all. Only the living room was a bit small for 10, but the terrasse with its unforgettable views compensates for that when the weather is nice. Chiara and Ian were most friendly and helpful. They were even kind enough to offer to shop for us ahead of time, given that we arrived on the eve of a holliday when the shops would be closed. The house is 1h away from Lucca, 1.5 or 2 hours from Arezzo and Sienna, less than 1 hour from Florence, and we also loved Cerreto Guidi, Vinci of course, Pistoia, climbing in Monsummano Terme, and Montecatini Terme!

Big thanks to Chiara & Ian for making us feel so welcome and relaxed throughout the entire stay! The house is very nice, especially the kitchen is better equipped / quality than usually. The location on top of Vinci village is just fantastic and it is recommended for everyone to just sit down and enjoy the evenings outside viewing towards the village and surrounding fields. Easy to get to from Florence airport, and good location also for visiting Pisa, Livorno, Florence and other nearby cities and towns. Great wine factories in the area, especially Fattoria Dianella. We were 6 people (4 adults and 2 kids) but the house easily accommodates many more so we had plenty of room. Weather was good throughout the week, we like more moderate temperatures than July/August hot season. Two days were quite windy up on the hills but otherwise perfect. Food and wine are best quality you can get, absolutely! Our vacation was perfect, big thanks to the owner family!! Hope to re-visit once again sometimes in the future!!

The photos don't do this place justice - the location is great, 12 min drive to Vinci and also less than an hour to Pisa and Florence. Vinci is a sleepy, small town but v pretty. The house is very peaceful as no traffic noise, it's not luxurious and as you can see from photos the decor is a bit dated but it has all that you need, comfy beds, lots of loungers, etc. No air con but all bedrooms had fans and bug screens (bit broken in parts) - some games/puzzles/books would have been nice but there's a well equipped kitchen (inc tea pots!), pool plenty big enough and better than looks in pix (about 50 ft from house and down some steps so no sunbathing area by pool as its in steep olive grove) and a great, large south facing terrace in front of house and which catches evening sun also. Plenty of places to sit in shade and always the stunning view. The owners live in the yellow attached property and there's also a small separate barn conversion on the yard (to the SW of the house) with its own small pool. We were a group of 13 (6 adults, 6 teens, 1 tween) and had plenty of space - the upstairs wifi room off one of the double en-suites is a perfect teenage den (there's also large downstairs diningroom/lounge we didn't need as weather great). There were issues with the hot water and a flood in the kitchen when we were there but owners tried hard to get it fixed. We had lots of cyclists in our group who were in heaven (more bikes than cars on the mountain road) and I would highly recommend this house for location, value for money and hospitality.